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Importance of genres of literature
The Influence of Literature
Importance of literature and its characteristics
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Books are mind-vacations, intelligence-enhancers, shielded adventures, and champions of inspiration awaiting discovery. Obstinately analytical individuals often argue against the necessity of mandatory high school English courses, citing literature’s functional ‘uselessness’ as proof of their delusional position’s validity. However, pervasively influential in its role as developmental catalyst and accolade to imagination, the study of literature is educationally essential because it represents a timeless testament to the unchanging nature of humanity.
Literature is an agent of civilization and progress. The crucial connection between literacy and advancement is illustrated by the loss of culture and regressive socio-economic development experienced by countries in which illiteracy is rampant and schooling is poorly-attended (Murthy 2). A central means of transferring knowledge, history recorded in literature ensures educational accuracy in modern classrooms. George Santayana famously argued for the dependency of progression on meticulous documentation, saying, “those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it” (Cohen 1). Embodying a firsthand reflection of historical attitudes, classic literature – although superficially fictional – conveys the intensity of human experience in an emotionally comprehensive way which analytical documentation cannot. Accomplished historian and producer Dr. Howard Zinn advocates for the compulsory studying of literature in high schools, saying, “books are windows into the world of the author, while textbooks are concrete walls with words written on them” (Fredman 4).
In an emotionally barren world of technological alienation, literature gives intellectual relevancy to the (often negle...
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...ionality, unites humanity in a communal atmosphere of tolerance and peace.
Works Cited
Cohen, M. “On History and Literature”. New Republic. July 21, 1920. Available from: Canadian
Points of View Reference Centre, Ipswich, MA. February 28, 2011.
Fredman, S. “An Interview With Howard Zinn.” Tikkun. May 2006. Available from: Canadian
Points of View Reference Centre, Ipswich, MA. February 28, 2011.
Gioia, Dana. “Why Literature Matters: Good Books Make A Civil Society.” Boston News. April
10, 2005. February 28, 2011. ().
Murthy, Padmini. "Literacy and Sustainable Development." UN Chronicle. 2009. Canadian
Points of View Reference Centre. EBSCO. Web. 28 Feb. 2011.
Roche, Mark. Why Literature Matters in the 21st Century. Yale University Press, 2004.
Velasquez, Manuel. Philosophy: A Text with Readings. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Group. 2002.
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The entirety of Ray Bradbury’s life revolved around literature. Ever since Bradbury was a child, he had possessed an affinity towards to writing. Bradbury’s writings were not purely influenced by his passion of literature, however. Growing up the author would’ve learned about the frail nature of books: the destruction of the Library of Alexandria, the Nazi’s book burnings, and Stalin’s “Great Purge”. Bradbury also witnessed the golden age of radio and its transition into the golden age of television, all of which Bradbury believed detracted from the beauty and knowledge that could be attained through a written medium. The American author worried about the fall of his beloved literate dreams.
Abcarian, Richard, Marvin Klotz, and Samuel Cohen. Literature: the Human Experience. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins, 2010. Print.
Abcarian, Richard, Marvin Klotz, and Samuel Cohen. Literature: the Human Experience. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins, 2010. Print.
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