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The importance of literature to human beings
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C.W Lewis, a novelist, once said that, "Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become." . Edmund Burke once said that,” Society is indeed a contract. ... It is a partnership in all science; a partnership in all art; a partnership in every virtue, and in all perfection.” .These two quotes outline what I have learned about individuals and society through the study of science and literature. Through studying different sciences, from biology to physics to chemistry, I have found that science is governed by theories and laws and work with limited theoretical possibilities. However, from literature I have found that it helps us understand what we know by clarification. In this essay I will present my knowledge issue by connecting the way the learning of science aids in the structure of society and how literature helps develop the individual.
Upon reading the novel “Major Barbara” by Bernard Shaw I came by this quote “Well you see, my dear boy, when you are organizing civilization you have to make up your mind whether trouble and anxiety are good things or not” . Major Barbra was an idealist who worked in the salvation army; she believed that everyone can be saved by religion and that by praying she could solve world problems like hunger. However her father Mr. Undershaft, who owned an arms manufacturing factory, believes that “there are two things necessary to salvation … money and gunpowder”. In consideration of this book, I came across this issue “is it better to have dreams that are not going to be fulfilled or to be extremely realistic that it takes away your h...
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...iduals may have dreams and visions for the future they have to maintain a balance of being idealistic and realistic in order for those dreams to come true. Also I have learned that societies, very much like science, require rules and limitations that shape the structure, this will aid in the function of society. I believe that through more reading and understanding of these two aspects of the IB diploma I will have a much clearer understanding of my surroundings.
Works Cited
http://classiclit.about.com/od/basicsliteratureintro/a/aa_literaturequ.htm Accessed on 4th of January.
http://www.todayinsci.com/QuotationsCategories/S_Cat/ScienceAndSociety-Quotations.htm Accessed on the 4th of January.
Book: Major Barbara, Author: Bernard Shaw published in 2008.
http://today.ucla.edu/portal/ut/capitalism-will-help-us-adapt-167383.aspx Accessed on 7th January.
Can you imagine a world where literature did not exist? It’s very hard, nearly impossible. Literature plays a major role in shaping society. Literature is a word used to describe written or spoken material. Literature educates, informs, entertains and influences the reader or listener in a myriad of profound ways. Broadly speaking, “literature” is used to describe anything from creative writing to more technical or scientific works, but the term is most commonly used to refer to works of the creative imagination. Writers can change one’s beliefs, thoughts, actions, indeed their entire lives. In Northrop Frye’s The Educated Imagination, Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird and Plato’s The Republic, the writers use literature to utter the importance literature bestows on society. The three writers state their opinions using different methods to prove to the readers that their opinions are valid. Since each author has a unique writing style, most envision their writing with a relatable figure. Some would argue that Frye’s writing style is much like that of a textbook, very instructional and factual, Lamott reminded them of a conversation with a friend and that Plato’s writing style is very informative, akin to a professor carrying on a dialogue with an inquisitive student.
I began to read not out of entertainment but out of curiosity, for in each new book I discovered an element of real life. It is possible that I will learn more about society through literature than I ever will through personal experience. Having lived a safe, relatively sheltered life for only seventeen years, I don’t have much to offer in regards to worldly wisdom. Reading has opened doors to situations I will never encounter myself, giving me a better understanding of others and their situations. Through books, I’ve escaped from slavery, been tried for murder, and lived through the Cambodian genocide. I’ve been an immigrant, permanently disabled, and faced World War II death camps. Without books, I would be a significantly more close-minded person. My perception of the world has been more significantly impacted by the experiences I've gained through literature than those I've gained
Web. 01 May 2014. 11. Burke, Kenneth. "Literature as Equipment for Living."
Ismail, M. (2008, February). Literature is the mirror of society. Campus Notes, 1(13), 1-10. Retrieved from
"A work of literature must provide more than factual accuracy or vivid physical reality... it must tell us more than we already know." - E. M. Forster
In the three chosen works of literature, Ordinary people by Judith Guest, Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley and Antigone by Sophocles, alienation, initiation, journey, suffering and reconciliation are among the themes covered by the these great works of literature. The writers through the various characters in the scripts have clearly brought out the five themes as the main themes. These works of literature act as a reflection of what was happening in the society then. In terms of literature not much has changed and would still expect the same to be happening in the society today. As acknowledged, literature indeed reflects the society, its ill values and good values. In mirroring of the ills of the society, the view is to make the society realize its mistakes and make amends. The good values are set out for others to emulate. As an imitation of human actions, literature presents an image of what people do, think and do in the society.
Literature has had a major impact on society, and, also our history. Literature has reformed and shaped civilizations, changed political systems, and has exposed injustices (3). Our literature has changed and developed as we have, keeping up with our society. “...literature is crucial for the advancement of society (3).” With literary works, we can convince others to view things a certain way, share our opinions, and more. Literature is greatly intertwined with our society and everyday lives, and they would not be the same without it. Literature plays an irreplaceable role in our
Science has played a significant role in the development of society. Other world views, such as Hum...
In the article, the author reveals his passion for science began at an early age becoming curious to learning how things work, and as an adult qualified the gratification you receive from its understanding when he states “Doing science is still among my chief pleasures” (Sagan 2). Throughout the article, Sagan reiterates his passion for science while he explains the disconnect in today’s democratic American society due to the movement away from science and into an information and service economy. The author argues from the point of view of how children and adults who do not understand science could be detrimental to society because people are less knowledgeable about the world and have the inability to find new ideas. In a plea, the author explains “…how gratifying it is when we get it…” Sagan’s article in the Washington Post directly aligns with the interest and passion with our protagonist, Victor Frankenstein who says “I read and studied the wild fancies of these writers with delight; they appeared to me treasure know too few besides myself” (Shelley 22). Frankenstein describes his passion to learn the secrets to which nature holds for the purpose of rewards of discovery. And Sagan just like Frankenstein indicates “When you’re in love, you want to tell the world ” and”when we understand and put this knowledge to use, many feel, if not a wild exhilaration, a least a deep satisfaction” (Sagan 3). Although science is not absolute with a definitive answer it is important to collaborate with others thus roping them into thinking about how science integrates into their lives instead of maintain isolation giving no room for
Literature has many purposes, and opens doors to unique worlds. Through Literature, we discover ourselves and world time and again.
...ieves that the knowledge is contributing to society. The scientist’s own drive to obtain knowledge versus the society’s need to obtain knowledge differ in the degree of limitations since the society’s moral judgments have more limiting factors on the methods to create the knowledge society demands rather than the artistic or scientific drive to obtain that knowledge.
Have you ever wondered why literature has become what it is today? Why people started to write literature in the first place, and why readers where so motivated about books? Philosophy, the word itself is not as complex as its meaning, but so is literature. Philosophy is a study that seeks answers to enduring questions about existence and reality. The aim of this curiosity for more is the sole purpose to discover the nature of truth and knowledge, finding what is life and its meaning. Philosophy not only examines nature and life, but also humanity as an individual and humanity as a society. These examinations intrigues not only the writers, but also the audience as well, for the reason that philosophy arises from pure wonder, curiosity, and the desire to know and understand, which is what people look for in literature. Philosophers who marked philosophy as it is are, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. These three great philosophers had their own individual judgment, but they all had a common objective, to expand their knowledge and views through the use of literature. As philosophy grew among society and extended throughout the world, people were developing logical reasoning, which became important and influential throughout nations such as Greece and India. Philosophers such as John Locke and Voltaire were the two leading figures in the Enlightenment to provide philosophical literature. Ancient philosophers and enlightenment philosophers both provided the readers a subjective view, using as examples matters such as logic and ethics, but with many more aspects of philosophy also presented by these men of thought. Throughout the years, the inclusion of philosophy has changed literature itself with the rise of curiosity and reasoning,...
Humane letters, that is, knowledge put into words augment the human consciousness and complement the pursuit of science. “Literature and Science” is an essay produced by Matthew Arnold from the late 1800s that attempts to show the greater importance of Of course there 's a place for literaturethe study of language over in the study of natural science in education and society. However today 's societal issue is not whether we have relied too much upon the natural sciences, but rather that society has disregarded the equivalent importance of studying human nature. There must be a continual blend in the cycle of both the search for knowledge and for the understanding of human thought and behavior. The progression of mankind requires a perpetual
Although writers from earlier periods provided insights into human behavior and society, the systematic study of society is a relatively recent development, whole beginnings date back to the late 1700s and early 1800s. A key development was the use of science instead of religion to understand the world. (Giddens: 2006)...
The Effects of Scientific Development on Society Our basic objective is to examine the scientific developments in history and how they affect human life and society. To meet that objective, we will first develop tools to analyze the relationship between science and the increasingly complex decisions we have to make regarding the way we apply science to human welfare. If we have learned anything at all about the uses of science in the second half of this century, it is that it has had an unmistakable influence on contemporary trends and outcomes. Science has helped to make the world smaller, spatially, and larger, numerically.