As Sally Law points out, literature opens up a window on the world for students. That window presents them with them numerous opportunities because “gaining a broad view of society, through the eyes of another, fosters understanding, tolerance and empathy” (Law). Moreover, obtaining understanding, tolerance and empathy are values that “cannot be underestimated in today’s world” (Law). In short, American Literature has value because it can help people to be more human, which can in turn help people to make good decisions, know themselves better, and develop a basis for comprehending human nature that can be applied in the real world. That is something that people should consider when talking about literature—it’s real world applicability. The fact that literature can be useful in shaping perspectives, enriching one’s sense of how dynamic and complex situations and environments can be, and creating a view of life that gives context to the here and now are all great reasons for ensuring that American Literature remains a staple of colleges.
The important thing to remember is that one does not have to be a literary critic or scholar to appreciate literature. After all, most literature was not written for scholars or academics but rather for normal, everyday people. American literature can be helpful even for non-English majors because it exposes them to ideas and examples of life that they might otherwise never encounter. Writers hone their craft by holding the mirror up to nature and allowing us to see what it is we are truly like, or where have come from culturally, or how the total experience of life can be meaningful or have some sort of cathartic value.
Suzanne Choo and Angelia Poon state that “literature education provides a platform for critical discussions about what it means to live the good life, which is the just life, the meaningful life, and the ethical life.” Stories help to give an idea of what it means to be ethical or to be a moral person. They can inform the character and promote character education. Choo and Poon point at that the ancient Greek philosophers who essentially helped to create the moral and ethical foundations of the West were very adamant about character education, viewing this is the most important part of education. Aristotle especially saw the value of stories and dramatic works in shaping the characters of people.
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Works Cited
Choo, Suzanne and Angelia Poon. “Importance of literature education for the future.” The Straits Times, 2 Nov 2015. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/importance-of-literature-education-for-the-future
Denby, David. “Do Teens Seriously Read Anymore?” New Yorker, 23 Feb 2016. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/books-smell-like-old-people-the-decline-of-teen-reading
Law, Sally. “Classic works of literature still have a place in today’s classrooms.” The Guardian, 11 Dec 2012. https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2012/dec/11/teaching-classic-literature-schools
Morson, Gary. “Why College Kids are Avoiding the Study of Literature.” Commentary, 1 July 2015. https://www.commentarymagazine.com/articles/why-college-kids-are-avoiding-the-study-of-literature/
Trubowitz, Rachel and Michael Ferber. “Why study English literature?” University of New Hampshire, 2013. https://cola.unh.edu/english/why-study-english-literature
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