In ancient times, people learned of the past and of morals/consequences through word of mouth and stories which influenced their daily lives and how they conducted themselves, and today's times are no exception. Through reading canonical literature, generation after generation can read the same story and gain crucial insight to human actions that have affected life currently.
Through reading literature, the reader learns of a legacy set by the people of the past and their decisions. One of the biggest examples in literature is that of the fall of man reiterated from the Bible in Paradise Lost when Milton says, "Of man's first disobedience, and the fruit/Of that forbidden tree, whose mortal taste/Brought death into the world, and all our woe,/With loss of Eden, till one greater Man/Restore us, and regain the blissful seat" (Milton Book I). Through this legacy, the reader gains a history lesson in theology, traditions, and even in dress and day-to-day life. Literature can explain how the past has affected the present and how the choices made this very moment can affect another generation. In the Iliad, the reader learns of rituals and sacrifices to the ancient gods, as well as the interplay between mortals and immortals. The history of the Battle of Troy and the war that ensued also shows the actions and traditions of the time. Through one-on-one combat examples as well as war strategy, Homer depicted a bloody battle filled with bigger than life egos as well as the detriment that war brought to families, cities, and individuals. This depiction is both timeless and universal, however the strategies used and how war was fought is not. It is through these types of both separation and unity of a subject that the reader becomes engros...
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...2). And by taking a part in the analysis of it, the reader gains individuality and helps shape each generation through passing on lessons and history of cultures come and gone, so as each generation becomes more advanced because they have learned from the past.
Works Cited
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. A Del Rey. Ballantine Publishing Group. 1950. Print.
Denby, David. Does Homer Have Legs?. Annals of Education. Print.
Homer. The Iliad: the Story of Achilles. A Signet Classic. New American Library. August 1966. Print.
Milton, John. Paradise Lost. Signet Classic. New American Library. 1961. Print.
Orwell, George. 1984. Ed. Erich Fromm. New York: Harcourt. 1949. Print.
Santana, George. Famous sayings.
Voltaire. Candide. Dover Thrift Editions. 1991. Print.
Webley, Kayla. "Brief History: Burning Books." Time Magazine. 20 September. 2010. 1-2. Print.
Schein, Seth L. The Mortal Heroes: An Introduction to Homer's Iliad. Berkley: U. of California P, 1984.
Homer. The Odyssey. Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Vol. 1. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York: W.W. Norton and Co., 1995.
Homer, The Odyssey, The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces, ed. Maynard Mack, Expanded Edition, (New York: W. W. Norton, 1995), pp. 219-503.
Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. R. Fitzgerald. Bedford Anthology of World Literature Book. Ed. Davis, Paul et al. Vol. 1. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s. 2004. 487-579. Print.
How does reading a story benefits an individual and improve his or her daily life? Extensive reading does not only serve as an entertainment purpose, but it is also beneficial to many readers because reading fiction can help enhance a person’s understanding of the type of society the reader lives in. For example, the famous novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is regarded as a brilliant work of literature, for it offers a detailed glimpse of the American life in the 1920s and comments on various social problems during that time period. The novel tells the story of a mysterious millionaire named Jay Gatsby who lives in the fictional town of West Egg, located on Long Island, during the summer of 1922. Gatsby wants to pursue his first
Schein, Seth L. The Mortal Hero: An Introduction to Homer's Iliad. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984.
Homer. The Illiad. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces: Expanded Edition?Volume I. ed. by Maynard Mack. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1995.
Lattimore, Richard. Introduction. The Iliad of Homer. New York: University of Chicago Press. 1961. 7–55.
The idea of literature being an important aspect of life has always been greatly prevalent in my upbringing. This notion that I supported was spurred on at the cause of my obstinate parents insisting upon my reading of two books a week to benefit my vocabulary and to develop the articulate thought process of a skilled reader. As a young child, my biggest influences were my parents’ passionate and persuasive ideas regarding the correlation between
Homer. The Odyssey: Fitzgerald Translation. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998. Print.
Homer. "The Odyssey." The Norton Anthology: World Literature. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. New York: W.W.
Lattimore, R. (trans.) (1961) The Iliad of Homer, Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, reproduced in Readings book 1 (2006) A219 Exploring the Classical World, readings 1.1-6, pp. 7-62, Milton Keynes: The Open University.
Schein, Seth L. The Mortal Hero: An Introduction to Homer's Iliad. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984.
Literature also gives us glimpses of much earlier ages. These glimpses take our imaginations back to the roots of our culture, in some instances. The study of Literature, through our history, enhances our understanding of our modern world.
In other words, world literature contributes much more to today’s society than many people would think, yet, how is this possible when most world literature pieces we read about today are centuries old? Well, good question, world literature in itself is history, which is then passed down and translated for generations providing insight for how people think, react, live, and love. By reading literature, we gain the education about different places, people, and cultures. Therefore, after educating ones self of world literature pieces from authors long ago. An individual or society can then take that situation, experience or etc. into consideration next time humanity run into a similar circumstance. This is not only what world literature is but in fact the core meaning behind why we need to keep the topic