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Literature as a reflection of society
Literature as a reflection of society
Literature as a reflection of society
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In this day and age we spend an extensive amount of time engrossed in literary works, films, television shows and other forms of fiction. Some see this in a positive light, contending that fictitious stories cultivate our mental and moral development. Others however have argued that fiction is mentally and ethically obstructive. Posing the age old question: Does fiction build the morality of individuals and societies, or does it break it down?
“The goal, I suppose, any fiction writer has, no matter what your subject, is to hit the human heart and the tear ducts and the nape of the neck and to make a person feel something about the characters are going through and to experience the moral paradoxes and struggles of being human.”
-Tim O'Brien
It is undeniable that fiction has had the power to influence society in the past. History tells, for if you were to go back far enough, you would be able to find evidence of many book burnings having taken place. Consider the book burnings which took place under Hitler’s reign. These books being written commonly by Jews, were usually regarded as being pacifist or against the war and concerned with new educational methods and intellectual opinion. Such destruction would never have taken place if fictitious literary works, weren’t viewed as dissident material which undermined the ideologies of the national socialist administration. This in itself is historical recognition and proof of the influential and distinct power that literature possesses. Why else would it have scared, arguably the most powerful and simultaneously ruthless leader our world has seen yet?
“So now do you see why books are hated and feared? They show the pores in the face of life” (Faber from Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury...
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...burn.htm [Accessed: 21 March 2014].
Literary Review of Canada. 2011. Why Fiction is Good for You | Literary Review of Canada. [online] Available at: http://reviewcanada.ca/magazine/2011/07/why-fiction-is-good-for-you/ [Accessed: 9 March 2014].
Mcknight, S. 2014. Fiction: Is it good for you?. [online] Available at: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/jesuscreed/2012/04/29/fiction-is-it-good-for-you/ [Accessed: 13 Apr 2014].
Chiaet, J. (2014). Novel Finding: Reading Literary Fiction Improves Empathy. [online] Scientificamerican.com. Available at: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/novel-finding-reading-literary-fiction-improves-empathy/ [Accessed 5 May. 2014].
Pacific Standard, (2013). Study: Reading Fiction Makes People Comfortable With Ambiguity. [online] Available at: http://www.psmag.com/blogs/news-blog/reading-literature-opens-minds-60021/ [Accessed 5 May. 2014].
“Fiction is the truth inside the lie” (Stephen King). Figment of imagination helps improve brain connectivity and responsibilities which enables the brain to escape to a world of illusion. In a world of imagination students explore conflicts within the book. Anecdotes play a significant role in building the strategies used to deal with real world events. Ink and Ashes by Valynne E. Maetani, discusses how mistakes from the past has an impact on your life and may alter your future. Books intended to be read so that we as people can have a different mindset and perspective on things rather than just our own.
Jonathan Gottschall in his article,'' Why fiction is good for you ,'' he begins with question in his article is fiction good for us ? as it's known we spend most of time in our life by read novels , watching films , tv shows and other . Most of these things may affect us in a positive or negative way . Jonathan in his article show us that '' fiction seems to be more effective at changing beliefs than nonfiction, which is designed to persuade through argument and evidence through studies that show us when we read nonfiction, we read with our shields up. We are critical and skeptical. But when we are absorbed in a story, we drop our intellectual guard '' ( Gottschall 3) . He also states in conclusion,'' Reading narrative fiction allows one
The theme of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 can be viewed from several different angles. First and foremost, Bradbury's novel gives an anti-censorship message. Bradbury understood censorship to be a natural outcropping of an overly tolerant society. Once one group objects to something someone has written, that book is modified and censorship begins. Soon, another minority group objects to something else in the book, and it is again edited until eventually the book is banned altogether. In Bradbury's novel, society has evolved to such an extreme that all literature is illegal to possess. No longer can books be read, not only because they might offend someone, but because books raise questions that often lead to revolutions and even anarchy. The intellectual thinking that arises from reading books can often be dangerous, and the government doesn't want to put up with this danger. Yet this philosophy, according to Bradbury, completely ignores the benefits of knowledge. Yes, knowledge can cause disharmony, but in many ways, knowledge of the past, which is recorded in books, can prevent man from making similar mistakes in the present and future.
People nowadays have lost interest in books because they see it as a waste of time and useless effort, and they are losing their critical thinking, understanding of things around them, and knowledge. Brown says that Bradbury suggests that a world without books is a world without imagination and its ability to find happiness. The people in Fahrenheit 451 are afraid to read books because of the emotions that they will receive by reading them and claim them as dangerous. Bradbury hopes to reinstate the importance of books to the people so that they can regain their “vital organ of thinking.” In Fahrenheit 451, Montag steals a book when his hands act of their own accord in the burning house, regaining his ability to read and think on his own (Bradbury 34-35; Brown 2-4; Lee 3; Patai 1, 3).
I frankly confess that I have, as a general thing, but little enjoyment of it, and that it has never seemed to me to be, as it were, a first-rate literary form. . . . But it is apt to spoil two good things – a story and a moral, a meaning and a form; and the taste for it is responsible for a large part of the forcible-feeding writing that has been inflicted upon the world. The only cases in whi...
In Robert Penn Warren’s essay “Why Do We Read Fiction?” he has many reasons why humans are drawn to fiction. But which one is the most important? When we read fictional stories, they always “satisfy our deepest need—the need of feeling our life to be, in itself, significant” (Warren 174-175). Lord of the Flies and A Separate Peace are two very good examples of books that, when we read them, make us feel significant. When people see how darkness takes over mankind, we feel like we would never stoop to that level when put into a situation.
Imagine a world of uniformity. All people look the same, act the same, and love the same things. There are no original thoughts and no opposing viewpoints. This sort of world is not far from reality. Uniformity in modern day society is caused by the banning of books. The novel "Fahrenheit 451" illustrates a future in which the banning of books has risen to the extent that no books are allowed. The novel follows the social and moral implications of an over censored society. Even though the plot may seem far-fetched, themes from this book are still relevant today. Although some people believe that banning a book is necessary to defend their religion, the negative effects caused by censorship and the redaction of individual thought are reasons why books such as "Fahrenheit 451" should not be banned.
Fictional stories have been around since the first creative minds came together and put words into books to teach others about different methods of learning and interpretation of obstacles in life. Fiction has hidden meaning within the story which the reader analyzes and makes connections with. This allows us to see new perspectives in terms of scenarios that prove a more drastic point than if it were to be proven as it is. These connections allow us to learn by either teaching what is bad and what is good, such as drunk driving in the book, “Looking For Alaska” by John Green, showing how driving under the influence can hurt not only the victim, but the people who are close to them. Fictional stories need to be included in the curriculum because without them we wouldn’t be able to learn from higher points of view.
Loving to read since I was little, I believe that literature defines itself by its ability to capture the ineffable emotions of people. Through the process of understanding the written word I can open the door to the exterior world and experience a sense of belonging by understanding other’s feelings, in both fiction and non-fiction writing. I’ve “wandered lonely as a cloud” with William Wordsworth’s poems, recollecting those emotions of tranquility as if I was there. I’ve looked for the deepest longing for a sense of inner peace and purpose by roaming in Lost Horizon. I’ve struggled at the edges of love and hate for Shakespeare’s King
Since the beginning of literature, authors have been harnessing empathy and the feelings of a reader to generate emotion in their writing. When creating a story, writers nearly always take advantage of this to convey a certain meaning or feeling in their writing. By making those reading a story feel happy, sad, scared, or any of a countless number of other emotions, the person who wrote that text gave the reader an emotional connection to the story. However small, this connection is important in literature, and is the reason why authors can convey a theme or meaning in a story to a reader. This ability allows readers to form a deeper connection to a piece of writing, and it is this connection that bridges the gap between literature and society,
Readers prefer fictional novels in a way that they can relax and relate to the stories. Romance is on the rise in movies and novels. People want to be entertained by the stimulation of romance and love. MarFarquhar makes the point when she says “the point of romance novel is not to dazzle its reader with originality, but to stimulate predictable emotions by means of familiar cultural symbols” (1). Because everyone wants to believe in the fairy tale of love, they relate real life experiences with fictional characters. Readers want to be able to express their feelings by relating to a book. However, readers love being swept away by the exploration of love. It’s not always an easy path and that’s what makes it realistic, but by the last page of the book you get to sigh with pleasure as another couple commits to each other. The setting and circumstances certainly add to the experience but in the end readers are always won over by the romance.
In every fictional writing a lesson is learned by either one or many characters and even being negative or positive lessons. Reading fiction is not a waste of time, because it increases use of vocabulary and expands creativity and the imagination.
So real life can be painful, unpredictable, or even wildly rewarding, but in spite of our best-laid plans or efforts, we can never clearly predict the outcome of any action or actions. Most people, then, have a need for something that gives meaning and purpose to the events of life. This is what literature will do. However, the beautiful thing about literature is that it may do this, or it may do the exact opposite. It may leave issues or c...
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
“Literature is where I go to explore the highest and lowest places in human society and in the human spirit, where I hope to find not absolute truth, but the truth of the tale, of the imagination and of the heart.” This quote expresses the power of literature to give an unde...