Value of Literature

Value of Literature

All literature has value, obviously no piece of literature is going to apply to everyone or be liked by everyone. Some literary works apply to a general group of people, while others apply to nearly every person in the world and some are irrelevant at this point in time. I have been able to relate nearly every literary work we have read to my life somehow. Any of the classics that we have read are required to relate in order to be considered a classic. Some of what we have read has been tougher to relate since it is older material. I have noticed that older pieces require more reading between the lines.

One piece of literature I would keep for next year is Beowulf. Beowulf was almost too easy to relate to, personally. I think we have all had times in our lives where we are confident in our abilities when others doubt us. At times we may be overly confident, but if we succeed in the end it seems like everyone jumps on the bandwagon and if we fail everyone seems to look down on what we tried to do. We have also had people whom we thought we could depend upon to have our backs in certain situations. Beowulf thought his men were coming behind him when he went to fight the dragon, they chickened out and ultimately got him killed. If they would have been there, Beowulf would have likely died from old age as ruler of the Geats.

Another example of believing in your abilities when others are a little skeptical is earlier in Beowulf. When Beowulf and his men first arrive the Danes were doubtful that anyone could defeat Grendel. The Danes were even more puzzled and maybe a little frightened when Beowulf decided to fight Grendel unarmed. I would have thought he was absolutely insane until I saw the fight w...

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...f King Laius, he unknowingly banished himself. If he had waited to punish the killer of King Laius his departure may have been a little less shameful.

All literature is valuable in its own certain way. Each piece touches a different group of people in a different manner. Some literary works are outdated and inapplicable in today’s world. Even though this is the case, they had value at one point in time, but are still enjoyed and valued by literature enthusiasts. We can all learn from literature and we can all connect to literature. However, we need to find the right literary works to fit our personal preferences and learning styles. Every literary work is unique and possesses its own intriguing qualities, just like every individual is unique and special in their own way. Another expression comes to mind at this point, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”