Why Literature Is Important

Submitted By Valerie-Curiel
Words: 847
Pages: 4

Literature is and has always been very important because it broadens our minds and makes us analyze a piece of work into depth. Studying literature is more important than we think. Had I been asked this question a year ago I would have never taken into consideration just how important it is to have literature in our society. In college we are required to take literature courses where we must read numerous books. We are told to read novels and study the works of famous poets, some of which I have never heard of. There have been times I have had to ask myself, “How is this piece of literature important to me and will I benefit from it in the future?” Well the answer is simple. All Literature is important to become well educated and to expand the mind. I will provide you with my opinions on why I think literature is important to me and what I gain by studying and reading it. Literature has so much we can learn from, such as someone else’s work. I know to some, literature might just look like a bunch of words written down on a piece of paper, but it is in fact something much more.
Perhaps one of the most important aspects of having literature available to us is that we can learn from it and broaden our way of thinking. There are various pieces of Literature out there for us to read and deeply analyze. In one of my previous English courses the professor had us read a piece of work then analyze our thoughts of the work. We then went on to read various excerpts by different authors. Of course I was cranky about reading so much, however I am glad I read all that was assigned because it was very knowledgeable as they all had different opinions of the work and each interpreted it very differently. In the end, I had a newfound appreciation towards literature and the various ways of analyzing a piece of work even though I may have to read it more than once to understand it.
The past is what shape our present and with the great works of Literature we can study past events and gain insight as to what really happened. From the wars that took place many years ago, to the days of Jesus Christ, we use literature to educate ourselves of events that took place a long time ago. With literature, we are able to look into the eyes of a World War 2 soldier and see the events or even feel the emotions and pain they experienced as they were writing. This gives the reader the feeling as if they were right beside the soldier in battle fighting for their lives. I can feel the hurt or pain that someone was experiencing just by reading his or her words. History and literature go together hand in hand. It would be hard to learn about our history if literature were unavailable to us. Without the written words of another human being, there would not be a story told or information to learn of. As long as humans have emotions and feelings, literature will always be written. As long as literature is written, it will be read.
Being a parent,