Why Reading Matters: How Literature Impacts Us

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How Literature Impacts Us Literature is something that most people have learned about. It is taught in schools, and many people read it in their spare time. However, some people question literature, and wonder if it is beneficial at all. Nonetheless, by reading the assigned articles and by personal experience, one can see how literature impacts people internally and externally, making them more open-minded and feel better of themselves. Literature has a strong impact on the way that somebody empathizes with one another. When one reads the experiences of other people, they can apply it to their own lives. For example, Tim Gillespie, writer of “Why Literature Matters,” states that, “a single death is a tragedy, a million deaths a statistic” …show more content…
One feel less gloomy when they read because reading can help one to relax. In the video, Why Reading Matters, it is mentioned that a book club with depressed members, have began to feel less depressed when they started reading. It is noted in the video that they felt better after six weeks. One woman even mentioned that reading has helped more than any anti depressant she has taken. This being said, that literature not only helps us mature as people, but it can really help our brain to not feel dispirited. For me, reading has always helped me get my mind off things. Reading is a stress reliever to me, and for many more other people. From personal experience, I can say that when I read I think about all the characters in the book and the world they live in, and by concentrating on the storyline, it helps me not over think the small things that occur in my life. While reading, one can see the way they live their life and maybe change it. Mary Gordon tells the story of a man who changed his ways after reading literature. She states, “The accused rapist saw the error of his ways and surrendered to the police” (Gordon). For someone to surrender him or herself, it takes a lot of guts. If literature could make this man give himself up, then it can certainly help others see what they’re doing in their lives, and maybe change it for the better. Nevertheless, reading surely helps with making oneself see life more differently for the