Literature reinforces grammar skills. It also helps us learn new words. Each person uses a different set of vocabulary words.
In 1932, Alvin C. Eurich wrote an article called Enlarging Vocabularies in the Journal of Higher Education Vol. 3, No. 6 of June, pages 315-317. In it he wrote,
"College students are frequently handicapped in oral and written expression by their limited vocabularies. A more serious deficiency attribute to the same lack is the inability to understand that which they read. Often students misinterpret paragraphs and pages of their reading because they do not grasp the meaning of several key words. Such miscomprehensions greatly delimit the range of their experiences."
Reading books and analyzing them helps you grow... mentally. By learning new words and ideas you also are able to express yourself to others more easily. Your mind is able to grasp new concepts from another point of view (that of the writer and/or character).... Critical thinking also comes along with literature. I know reading has defiantly helped me improve my memory skills. As a child I hated reading because I could never remember anything I read. Now I can. Literature classes also opened my mind more to looking at various issues from a different view point, which is a HUGE lesson to learn. Yes, they are long and boring, and yes, they do take time, but to get inside the mind of another, to read something they created one moment in time; it's like a frozen piece of time, an arrangement of words used to provoke the imagination into creating a mental picture of what the writer expressed of feelings, emotions, and the environment around him.
Language is only part of our communication skills. By learning how to speak, write and read English, we are able to communicate. Learning how to do so is step one of the process. Learning how to adequately comprehend and interpret what others are saying and their meaning and inflection behind such conversations and ideas, is the second step. Literature is one way we learn such understandings. Literature classes provide us with the tools to interpret what others are meaning. In the 21st century, more than anything do we need literature in our classrooms. The terms of politically correct are becoming too common in our word use. Words themselves are being used in the wrong context and often are even phrased in sentence structures when they are not logically needed. Because of our lack of furthering our education by reading literature beyond our literature classes, we make up words, or slang terms, to try to describe what we are feeling or doing. Even with new words being 'created', the exact meanings of these words are not often taken the same by another person.
Literature is also a type of art form. To take it out of classrooms would be a terrible thing. We have fought so hard to make sure most people of this country are not illiterate... yes even illiterate people can think critically and talk right... but literature is an advanced form of language. It is apart of our history, and understanding of the culture before us. Always keep in mind fictional pieces are not complete truth; and even non-fiction is culture and time specific. Literature allows us to expand on thoughts and issues we keep inside; to tell a story and get a point or issue across. In some ways, this is the only way to voice your opinion.
The internet may have made news and stories more readily available, but generations today are not using the wonderful tools we have in front of us in the positive ways they can be used. Television and other visual instruments such as DVDs are being used as research tools rather than books. Nearly all my professors I have had, has noted to us when researching information on the internet, one needs to research the author to see if they are legitimate sources. Because of the freedom of the internet right now, fact and fiction is being construed, people are creating sites and posting information that is false.
Literature needs to stay in the classroom, to further or minds, but also to give us incite to the past. Learning from the past is one of the best things we can do.
Response to Literature Classes Need to Go by goosebusterfan
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But if the most teachers like to make their students read books that were written in the 1800s, I don't think it'd improve their grammar skills iin any way. I'm not a hardcore grammar snob. I believe that grammar rules can evolve over time and the archaic grammatical rules can be forgotten. It'd be better for students if their teachers chose something more contemporary.
That was my main beef anyway.
As for art form, there's a lot more of art forms than literature. There's music, dance, graphic novels (*hinthint*), movies, etc. Hell, some people even consider porn art. What I was suggesting was for literature classes to be optional rather than mandatory.
Instead, we come up with another class (call it "Life Skills") where we teach students to read, write, and think. The materials used for this class shouldn't be what we usually think of when we think of "literature," but materials most students can relate to. There are interesting recently-published articles and short stories out there. Why are they overlooked because some people feel we need to stick with the literary canon?
**Save English as a first language, yo.
I'm agreeing with the fact grammar does change over time, and it is a good thing. The 1800s are time and culture specific. Just as someone from the future reading graphic novels from our time.
Of course literature is only one art form. All of the above you listed are some of my favorites (except for porn)... lol. Some colleges do offer literature courses with the subject of graphic novels. That in itself is literature. I wanted to take our Science Fiction Literature course, which would have included graphic novels, however, because no one voices interest in it, the school feels that the course would not interest enough students... so they fail to offer it as an option. Which saddens me, so I am trying to get people to email the head of the department so he can show the school that people are interested in it.
Now don't think I am a Literature student, I am an art student, so my standpoint of literature is from an outside major. I think it is good that we have mandatory classes so it opens our eyes to other points of view. Even though I hate science cause I struggle with it, I am glad I took at least one class cause it helps me with at least the basics.
As far as "life skills" maybe you have an idea going there... especially with communication going down as far as lack of face to fact interation with people. Modern literature included in this class? That would be good too, but I also think that you should not forget literature from our past.
Yes, some of it sucks... some of it doesn't make sense... some of it is good... some very boring. But at the time it was good. I think a good teacher will give examples to compare what the book was to something now... I was lucky to have a great Literature teacher, who likes to tie in modern culture and compare it with literature and history.
Sincerely,
Ashleymarie Sey DeBondt
visit my art website Behind the Brush
or for my photographic work my deviantart page
Meh. The writers of the literary canon just got lucky.
**Save English as a first language, yo.
Lucky? Or were they the only ones with the money and time to write? Theory #293 lol
Sincerely,
Ashleymarie Sey DeBondt
visit my art website Behind the Brush
or for my photographic work my deviantart page
I agree that literature classes need to stay and are immensely important. Even the older literature that no one thinks is important can readily be tied in with our modern culture because human nature never truly changes, and history therefore does repeat itself.
But at the same time, I think literature classes--at least ones held in high schools, as I haven't experiences a typical college literature class and with the college I will be attending, I never will--they need to change some. There should be less focus on the "literary elements" and more on the meaning, the new point of view, and the insight you get into your own nature. I can't begin to explain how frustrating it is to be in my AP English class and have the teacher continually steer us away from the meaningful and back to the less important things such as recognizing syntax techniques.