Why We Study Literature

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Michelle Callaham

Mr. Asbill

English 102

13 January 2005

Why We Study Literature

        Although one’s love for reading can not be explained, there are many things that can be learned from reading different pieces of literature that can be beneficial to the mind.  Literature helps others to gain knowledge and enhance personal and intellectual skills.  Literature can develop one’s imagination, recognize human dreams and struggles, and nurture the ability to appreciate different perspectives on events.

        First, one has to read many works and imagine the plot of the stories in his or her mind.  Many writers write in such a way that causes one to think outside of the box.  For example, Robert Frost uses imagery in his poem “The Road Not Taken.”  In his poem, he compares two roads.  To understand the poem and its meaning, one must read it over and over again to see that Frost is actually describing two choices in life.  As one reads more literature, he or she begins to interpret works in many ways and think beyond what is actually written.  As one’s experience with literature beings to deepen, he or she recognizes the successes and failures of human beings.      

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        Secondly, writers use success and failure stories to make one think about his or her actions in life.  In Housman’s poem, “To an Athlete Dying Young,” he suggests that life and glory is short.  The best way to deal with life is to slip away from the world unnoticed because glories have a short duration.  The poem helps a person reflect on his or her feelings of fame, glory, and success because it can be lost at any time and can transfer one’s life.  Poets and writers make the reader think more of whom they are and write works on ...

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