The pen is mightier than the sword [Archives:2008/1132/Education]
Mohammed Alfadhel
Alandalus University
Teachers involved in literary studies frequently find themselves in the position of having to answer this recurrent question: “Why do we study literature?” Being an English Professor, teaching literary courses at university, I find myself obligated to deal with this question. In response to this question, I will try to be more objective, leave my prejudice and personal feelings behind so as to provide a few valid reasons to support my argument.
Since the beginning, literature has had a dual purpose of entertaining and educating its audience. However, literature has played a key role in all aspects of life from illuminating some aspects of the human condition to enlightening people's lives as well. It should be borne in mind that literature has always been and will always be part of our life as long as it is part of our cultural heritage. We value literature for its capacity to convey other cultures' experiences, to instill moral values, to expose the ills of society through offering beneficial remedies, and to teach us lessons about life.
The worth of literature is immeasurable; so when we examine the various aspects of this burning issue, it would be unfair to ignore and bury such important ideas. It is no coincidence that all stories, plays, and poems have lasted for generations, or even centuries. They have lasted because their beauty captures people's attention and satisfies their soul. More than two thousand years ago, the Roman poet Horace claimed that literature is “sweet” and “useful.” Keeping this in view, many masterpieces and classics have been written with some moral objective, the lesson to be learned by the reader and they have survived until today.
The function of literature is controversial. It raises a number of questions as to the usefulness of its role in our daily life, especially for students of English and even for some teachers.
It is no exaggeration to say that it would be impossible to imagine our life without literature since it has prompted political and social change in societies and continues to do so. Without employing literary devices such as symbol, metaphor, simile and the like, writing would be just a bunch of meaningless words on paper.
We have a great passion for reading stories not only for their aesthetic worth, but because they feed us spiritually, arouse certain feelings in us to sympathize with characters who share the same outlook or denounce their conduct. They evoke extreme passion. They are highly informative, persuasive, and didactic. They present an infinite variety of ideas, words and expressions. Although Aesop's fables, for instance, date back to ancient times, they are still enjoyed. They appeal to us since they teach us a point about the dangers of jealousy, envy, sloth, and greed. Moreover, they call our attention to the importance of being happy with what we have. Literature can ease our pain and sufferings by telling us that we are not alone in this universe as we benefit from other cultures' experiences, which result in making life more bearable. God has put us on this earth for good reasons, and among these is to convey a moral message to next generations so that they learn from our experience.
This leads us to the debatable question posed at the beginning of this article as to the usefulness of studying literature. For those who argue for eliminating or minimizing the amount of literary courses given to the students majoring in English, I find myself in a position of power to persuade them and prove their claim wrong for numerous reasons. These reasons can be summed up as follows: Firstly, students develop the habit of arguing convincingly, using evidence to support their views, and dealing with a large amount of information. Furthermore, they cultivate the art of reading analytically. These are key requirements in any aspect of life or any field of work. Secondly, students learn to support their points of view and trust their own interpretations as long as they provide evidence from the work itself. Thus, they mature into better, more diplomatic decision makers and become more creative and innovative.
Thirdly, they explore other cultures and beliefs and benefit from their insight. Therefore, they develop their own abilities such as thinking and imagining. Fourthly, they develop the habit of thinking for themselves and not just presenting mechanical responses. This way they are able to articulate and explain their perspective using effective rhetorical phrases.
As we have seen, literature can enliven our monotonous world making it a better place to live in, deepen our understanding of our history as well as our society. It goes without saying that those students who are well acquainted and equipped with literary techniques and rhetorical devices, are better able to express themselves more creatively and always find better alternatives to make their life meaningful.
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