This document discusses many reasons for studying literature, including: gaining insight into other people's experiences; relating to topics and gaining understanding; learning about ambiguity in language; experiencing other cultures; expanding understanding of history; improving language skills like vocabulary; developing empathy; and learning to support our own interpretations. Studying literature provides exposure to new ideas and ways of thinking while refining critical thinking abilities.

1. WHY DO WE
STUDY
LITERATURE?
PURPOSE AND VALUES OF STUDYING LITERATURE

2. WE ALL AGREE THAT SOME WRITERS ARE
OPINIONATED, OTHERS EXPRESS STRAIGHT FACTS
AND OTHERS DWELL ON OWN EPERIENCES OR
EXPERIENCES BUT OTHER PEOPLE.
SO HOW DO WE GAIN INSIGHT FROM OTHERS?
SIMPLE. WE READ WHAT THEY HAVE WRITTEN. WE
CHOOSE TO READ BOOKS THAT WE FEEL SUITS
WHAT WE FEEL AT THE MOMENT, OR WE CHOOSE TO
READ BOOKS WHICH CONTENT COULD GIVE US AN
OVERVIEW OF WHAT WE WANT TO ACHIEVE OR
WHAT WE WANT TO LEARN OR WHAT WE WANT TO
OVERCOME.
SIMPLY SAID, WE READ BOOKS TO WHICH WE CAN
RELATE TO. THROUGH READING, WE GAIN INSIGHT
FROM OTHERS ABOUT THE TOPIC WE WISHED TO BE
UNVEILED.

3. SOME PEOPLE WILL SAY “I SAID IT AND I MEANT
WHAT I SAID”, WELL IN REALITY IT DOESN’T
ALWAYS HAPPENED THAT WAY. IN WHAT SENSE?
LANGUAGE IS AMBIGOUS, EVEN ACTIONS ARE.
WE SOMETIMES WANT OTHERS TO LIVE WITH
OUR RULE, OR TO LIVE WITH OTHERS’ RULE,
AND WHEN WE FAILED TO DO SO, WE WILL BE
DISAPPOINTED.
FACT IS, AMBIGUITY GIVES EACH WORDS AND
ACTIONS DOUBLE INTENDED MEANINGS, IN
WHICH SOMETIMES WE UNDERSTOOD THE
OTHER WAY AROUND WHEN IT MEANT THE
OTHER.

4. LITERATURE ALLOWS YOU TO EXPERIENCE
THE CULTURES AND BELIEFS OF OTHERS
FIRST-HAND FROM THE INSIDE LOOKING
OUT.
IF YOU UNDERSTAND WHERE OTHER
PEOPLE ARE COMING FROM, YOU ARE
BETTER EQUIPPED TO COMMUNICATE
MEANINGFULLY WITH THEM, AND THEY
WITH YOU.
MOST WRITINGS REFLECTS THE
BACKGROUND OF THE WRITER.

5. EACH PERSON WE MEET REPRESENTS DIFFERENT
KNOWLEDGE, BELIEFS AND EPERIENCES. IN OUR
OWN CULTURE WE FIND A VARIETY OF ATTITUDES
AND PERSONALITIES AND ASSUMPTIONS. WITH
EXPOSURE TO THOSE WHO DIFFER FROM US, WE
EXPAND OUR MINDS, HORIZONS AND
UNDERSTANDING.
WE MAY STILL REJECT THEIR BELIEFS AND
ASSUMPTIONS, BUT WE ARE ONE STEP CLOSER TO
UNDERSTANDING THEM.

6. HISTORY AND LITERATURE UNDENIABLY
INTERTWINED. HISTORY IS NOT JUST NAMES,
POWER, DATES, POLITICS AND WAR. HISTORY IS
ABOUT PEOPLE WHO WERE PRODUCTS OF THEIR
TIME WITH THEIR OWN INRICATELY-WOVEN
VALUE SYSTEM.
STUDY OF LITERATURE ENHANCES OUR
KNOWLEDGE OF HISTORY’S COMPLEXITY. HOW
THEN WAS HISTORY BEEN PASSED ON FROM
GENERATION TO GENERATION?
IT WAS DONE THROUGH LITERATURE.
LITERATURE HELPS US UNDERSTAND YESTERDAY,
TODAY AND EQUIPS US TO BE READY FOR THE
POSSIBILITIES OF THE FUTURE.

7. GREAT LITERATURE HAS HIDDEN MEANINGS
THAT WON’T SLAP US IN THE FACE LIKE HOW
CHILDREN’S BOOK DO.
WE HAVE TO DIG AND ANALYZE TO FIND THE
GOLD.

8. IN A SENSE, EACH OF US IS AN UNRELIABLE
OR NAÏVE NARRATOR, BUT MOST OF US
MINDLESSLY ACCEPT THE STORIES OF
CERTAIN FRIENDS OR FAMILY WITHOUT
QUALIFICATION.
WE SHOULD REMEMBER THAT THEY ARE
CENTERS OF THEIR OWN UNIVERSE JUST
LIKE WE ARE. THERE ARE FIRST-HAND
NARRATORS, NOT OMNISCIENT, JUST LIKE
WE ARE.
WE MUST AVOID BEING ONE-SIDED, BUT TO
SEEK THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN, SEEK
FOR FEW INSIGHTS FROM DIFFERENT
PEOPLE. IN LITERATURE WE DON’T JUST
RELY IN ONE SOURCE, BUT WE LOOK FOR
MORE FOR CERTAINTY.

9. AS CHILDREN, MOST OF US WERE TAUGHT TO
BELIEVE WHAT WERE TOLD, AND THOSE BASIC
HYPOTHESES PROVIDE OUR SCHEMAS OR
BUILDING BLOCKS OF KNOWLEDGE. AS WE
GROW WE LEARN TO QUESTION THOSE IDEAS
AND OFTEN REJECTS WHAT WE BELIEVE IS NOT
RIGHT FOR US, SOMETIMES WITHOUT REAL
EXAMINATION.
THE MORE IDEAS WE ACQUIRE THROUGH
LITERATURE, THE MORE PROOF AND ROOT WE
CAN HAVE TO IDENTIFY WHAT TO DISGARD AND
WHAT TO KEEP.

10. LITERATURE IS ONE TOOL FOR SELF-
EXAMINATION. YOU WILL SEE YOUR OWN
PERSONALITY OR HABITS, THAT WE
SOMETIMES IGNORE ESPECIALLY WHEN
OTHER PEOPLE POINTS IT OUT.
WE AND OTHERS MAY DISCOVER OUR
PERSONALITY BASED ON THE GENRE OF
LITERATURE WE CHOOSE, THE WAY WE
WRITE, WHAT WE WRITE AND WHAT WE
HIGHLIGHTS IN BOOKS THAT WE READ.

11. “THE PEN IS MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD”
IN WHAT WAY? LITERATURE HAS BEEN THE
INDIRECT REVOLUTION THAT IGNITES THE
FIRE WITHIN THE HEARTS OF THE ENSLAVED.
THROUGH LITERATURE, PEOPLE UNCOVERS
TRUTH, AND GAINED STRENGTH TO GO
AGAINST COLONIZERS.

12. STUDY OF LITERATURE HONES OUR LANGUAGE
SKILLS AND TEACHER US NEW AND VALUABLE
TECHNIQUES OF COMMUNICATION.

13. LITERATURE HELPS US DISCOVER
LANGUAGE DEVICES AND APPRECIATE
THEIR EMOTIONAL POWER.
LIKE GOOD MUSIC, POETRY USES WORDPLAY,
RHYTHM AND SOUNDS, TO LULL THE
READER INTO AN EMOTIONAL FOG AND
THEREIN DELIVER THE MESSAGE. GREAT
LEADERS SUCH AS POLITICIANS MADE USE
OF THESE, AND LOOK HOW THEY CAN
AFFECT THE CHOICE OF PEOPLE.

14. LITERATURE FORCES READERS TO
CHALLENGE THEIR SIMPLISTIC ETHICAL
CONCEPTIONS, AND SOMETIMES THEIR
OTRIGHT CONDEMNATIONS OF OTHERS’
ACTIONS.
FOR EXAMPLE, WE BELIEVE THAT LYING IS
WRONG. BUT DO WE NEVER LIE? ARE THERE
SITUATIONS THAT WE NEED TO LIE TO
OVERCOME?

15. THROUGH LITERATURE, WE GET TO SEE THE
EVERYDAY LIFE OF THE PEOPLE IN THE PAST,
EVEN THE PRESENT AND HOW PEOPLE
ASSUMES THE FUTURE WILL BE.
IT STRENGTHENS OR BREAKS OUR FAITH IN
HUMANITY AND IT GIVES HOPE FOR A
BETTER FUTURE.

16. LITERATURE TEACHES US HOW TO PROPERLY
ENFORCE PROPER ACTIONS AND GUIDES HOW
TO PROPERLY RESPOND TO CERTAIN
SITUATIONS.

17. OTHERS HAVE FELT WHAT WE FEEL, DID WHAT
WE DID, WEN THROUGH WHAT WE EXPERIENCED,
THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS HOW WE RESPOND TO
IT.
LITERTURE REMINDS US THAT MANY PEOPLE
ALSO EXPERIENCED OUR EXPERIENCES. THAT
REFLECTS TO THE PIECES WE CHOSE TO READ,
IN WHICH WE CAN RELATE.

18. THIS INVOLVES TO SEVERAL ASPECTS OF
READING:
# EPOSURE TO NEW IDEAS AND NEW WAYS
OF LOOKING AT OLD ASSUMPTIONS,
# EXPANDED VOCABULARY AND
UNDERSTANDING,
# IMPROVED ABILITY TO WRITE.
THESE ABILITIES REFINE OUR ABILITIES TO
THINK, AND THUS GUIDE US TOWARD
INFORMED, MATURE JUDGEMENT.

19. LITERATURE HELPS US TO LEARN TO
SUPPORT OUR POINT OF VIEW AND TRUST
OUR OWN INTERPRETATIONS.
WE PROVIDE EVIDENCE FOR OUR
INTEPRETATION OF A STORY OR POEM WHEN
WE EXPLICATE IT. WHEN WE BUILD A SOLID
CASE IN SUPPORT OF OUR OPINION, WE
BUILD SELF CONFIDENCE IN OUR OWN
INTERPRETATIONS.

20. LITERATURE TEACHES US TO DEVELOP
EMPATHY TO THOSE WHO ARE UNLIKE US.
LITERATURE CAN TRAIN AND EXERCISE
OUR ABILITY TO WEEP FOR THOSE WHO
ARE NOT US OR OURS. AS CHILDREN, OUR
CIRCLE OF CONCERN STOPS WITH
OURSELVES. AS WE GROW WE EXPAND
THOSE CIRCLES TO OUR FAMILY AND
FRIENDS, AND PERHAPS TO OUR
NEIGHBORHOODS, TOWNS, CITIES, STATES
OR COUNTRIES.
OUR STUDY OF LITERATURE CONTINUES
TO EXPAND THAT REALM OF CONCERN
BEYOND THE THINGS WE PHYSICALLY
EXPERIENCE.

21. IN READING, WE ENCOUNTER NEW WORDS OR
FAMILIAR WORDS BUT USED DIFFERENTLY IN
A SENTENCE.
THESE THINGS HELP US WIDEN OUR BANK OF
VOCABULARIES.
IT ALSO IMPROVES OUR WRITING, READING,
SPEAKING AND COMPREHENSION.

22. ありがとう
감사합니다
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