Pros And Cons Of Weather Reading Literature
In recent discussions of literature, a controversial issue has been weather reading literature makes you a better person. On the one hand, some argue that reading literature makes you have empathy. From this perspective, literature makes you understand people better. On the other hand, however, others argue that reading literature doesn’t make you better. In the words of one of this view’s main proponents, “Reminding us of all those cultured Nazis, Teju Cole notes the willingness of a president who reads novels and poetry to sign weekly drone strike permissions.” According to this view, reading literature doesn't always make you a better person. In sum, then, the issue is weather reading makes you a better person or not.
My own view is that reading does not make you better. Though I concede that reading literature can teach you morals, I still maintain that those learnt morals don’t necessarily make you a better person. For example, one can be taught corrupt morals, as is the case with Death in the Woods. Although some might object that reading stories with good morals could make you better, I reply that those good morals aren’t always learnt. The issue is important because I am required …show more content…
Death in the Woods is a story about an unnamed woman who was abused by her husband. As the story says: “If there wasn't anything to eat in the house when they came home the old man gave his old woman a cut over the head.” Even after the girl dies, the husband is never punished for what he did. Although the story has no explicit moral, one could infer a moral such as this; Abuse your spouse, and you will get away scott free! Some might object that any sane person reading this would come to realize the domestic violence the wife faced was obviously unjust. However, there is nothing in the story that says the abuse was immoral. It is simply our own sense of morality that makes us come to that
My own view is that reading does not make you better. Though I concede that reading literature can teach you morals, I still maintain that those learnt morals don’t necessarily make you a better person. For example, one can be taught corrupt morals, as is the case with Death in the Woods. Although some might object that reading stories with good morals could make you better, I reply that those good morals aren’t always learnt. The issue is important because I am required …show more content…
Death in the Woods is a story about an unnamed woman who was abused by her husband. As the story says: “If there wasn't anything to eat in the house when they came home the old man gave his old woman a cut over the head.” Even after the girl dies, the husband is never punished for what he did. Although the story has no explicit moral, one could infer a moral such as this; Abuse your spouse, and you will get away scott free! Some might object that any sane person reading this would come to realize the domestic violence the wife faced was obviously unjust. However, there is nothing in the story that says the abuse was immoral. It is simply our own sense of morality that makes us come to that