Importance of Literature Essay Example for Free

Importance of Literature Essay Literature is the foundation of life. It places an emphasis on many topics from human tragedies to tales of the ever-popular search for love. While it is physically written in words, these words come alive in the imagination of the mind, and its ability to comprehend the complexity or simplicity of the text. Literature enables people to see through the lenses of others, and sometimes even inanimate objects; therefore, it becomes a looking glass into the world as others view it. It is a journey that is inscribed in pages, and powered by the imagination of the reader. Ultimately, literature has provided a gateway to teach the reader about life experiences from even the saddest stories to the most joyful ones that will touch their hearts. From a very young age, many are exposed to literature in the most stripped down form: picture books and simple texts that are mainly for the sole purpose of teaching the alphabet etc. Although these are not nearly as complex as an 800-page sci-fi novel, it is the first step that many take towards the literary world. Progressively, as people grow older, they explore other genres of books, ones that propel them towards curiosity of the subject, and the overall book. Reading and being given the keys to the literature world prepares individuals from an early age to discover the true importance of literature: being able to comprehend and understand situations from many perspectives. Physically speaking, it is impossible to be someone else. It is impossible to switch bodies with another human being, and it is impossible to completely understand the complexity of their world. Literature, as an alternative, is the closest thing the world has to being able to understand another person whole-heartedly. For stance, a novel about a treacherous war, written in the perspective of a soldier, allows the reader to envision their memories, their pain, and their emotions without actually being that person. Consequently, literature can act as a time machine, enabling individuals to go into a specific time period of the story, into the mind and soul of the protagonist. With the ability to see the world with a pair of fresh eyes, it triggers the reader to reflect upon their own lives. Reading a material that is relatable to the reader may teach them morals and encourage them to practice good judgement. This can be proven through public school systems, where the books that are emphasized the most tend to have a moral-teaching purpose behind the story. An example would be William Shakespeare’s stories, where each one is meant to be reflective of human nature – both the good and bad. Consequently, this can promote better judgement of situations, so the reader does not find themselves in the same circumstances as perhaps those in the fiction world. Henceforth, literature is proven to not only be reflective of life, but it can also be used as a guide for the reader to follow and practice good judgement from. The world today is ever-changing. Never before has life been so chaotic and challenging for all. Life before literature was practical and predictable, but in present day, literature has expanded into countless libraries and into the minds of many as the gateway for comprehension and curiosity of the human mind and the world around them. Literature is of great importance and is studied upon as it provides the ability to connect human relationships, and define what is right and what is wrong. Therefore, words are alive more than ever before.

Character of Mephistopheles in Goethes Faust :: Faust Essays

The Character of Mephistopheles in Faust Mephistopheles, from the epic poem Faust, by Goethe, is one of the most interesting characters if examined carefully. Much like today's crude interpretations of the devil, Mephistopheles was a skeptic, a gambler, self- confident, witty, stubborn, smart, creative, tempting and of course, evil. There were very ironic things about him. Though he was evil, he was a force of goodness. The evil in him was portrayed in the negative aspects of Faust's personality, which showed that no matter how powerful the Lord was, the devil would always have an impact on a persons life and decisions. Mephistopheles was very much of a skeptic and a gambler. In the "Prologue in Heaven", Mephistopheles bet the Lord that he could turn Faust against him and make him do evil. This was ironic because most people would never dream of speaking to the Lord in this way. This showed that Mephistopheles was self- confident and witty. He was very set in his ways and beliefs and found it difficult to believe that God could keep total control over Faust, or any one else for that matter. Though Mephistopheles was a skeptic when it came to many things such as natural phenomenon of life, he did believe the Lord when he told Mephistopheles that he had power. Mephistopheles even preached this word to people. After speaking to one of Faust's students, he wrote in his yearbook. It said: "Eritis sicut Deus, scientes bonum et malorum ", meaning "You shall be like God, knowing good and evil". (line 2075) This is a quote from the book of Genesis 3:5 of the Bible. By Mephistopheles saying this quote, he was admitting that God had power and did know what good and evil were. He also believed that he could overcome God, therefore saying that he was more powerful than the Lord. Mephistopheles was very smart and creative when it came to luring in his victims of evil. In "Outside the City Gate", Mephistopheles disguised himself as a dog and followed Faust home. Faust knew this dog was evil. He said the dog was "circling around" him and "a wake of fire's streaming behind him" (lines 1175-1179). Every time Faust would begin reading the Bible, the dog would bark as a sign of disbelief and wrongs about it. The next day, in Faust's study, the devil showed up again, but this time in the form of a nobleman tempting Faust to "a life of limitless wealth and pleasure" in return for his soul for eternity.

A Debate on Political Philosophy: Hamilton Versus Jefferson Essay

In the late 1700s to the early 1800s, the United States was in need of a political philosophy that interpreted the Constitution loosely, avoided possibly catastrophic wars, and built up the economy in the easiest and most efficient way possible, all which were found best in Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton believed that the time called for a loose interpretation, or construction, of the Constitution. He and his Federalist followers invoked the idea of â€Å"elastic clause†, a way in which the people could bend exactly what the Founding Fathers were saying to help make it apply to the problems of the time. See more: Foot Binding In China essay The nation and her Constitution were still young and growing, and the ability to form the government as the country progressed was essential to having any national growth at all. Jefferson, on the other hand, believed in a strict construction of the Constitution and the rights of individual states, not federal unity like Hamilton did. Unfortunately, it was clear to many that the rights of individual states, similar to the states’ rights that they had experienced under the Articles of Confederation, were not making the nation stronger, but instead getting each state into more trouble, politically and economically. Foreign affairs also impacted why Hamilton’s Federalist philosophy worked for the time. As the United States was just coming out of a war, we were weak: militarily, economically, and politically. The last thing that we needed was to enter into the French Revolutionary War that held enormous stakes. The Jeffersonians, however, favored honoring the 1778 French-American Alliance that we had made, in order to repay them for helping us win our freedom, even though the French had never officially called on America to honor the alliance. George Washington, sensing that war would be too much for such a fragile nation, issued the 1793 Neutrality Proclamation warning Americans not to be partial to either side, so America would be better protected. Hamilton’s economic policies and financial system was also the most effective way to build the new economy up. Hamilton’s policies were shaped to favor the wealthy, but in such a way that the wealthy would lend the government money and give it political support, which would then cause the federal regime to strive, higher classes to fatten and grow with new wealth, and prosperity to trickle to the masses. Hamilton believed in forming a national credit out of all the states debts, as well as creating a Bank of the United States to have the government support itself in stock. Jefferson believed, contrary to Hamilton’s more â€Å"urban† views of economic progress, that rural and private farming would be the fairest way to build up the economy – from the bottom classes up. However, this would have been a very time consuming process and was therefore not suited for the infant America, who needed to grow quickly to find its place in the rest of the world. Jefferson also thought a Bank of the United States was unconstitutional and forbidden by the Founding Fathers instructions in the Constitution. However, Hamilton proved that the Constitution permitted it by showing how the Constitution stipulates that Congress may pass any laws â€Å"necessary and proper† to carry out the powers vested in the various government agencies, including the powers to collect taxes and regulate trade, therefore making a communal bank for the nation ideal and very beneficial to building and supporting an economy. In today’s American, however, Jefferson’s philosophy would be much better suited. Today, it seems as though we have almost lost track of what the Founding Fathers wanted for this country, so going back to a stricter construction of the Constitution would stop many of the questionable laws passed thanks to an overly bendable elastic clause. Also, since the United States has been caught up in meddling in so many other nations’ political affairs as of late, we need to be reminded of honoring our alliances and keeping an open mind when dealing with other countries that are in a current struggle. Now that we are an experienced nation in how to achieve and maintain independence, we are strong enough to help other countries do the same, although we would not have been in 1789 for the French Revolution. Finally, today’s America has a very strong and stubborn upper class that, much of the time, promises to allow profit to trickle through to the extremely large middle class but does not follow through with those plans. Since it is too hard to work with the upper class to give prosperity to the lower classes, using Jefferson’s philosophy of building up from the bottom, though it make take a while, will eventually work and make the American more equal. Overall, Hamilton’s ideas of a more loose construction of the Constitution, caution when it came to foreign affairs, and working through the wealthy to give prosperity to all Americans were well suited to the late 1700s and early 1800s. However, now that times are different, Jefferson’s ideas are more applicable to our country’s needs of a more regulated government, more positive foreign affairs and well thought out foreign policies, and an equal economy that starts with helping the lower and middle classes to expand and grow in their own way.

Great War Poems From Ancient Battles to Modern Warfare