From a Student’s Perspective

As I see it , English literature is an extremely useful subject to study. It introduces students to different genres and sparks their interest to a wider variety of literature. The introduction to the world of English literature gives students a different perspective on almost any thing and transports students to new worlds they never would have thought of exploring.

Often students think they may only be interested in one genre of literature or may not even be interested in reading at all. The young boy who only wants to listen to his music and would never think to pick up a book, suddenly discovers that all song lyrics are is poetry with sound. The young girl caught up in the world of latest fashion and must have all newest styles realizes what hardship really is when introduced to the “ Diary of Anne Frank.” Studying English literature forces students to actually think about what they are reading, instead of just skimming through a book, saying “that was good” and moving on to another. In today’s fast paced world, they must take the time to really digest what is going on and how even the most minor of characters could cause the plot to change dramatically. After all, look at the catastrophic events “Because a Bug Went Ca-choo”.

Students may come into English class with only their own perspective on the world and life. When made to read books from other places and different time periods, they are given a wider view of the world, By getting to see the world through the authors or main characters eyes, students can realize that the world is a much larger place. The chance to learn about people, places and things they never heard of before is put before them. Their own prejudices, beliefs, understandings and thoughts are challenged. They are made to think.

Literature brings students into new and bizarre worlds. It lets them escape from today’s high pressure, high stress society. Students can go from worrying about their last mark on a math test to being emerged in an adventure with a young boy down the mighty Mississippi or perhaps even into a mythical world with elves, goblins, dwarfs and odd short little people that like to eat many meals a day. Sure we could go home and absorb a good movie but how many times have you read a book then seen the movie and realized the book was much better? Reading allows us to use our imagination, and to think “out side the box”.

Without the study of English literature students would be more confined, more likely to think inside the box and have a smaller view on global events. The study of English literature is extremely important an should remain a strong part of English in high school.