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ABSTRACT
This research paper revolves around three primary topics: the role of literature in our society, the need for literature, and its impacts. Literature is simply the mirror of society and reflects everything by touching the saddest to the happiest moments of life. Through the qualitative study, we conclude that it is not as necessary as breath and bread for life, but no one ignores the role and significance of literature. The paper aims to inspire literature students and scholars who choose literature as their main subject of study. It is the gateway and ground to building a civilized society. Without literature, society becomes wild, people are unaware, and there will be no grooming. The paper successfully attempts to describe the role of Greek and English literature in forming world literature. The significant findings of this paper are that literature expands the horizon and gives powerful high intellectuality and thinking. It leads to peeping into the past and making aware of the cultural system of a nation and serves as a piece of excitement.
INTRODUCTION
Literature is the expression of an individual's life and the society around us. It plays a significant role in our lives because the thought of an individual is seen through language in the form of literature. The language from literature helps give cultural explanations of different societies' lives. In short, 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.
My research proposal will describe it as 'Do we really need literature and its impacts on human life? If literature is the expression of our thought, then it is as vital as breath and bread to sustain life. My research proposal will be fruitful in one or another because of its broad portrayal and dimension of life and its relationship with literature. Through the brevity of this paper, I will touch on the significant concerns and topics to make it practical for both reader and a literature student.
2. PROBLEM STATEMENT
Every region has its own culture and literature. The literary genres come up and are updated very fast. There are many problems for commoners in distinguishing these forms. Literature affects the lives of everyone by enhancing intellectual and sensory power. Many of us need to be made aware of its importance and impacts; if not addressed seriously, it will become a cause of extinction of some genres.
3. RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Based on the problem statement mentioned before, the following questions are constructed:
RQ1: Do we need literature in our lives?
RQ2: Why is literature important in everyday life?
RQ3: What is the role of literature in our society?
4. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
To look at how literature affects our lives, its impacts, and different modes that give us excitement and inspiration. The role of English and Greek literature is considered the gateway for all world literature.
My specific focus will be:
Pakistani Literature
English Literature: Some of the prominent figures
Literature must be didactic, or it must serve as a piece of excitement
To find out responsible factors for inspiration
Sources of literature
It reflects the society
5. SCOPE AND LIMITATION
Though, the scope of my research paper is broad and significant in that it deals with a very debatable question. How it affects our lives? It deals with the importance and needs of one's life.
The paper is divided into different sections. Every section is important and tells us the significance of literature.
Literature gives me new ideas and thinking power, and I am highly impressed by some English Writers, especially John Donne and Geoffrey Chaucer. This led me to write this research proposal.
6. LITERATURE REVIEW
Literature helps us to hear the voices of the past, reminds us the nostalgia, and works with the present. It serves as a bridge to connect the present with the future. We learn about those aspects of history and life we did not experience, the traditions we are not accustomed to, or that read to what we do now. It unlocks the culture of the period and can give insight to modern society about life, allowing us to understand our own lives and sentiments, and we find ways to relate to the story so we, in turn, can reflect. When we study human psychology we can never forget William Shakespeare's great tragedy, Macbeth. The play gives us the psychoanalytical enlightenment of the main character Macbeth who is driven and betrayed by the over-ambition. A literary techniques like soliloquies and asides, Shakespeare shows how Macbeth is determined to get the kingship. Thus Shakespeare uses the power of intellectuality through language and literature to portray his contemporary society. A Gulf News article says, "In an era of modern media, such as television and movies, people are misled into thinking that every question or problem has its quick corrections or solutions. However, the literature confirms the real complication of human struggle". Literature is the mirror of society and a reflection of humanity by helping us to understand each other. By judging another person's voice, we can figure out how that person thinks. Literature is significant because of its purpose, and in a society becoming increasingly separate from human communication, novels create a conversation. The world is growing towards modernism, and everything changes fast. Never before has life been so hectic and challenging for all. Life before literature was practical and predictable, but in the present day, literature has extended into innumerable libraries and the minds of many as the gateway for intellectual capacity and interest of the human mind and the world around them. Literature is critical and studied as it provides the capacity to connect human relationships and define what is right and wrong. Therefore, words are alive more than ever before.
KEYWORDS: Literature, genre, fictional, English, Shakespeare, significant, impacts, society, reflection.
7. METHODOLOGY
Qualitative Textual analysis has been used for the research method. It can be defined as the method of interpreting and analyzing the content during the research in which research scholars have to judge and interpret the subject matter of communication rather than its structure. This approach mainly answers questions such as 'why,' 'what,' or 'how.' Each of these questions is addressed.
8. DISCUSSION
We start our discussion with the first question: Do we need literature in our lives? In A Defense of Poetry, P.B. Shelley wrote,
"A man, to be greatly good, must imagine intensely and comprehensively; he must put himself in the place of another and many others; the pains and pleasures of his species must become his own. The great instrument of moral good is the imagination."
Literature gives us the skills to live a good life. Literature makes the reader visit places, experience events, meet people, listen to them, and feel their joys and sufferings. A single book gives much wisdom and insight to understand the problems of the present by peeping into the past; otherwise, it takes several years to gain the same degree of aptitude. Literature reflects society and its mannerisms. Because of Charles Dickens, you can experience the Hard Times of Victorian England without going through a detailed historical study. This single book gives insight and a complete portrait of the fact-based education system, the broken human relationships, the Smokey polluted towns, the ill effects of the Industrial Revolution, the misery of workers, the greedy natures of men, and the weak legal system of the land and evils of Victorian Era.
Romantic poet William Wordsworth's poetry appeals to you to feel his artistic pleasure at the depiction of Daffodils and the serenity of the song sung by a Solitary Reaper. Likewise, Eliot makes you pity the divine emptiness of the world that has turned into a Wasteland. Wilfred Owen compels us to think about the Insensibility of the state and people who praise combats. In short, literature is a stockroom of all knowledge and insight. History, Political Studies, Philosophy, Science, and all other forms of learning are part of literature, as Wordsworth puts it:
"Poetry (and all literature by extension) is the breath and finer spirit of all knowledge the poet binds together by passion and knowledge the vast empire of human society, as it is spread over the whole earth, and overall time."
What is Art by the great Leo Tolstoy clarifies the significance of all Art to human society. Here is a critical extract: "As, thanks to man's ability to express feelings by words, every man may know all that has been done for him in the realms of thought by all humanity before his day, and can in the present, thanks to this capacity to understand the thoughts of others, become a sharer in their activity and can himself hand on to his contemporaries and descendants the thoughts he has assimilated from others, as well as those which have arisen within himself; so, thanks to man's capacity to be infected with the feelings of others using art, all that is being lived through by his contemporaries is accessible to him, as well as the feelings experienced by men thousands of years ago, and he also has the possibility of transmitting his feelings to others."
If people lacked this ability to receive the thoughts apprehended by the men who preceded them and to transfer to others their thoughts, men would be like wild beasts.
Literature provides a more prosperous life by giving wisdom and knowledge. No other form of learning brings the enhancement that reading brings.
Literature is the torch-bearer that has helped civilizations to overcome the darkness of savagery. So, in the words of Tolstoy, without literature, men would be like wild beasts because it gives an understanding and empathy to the reader, even for someone who is much separated from him by time and distance. Literature unites humanity.
The second research question deals with the importance of literature in our lives. Literature is a medium and links our feelings with larger truths and ideas in society. It helps people record their emotions, passions, memories, and feelings in a way that is accessible to the upcoming generation. Simply put, it transfers their cultural heritage to the next generation through written scripts and oral. Some societies have no scripts but transfer the materials through tales and other means. The primary use of literature in ancient settings was to pass down customs, beliefs, and traditions to the younger generations. Now the world has advanced in every field, but literature still plays a significant role in shaping society by acting as a mirror. For students, studying litature is a component of education, as it teaches students to see themselves reflected in Art. Through this, one can study oneself and understand others. This lets people learn about life and truth. Literature also helps people to see life from the view of another. Identity-based literature instills in the reader what life is like for others, helping them to be more thoughtful and respectful of those around them.
Now it is time to discuss the third question: What is literature's role in our society? Some people today have severe reservations over the importance and underestimate its broad implications. Some people believe that attraction toward literature leads to a poor and low standard of life compared to those who study scientific books as their major subjects. Somewhere along the line, the world has come to think that literature is insignificant. For me, literature is a medium where everyone can peep into the past, remember nostalgic moments, better understanding and broad-mindedness, and depict society for upcoming generations. Here are some reasons why literature is important and how it plays a mega role in making a society.
1. Expanding horizons
2. Building critical thinking skills
3. A leap into the past
4. Appreciation for other cultures and beliefs
5. Better writing skills
6. Addressing humanity
7. Excitement
8. CONCLUSION
Literature is defined as the collection of written language work through different ages and cultures by authors and scholars. The beginning of writing marked a significant step in human development for many reasons, such as conveying knowledge, thoughts, events, and even feelings. We undeniably need literature in our lives. Each book serves as the life of another person. We gain understanding, experience, sympathy, and knowledge. Many books, even fiction books, have quite literally altered the course of history.
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