The Importance of literature

Students of the present have interests in many fields. Some of us like computers, some like music, some like sports, but a few of them like literature. When someone asks us to bring our literature book, be it of any language, English, Hindi, Sanskrit or any other language; we hesitate a bit, don’t we?

Well, this is the issue that we are going to be discussing today. We, the students of the present age, don’t like literature as much as we like other subjects. Most of the students today like computers and technology, but there are very few of the students that like literature. We don’t like to study literature, that’s not because we don’t like it, just because it is very diverse.

Literature is the treasure that we have created. Many items, like gold, silver, diamond, etc., are precious and nature has given them to us. Literature, however, is as valuable as this gold, silver and diamond and it is a treasure that we have created.

Why? Because literature can tell you about a certain time frame. Let me give you an example. If you read the stories of Munshi Premchand, then you can observe the condition of India at his time period. If you read William Shakespeare’s creations, then you are going to observe how the condition of England at his time period. Literary sources are vital for getting to know the history.

Just because these literary works tell about the history of that time period, they don’t become a treasure to keep, or are they? How is it a treasure for us? If you know the importance of time, then it is a treasure for you. Every second has some importance, if not for you, then for someone else. Literature, however, teaches us not only the text that we read in it but also the importance of time. So if you want to be a writer, then kudos to you!

Literature plays a huge role in learning a language proficiently. A fluent and a proficient English speaker might have read hundreds or even thousands of prose and poetry in English. Similarly, a fluent Hindi speaker might have read thousands of prose and poetry in Hindi and its dialects. It is these reads that make that fluency in that person to speak that language proficiently. This literature tells him how we use words in that language and how to use them and where to use them and where not. There are two steps in this process: listening and reading. 

When we are young, then we like when our mother, or our grandmother, narrates stories to us at bedtime. This is a very good and a very relevant example of listening. When a child is not proficient in speaking any language, then this narration of stories by its mother helps the child not only to gain knowledge but also to learn the language of that story.

When the child develops good listening skills, then he reads. Reading helps the child to delve deeper into learning the language. Literature helps in learning the language more and more and reading is the next step. Reading in literature has a big role, as it not only increases knowledge but also increases the depth in which someone can understand some language. We shall discuss this another time.

So if you want to increase your knowledge, then literature is a must when learning. Literature not only teaches us about the knowledge that the influential writers are trying to give us, but it also helps to increase our language-learning skills.