Insight on Literature

Literature in it of itself has a very structured and categorized concept that ironically has no limits. There are four major categories that literary work can be classified under, including nonfiction, poems, dramas, and fiction. There are literary devices that must be used in order the classify a work under one of these categories, however, the manner in which these are used are completely limitless, leaving the writer to be free in having the ability to express deep emotions in any manner they so choose. In poetry, for example, writers can incorporate many different types of figurative language such as personification and metaphors into the type of meter the writer is looking to use to classify the work as poetry; however those writing a drama can use the same type of figurative language and incorporate this into the drama. This idea has an impact on me as a reader of literature in seeing the manipulation of some form of limitless structure that can only be found in writing literature.

Literature is one of the few ways that draw people, as well as myself into becoming interested in obtaining information on historical events and the unique aspects of cultures that we aren't exposed to as a society in the United States. I'm not someone who particularly enjoys sitting in a history class learning about historical battles and struggles; however, the process of learning about history is more stimulating through the eyes of literature, which has the ability to express emotions that a history book can't portray.

As a writer prepares to create a new piece, that are reminded of the heavy responsibility that they hold in doing justice to the perspective of those they so choose. William Faulkner's piece, The Sound and the Fury, took advantage of this task and told the story of one event through the perspective of four different characters, one being a mentally retarded 33 year old man. This shows a manner in which writers allow their readers to see more than one dimension to their story, thus giving the reader an intriguing and unique reading experience. As a reader of this piece, I was able to begin to understand the concept behind showing the society of readers that there is a major distortion between points of view from four different characters recalling the same event and the significance of seeing all sides of the story.

By the end of the term, I hope to explore deeper into literature and all it has to offer to gain a better understanding of the significance that it has on culture and our society as a whole. Literature has the power to influence its readers and, in the right hands and with an open mind, can alter a reader's prejudice points of view and help unify our society as a while. My goal for this semester is to find evidence of this and even learn how to write powerful and passionate works with the potential to do just that. In addition to writing material, I hope to learn how to apply various new methods to dive deep into the heart of written literature and find deeper meanings through comprehensive analysis, something that has never been my personal strong suit.