Literature (written and oral) is the reason we are what we are as human beings today. From the time we are born, in books and from real people we learnt that a right-thinking person should not step out of his home undressed. This is the reason we grow up to be wearing clothes.
Maybe you never thought of it, representations in literary works, including plays, have had such a great impact on the existence of humans that we can no longer part with it. Literature is as old as man.
As we go on to discuss at length the advantages of studying literature, I see the need to quote Chimamanda Ngozi again as saying, ‘make literature your religion’. The reason for this statement is so people can understand MANKIND!
Advantages Of Studying Literature
If you have not started, you want to begin to study literature for the following reasons:
Improvement of your communication skills
The best way to improve one’s communication skills is in paying attention to the use of language in books. When people talk, they may make mistakes but books are a sum total of already edited structure of words. They’re often flawless.
Although people tend to learn to be more fluent in any language by listening to the speakers of the language, you learn the weirdest words of the said language in books. It helps you learn the most uncommon but peculiar way to say certain things.
Entertainment
Whenever I need to get entertained, music or books does it for me, not movies or some other things.
Some people think only bookworms read all the time, but I think I simply read because it makes me feel relaxed and alive. This is an effect of the entertaining feature of literature. By the way, entertainment has been said to be the best purpose of literature.
Understanding yourself
As preposterous as it may sound, everyone tells people about themselves but not everyone understands himself. Aristotle wasn’t wrong after all when he said knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.
When you study literature, you will find characters who are like yourself and you see to what level of satisfaction they act. This will ultimately tell you about yourself and how to work on you.
Being knowledgeable about history
Relatively all kinds of literature touch some real-time life situations but the best place to learn about history is in non-fictional literature books. Those who study literature cannot run away from books like this, and whether they notice it or not, studying literature will add to their knowledge of what the past looked like.
Improvement of your writing skills
Whenever I hear writers tell beginners that the only way to be a better writer is to keep writing, I feel uncomfortable. Maybe it is just some sort of ambiguity, but I do know that one cannot write behind his knowledge. Studying literature leaves you with a merit of knowing so much so that you can write just as much.
Moreso, getting involved with the literature of any language can help one better understand the structure of the given language. It develops your knowledge of grammatical rules, vocabularies, idioms, etc. that you need to write better.
Development of critical thinking skills
Experience may be the best teacher, but literature literally makes you experience what others have experienced. Now that you have now experienced what you might never have come across without reading books, it is expected that you think better. Your problem-solving skills should also consequently improve.
Learning to be empathetic
Maybe you don’t even feel the pain of others. By drawing close to literature, you will learn more about the way people feel. There are numerous books where seasoned authors have taken time to ensure that readers emotionally get in the shoes of certain characters.
This creative act will result in you being more humane and empathetic to those around you.
Improve your creativity
While many think some people are arguably born creative, it is also important to know that creativity is a thing the mind can develop over time. When you focus on a thing, you soon get acquainted and become an expert in that area. That is how the mind is built.
Most top singers in the world are people who take delight in listening to the music of others, and so are actors. If you must also think more creatively, there is a need for you to read more literature.
To be more understanding
Since literature takes you to the past, present, and future times of human existence, it is only ideal that studying it (if applied to everyday life) will make you understand more about the world of humanity. You will learn to control yourself, manage people, and a lot more.
Additionally, literature widens your horizon; philosophy of life at large. You learn more about the world around you and beyond. With literature, I have been to the days of William Shakespeare, the days of Marcus Aurelius, and so on.
Studying literature can help you get to places time or other facts won’t permit you to witness in person. You SEE THE WORLD as much as you can read. This should be the reason Aristotle thought literature is the mirror of life.
Note That: There are more reasons to study literature. If I keep writing them, they may appear subjective or too personal. Seeing is believing as they say, study literature to see the whole thing yourself.
Why bag a degree in Literature?
Since people who major in literature have been considerably seen as those who know a bit about many fields, formally studying literature can open you to a number of good-paying jobs.
If you are opportune to hold a degree in literature, you can work as any of the following:
- Freelance writer
- English teacher
- Editorial assistant
- Journalist
- Copy editor
- Interpreter/translator
- Social media manager
- Educational consultant
- Technical writer
- Paralegal
- Lawyer
- Librarian
- Content manager
- Records manager
- Copywriter
There are several other jobs a holder of a degree in literature can seek, click here to explore more (50+) of them.
In conclusion, as much as we need literature to live and lead life, studying it is of necessity.
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