The Importance of Literature in the Learning Process - Research Paper Example

This essay aims to explore the importance of literature in the learning process of the children in addition to how it can enhance their creative process. Moreover, it attempts to divide literature into three distinct categories which each holds its own fascination in the sphere of literature. All three genres will be analysed thoroughly in order to pick out one genre for which the rationale will be provided. Lastly, it will serve to explain how this module has shaped up my creative skills as well as developed an appreciation in me for the literary arts. Literature has always held a critical importance in education. Today, it seems that students need to not only study from literature, but also recognize how it relates to their lives. The genre approach to literacy includes being explicit about the manner language works in order to create meaning. It stands for engaging the students in the part of the novice with the teacher in the part of a professional on function as well as language system. It also means that an emphasis is placed on structure as well as content, in addition to the sequence of steps that an apprentice goes through in order to develop literary skills in an official educational situation (Cope &Kalantzis, 1993). While the number of genres and their portions have multiplied since classical eras, the dissection of the literary sphere into three key genres (by Aristotle, Plato as well as Horace), is still valuable. These can be termed as lyric, drama and epic, and are characterized by their "manner of imitation," which means how the characters and their action are portrayed (Bakhtin, 1983). Genre studies allow the students to track a certain process to discover and develop an understanding of what makes each genre special and unique. By engaging in the learning of these processes, a student will begin to understand the various forms of writing, in addition to how to write in a more effective manner. Genre theory is an extremely proficient method of teaching the writing curriculum because of its intense focus on the specifics of a specific genre. It also provides the students with a probable way to develop a written paper as well as critique the writings that fall within the various other genres. Genre theory as well as instructions also seeks to provide the educators with the strategies, knowledge and skills to aid all the students instead of just the ones struggling (Derrida &Ronell, 1980). The genre approach (schema approach) is used to teach children about literature starting with the simplest literature form – prose and then moving onto increasingly sophisticated concepts for e.g. drama and poetry etc. Children are taught to learn to understand the different genres, as well as write proficiently on the simple ones during the early years of their schooling, when their writing is at the beginning level. Young children are familiarized with a number of different genre categories through anassortment of books as well as reading materials used during the class (Allyn& Bacon, 1893). Abstract thinking and spatial reasoning comes naturally to many children and is often developed, further, throughout the academic process in grade school and into high school. With many programs paying attention to math and sciences, there is an equal amount of children who are exposed to, and prepared for, creative projects. Methodical approach to academics may not always lead to the artistic and creative development of a child creative values must be instilled in children, from the very beginning. The skill of creative writing can be developed in children at a very young age. As communication is vital for our society, teaching children to write well will often lead to better communication skills. The creation of greeting cards is a unique way in which parents can encourage the creativity of their children. Even from the beginning of his life holding a crayon and creating a greeting card for a birthday, or holiday, will provide the child with the first exposure in creative writing. Finding creative projects that are attractive to the childs age spectrum will go a long way in developing the creative side of a childs mind. As schools commonly stick to stringent academic guidelines, often, it is the parent who is ultimately responsible for educating the child in the area of creativity. Children need to write stories to entertain, to foster artistic expression, to explore the functions and values of writing, to stimulate imagination, to clarify thinking, to search for identity, to learn to read and write. While creative writing should be a way for children to enjoy themselves, they should be given the liberty to choose their own subjects as well as methods of writing. This is because creative writing is very crucial in developing a child’s cognitive and communication abilities and cannot be undervalued (Essex, 1996). Instructors have realized the significance of teaching children the advanced points of storytelling and impart on them the knowledge to distinguish between when they should be creative and when they are required to present authentic facts. One of the reasons why children are taught creative writing at all is that it encourages imagination. Inventors, product developers as well as scientists were all bestowed with a wild sense of imagination. Creative writing aids the children to think outside of the box and encourages the improvement of problem-solving abilities. Creative writing will also instil in the children the art of persuasiveness. If a child writes a about some peculiar creature in his story, he is going to have to persuade the person who reads it, of the probability of the existence of this creature. This attempt will lead him to build on a thorough description, and even disposition and activities for the creature, making the reader consider that this is likely. As a child puts his head to the paper and tries to make a story out of nothingness, it is actually an exercise to teach him discipline. This is due to the fact that while a writer gathers all his thoughts and organizes them into a storyline, there is a need for order. The thoughts will have to be clear, concise as well as coherent. Hence, it is very beneficial for the children because it helps them think logically. Creative writing can also be used as a therapeutic tool for children. Many of the children are often alienated by their surroundings and find it difficult saying what’s on their mind. However, through creative writing they can express their true latent emotions to the world, and put whatever’s nagging them into a third person’s world. This helps them have a vantage point of the situation, while at the same time disengages them from the situation. Lastly, grammar skills which are important for the children to learn at the initial stages of their life are made easier by creative writing. Writing in a particular genre they choose to write about, assists children exercise good grammar as well as spelling skills without it being a big workload. In fact, it can actually turn out to be an enjoyable and educational task at the same time. Children will also learn to use appropriate adjectives which will enhance their vocabulary over time. Most children, by the stage they reach elementary school, have been opened up, through initially being read to, and then by reading by themselves, to hundreds of stories, and they may at this time have an instinctive feel for what "feels like a story" and what doesnt. But this "story-sense" will differ in degree for each student, and it is not something that can be banked on to occur mechanically. A logic of what a story is can be secured during classroom reading of stories, and also, prominently, in post-story debate. Literature is an abstract subject and it is difficult for the reader to understand the true meaning of writing; however it helps in ways mentioned above. Literature is part of the culture that we should definitely accept and acknowledge. Passing down the literature from one generation to another can help the readers to shape and evolve into better humans as it enhances the learning process. Therefore, it is essential for parents to carry on the custom of passing the stories to their descendants to assist them with the learning process over the years (Dorst, 1983). The genre I have chosen from amongst the alternatives was poetry. The rationale behind it demonstrates thought as well as research. Poetry is the simplest as well as the most effective way to impact a person and his/her way of thinking. It can also be seen as the most applied. To get the point across to the world, a movie producer would need anextended script, actors with good faces, as well as billion-dollar technology. All a poet would need to do the exact same thing is a paper and pen. A variety of themes can be touched upon in only a couple of lines of a poem. The lines will be significant on numerous levels as they are open for understanding by the audience; each in their own way. A poem to one reader could be comprehended as emotional abuse, and he/she may feel close to the written words because he/she is going through a similarsituation. That same poem could be understood by other people as being about a new commencement, and could inspire them to start living their life for themselves as opposed to for others. A poem is a certification of what many people are sensing, but they are unable to express. Television, movies as well as most of the songs today focus too much on being appropriate to their audience, instead of leaving their makings open to interpretationaccording to audience’s perception; this often makes them appear as idealistic as well as unrealistic. A poems message isnt supposed to be vocal -- it is strictly a sensation. Its a feeling the writer has come across, and the words generate a particular feeling for each person that reads it. Poetry is aninspirational piece of truth and authenticity that, if gone, would rob humanity of an emotional link (Pinault, 1992). In comparison to the other forms of literature, it can be seen that poetry is the most concise as well as the most hard-hitting. While prose and drama serve to bring about a fantastical creation of events and people in order to satisfy the purpose of the storyline, poetry will grasp the attention of the audience from the very first line. My notion of the standing of poetry would be based on the fact that it isn’t like prose which is lengthy, and that it is extremely versatile. Not being in the category of prose eliminates the poem from ordinary speech, and allows all types of devices to express deep emotion and profound ideas. Poetry, at its very best, is both extremely beautiful and crammed with significance at the same time in a manner that other forms of art can only seek to. This idea of adaptability according to perception, combined with a sort of strength has stayed with me since I was thirteen when a single line from a poem suddenly made sense, makes poetry an attractive genre for me. First of all, poetry has always held my attention as it has to be honest. Modernist poetry has given poets a whole new dimension and the ‘late’ modernists carry on to exploit this prospective. For all its many faults, modernism did open up the possibilities of poetry and this trend should be seen as important because it represents a major break from what has gone down the road. Poetry is real. Real people have written it to express real sentiment that is typically hidden. Poets write to show that people have felt definite things before which someone else may be feeling at another time. A poem always permits you to see beneath the surface. It is not what is seems to be, like drama and prose which are very much straightforward most of the times. One of the poems of Robert Frost that interests me the most, due to the fact that it is significantly tied up with nature is ‘Our Hold on the Planet’ We asked for rain. It didnt flash and roar. It didnt lose its temper at our demand And blow a gale. It didnt misunderstand And give us more than our spokesman bargained for; And just because we owned to a wish for rain, Send us a flood and bid us be damned and drown. It gently threw us a glittering shower down. And when we had taken that into the roots of grain, It threw us another and then another still, Till the spongy soil again was natal wet. We may doubt the just proportion of good to ill. There is much in nature against us. But we forget; Take nature altogether since time began, Including human nature, in peace and war, And it must be a little more in favour of man, Say a fraction of one percent at the very least, Or our number living wouldnt be steadily more, Our hold on the planet wouldnt have so increased. Most of Frosts poems use imagery of nature. His grip and appreciative nature of natural fact is well known. However, Frost is not attempting to show us how nature works. His poems are based around human psychology. If we look at the creative process, it can be seen that rural scenes and landscapes, farmers as well as the natural world are used to exemplify a psychological tussle with everyday experience coupled with bravery, willpower and purpose in the framework of Frosts personal psychology and life. His attitude is tolerant, authentic and accepting. Frost uses nature as a backdrop. He typically begins a poem with an opinion of something in nature and then changes toward a link to some human state or concern. Frost cannot be termed as a transcendentalist or a pantheist. Robert Frost saw nature as an unfamiliar force accomplished of destroying man, but he also saw mans fight with nature as agallant battle. Nature is detached and autonomous from man. Even though he respected natural beauty, Frost accepted the harsh realities of the natural world. He observed these opposites as simply diverse features of reality that could be incorporated in poetry. He receives these facts with uprightness and is ruthless in his understanding of them. He inquiries the quality of truth and admits that there may be no response. The poem “Our Hold on the Planet” helped me recognize the fact that, like it or not, nature plays an important part in life due to its grandiosity and unpredictable side. There is a continuous struggle going on between nature and man, where both are desperate to win. Frost has portrayed this with utmost respect, as the sees this struggle as something magnificent. Moreover, it implies that man fears nature because it is autonomous and not related to him in any way. In the light of this module, I have learnt that literature encompasses not only words, merely written. It lays the groundwork of an enriched life for a person, and adds life to the living. The study of literature permits people to advance new ideas and ethical stances, and can help persons to exhibit themselves as educated members of the society. Studying literature and developing an understanding can be an enlightening, eye-opening experience. English literature also permits us to comprehend the philosophical movements and notions that infused a particular culture at a specific time. For example, by reading Mary Shelleys "Frankenstein" we see the uncertainty the British felt toward practicality. Hence, overall this module has evoked appreciation for the various genres of literature for me. REFERENCES: Cope, B. & Kalantzis, M. (1993). The Power of Literacy: A Genre Approach to Teaching Writing. London: The Farmer Press. Holmer, P. (1976). C. S. Lewis: the shape of his faith and thought. London: Harper and Row. pg1-116.) Bakhtin, M. (1983). "Epic and Novel".In Holquist, Michael.The Dialogic Imagination: Four Essays. Austin: University of Texas Press. Derrida, J & Ronell, A. (1980)."On Narrative: The Law of Genre". Critical Inquiry (The University of Chicago Press) 55–81. Dorst, J. D. (1983). "Neck-Riddle as a Dialogue off Genres: Applying Bakhtins Genre Theory". Journal of American Folklore (382): 413–433. (Online) http://www.jstor.org/stable/540982. Introduction to Theme-writing. Original from Harvard University: Allyn& Bacon. 1893. pp. 84. Pinault, David (1992). Story-Telling Techniques in the Arabian Nights.Brill Publishers. pp. 148–9 & 217–9 Essex, C. (1996). Teaching creative writing in elementary school. 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