Emma, Robinson Crusoe, Hamlet and The Odyssey - Term Paper Example

2 May Great Books A book provides a person with a sense of joy; it helps one to transport himself into a different land altogether. Over the course of time, many writers have written about the accounts of their lives as well as their imaginations and poured their heart and soul out onto pages for others to read. Some of these very books have gone on to become the world’s greatest pieces of literature. Most people that read them have some or the other kind of appreciation in their minds for the words, and so the question stands moot – what makes a book so great? Is it because they present a vivid vision in the mind of reader and helps him tap a passion that was long settled within his body or is it because they help people understand themselves better by highlighting parts of themselves within their hearts and help them change into the human beings they always wanted to be? There have been a number of classics that the world is proud of; books like Emma by Jane Austen, the works of Shakespeare, Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, and The Odyssey are just some of them and have been discussed within this essay. These books present true forms of human emotion because by reading them, people are able to relate to them extremely well. Emma is a book about a subject that appeals to most people – romance. Austen writes as to what she herself is fond of; a young spoiled girl meddling in other’s lives as well as trying to figure out her own relationship at the same time. This book has been declared as one of the greatest because of the level of relatedness one may find with it. Almost every girl has the same traits as Emma with respect to her characteristics and yearns of life. She begins with, "Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich." (Austen, Jane) The book also helps people to understand the banality of the world because all the other characters as well as the setting in the book are such that everyone can relate to it. People like reading about things that are most likely to take place in their lives and this is one of the most important aspects that turns a book into a great classic. It takes only a certain genre of people to understand a different environment set within an imagination, for example the book Lord of the Rings, which was great nonetheless, however only so for a certain section of people. It is true that people are most likely to enjoy a book when it hits the peak of their emotions; they enjoy reading about characters that are going through the same things as them during the course of their lives. Such books help them gain an insight into the various circumstances of life as well as a shot to figuring out their own lives at the same time. Books provide advice to people and help them get out of sticky situations; what makes a book great is the ability to be the silent best friend one never had – someone that listens as well as helps a person imagine a different land where a similar character dealt with a situation in a particular manner. Even when the book talks about something else, there are always certain quotes and dialogues that leave imprints on the minds of people. The ways the words are structured are enough to help a person imagine a land of perfection. Written by Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe is another great book which has appealed to most young boys because it is about the life of a survivor and the manner in which he conquers his fear of getting marooned on an island for more than two decades. The author writes, “Thus we never see the true State of our Condition, till it is illustrated to us by its Contraries; nor know how to value what we enjoy, but by the want of it." (Defoe, Daniel) The novel is an autobiography about a man that has been castaway and lives life as comfortable as anyone else after he begins to adjust to his situation. Most young boys love the idea of adventure and this epistolary novel has been able to provide exactly that, along with excellent ideas about how to adjust to a situation and make compromises in life. William Shakespeare is perhaps one name in the history of literature that every human being knows of; even if one has not read his books they are surely aware of the greatness that lay in the playwright. He has been known to give birth to some of the best plays the world will ever have seen. Hamlet, one of them, is a tragedy about revenge. It is a wonderful book that talks about how the emotions of a man go astray; it has been declared to be a classic by most people because of the same reason – it helps people look within their souls and question the path that they have chosen in their lives. The play provides for an array of interesting characters which help people analyze which bracket they might fall under. “Claudius: ...But now, my cousin Hamlet, and my son — Hamlet: A little more than kin, and less than kind. Claudius: How is it that the clouds still hang on you? Hamlet: Not so my lord; I am too much i the sun.” (Shakespeare, William) People are able to relate to the characters and it also helps them look at the traits of people from a third person’s view which in turn helps them look into themselves, like a mirror and thus helps them change the negative things within their personalities. Books tend to help people gain experiences; they are not only friends but also guides. Most people do not get the chance to experience certain emotions during the course of their lives, or shun them completely and books help them understand what they have been missing out on. The Odyssey, by Homer for example is one of the greatest books that talks about feelings of justice, honour, pride and suffering. Penelope states, “Hear me, dear friends. The Olympian has given me sorrows beyond all others who were born and brought up together with me for first I lost a husband with the heart of a lion and who among the Danaans surpassed in all virtues, and great, whose fame goes wide through Hellas and midmost Argos; and now again the stormwinds have caught away my beloved son, without trace, from the halls, and I never heard when he left me. Hard-hearted, not one out of all of you then remembered to wake me out of my bed, though your minds knew all clearly, when he went out and away to board the hollow black ship. For if I had heard that he was considering this journey, then he would have had to stay, though hastening to his voyage, or he would have had to leave me dead in the halls.” (Homer) A book becomes great when it is able to provide a person with a memorable experience; may that be either positive or negative. At the end of the day, a person is able to learn something new and master his emotions in a certain manner. So many people begin to understand aspects of themselves that they were either suppressing all this while or did not even know about – that is the mark of a truly great book. A man is able to learn about the kind of passion that flows from the writing and thoughts of another and this further gives people a boost and helps to impact in their lives, mostly in positive ways. Works Cited Austen, Jane. Emma. Print. Defoe, Daniel. Robinson Crusoe. New York: Scribner, 1983. Print. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. New York: Norton, 1963. Print. Homer, Robert Fagles, and Bernard Knox. The Odyssey. New York: Viking, 1996. Print. Read More