At times, being a literature teacher makes me depressed about the world. It should be no secret after eleven years of formal education that the great literature of the world does not present man in the most positive ways. I have my theories about why this is the case...
#1 - Many of our great writers were unhappy souls. When you research the lives of the Poe's and Shakespeares of the world, you find backgrounds full of heartbreak and sadness. Perhaps writing was their way of dealing with this sadness.
#2 - The great stories are meant to be teaching tools. Without these timeless classics we may never learn life lessons that could help us in the future. And how do we best learn life lessons - by making mistakes and dealing with tragedy.
#3 - Art has always been a way for people to critique the times. Why should literature be any different? Through stories like Of Mice and Men and The Odyssey we see how contemporaries of the time felt about their peers, their government, and their environments.
I could go on, but I think you get the point. Art is not always meant to be comfortable or comforting. It is meant to progress thought and foster reflection. Would happy stories do the job? Perhaps, but not as well as the sad stories.
For this week's posting I would like you to elaborate on your views regarding the types of literature that you are exposed to either through school or your own personal reading. Do you feel literature is too depressing? Should we expose ourselves to more optimistic texts? Provide specific examples from your own literary knowledge to support your argument.
22 comments:
Literary texts are all in some way sad. Someone in the story will end up upset with themselves or a situation that happened, whatever the case, there will always be sadness in a story.I believe these "depressing" texts help us get a better view of the world than the optimism of other writers.
For example, I really enjoy reading books about the court life with kings and queens in England.This specific text is mainly optimistic but since the text is non-fiction they don't all end in a happy ending.This is real life, most real life books don't end in happily ever after. These non-fiction books are here to show us about life itself and the struggles we face eachday. I think the depressing view from these books help us get a better understanding for the injustice and cruelty of the world, they help us think more of what can be done to better this outcome.
Literature is very important to mankind in many ways. It teaches life lessons, may help us in the future, and authors at the time may have used their writing as ways to convey and emit their feelings and depression. Despise the moods and story lines of some stories,literature is crucial because it spreads the word and kept stories alive for thousands of years.
I have read some books in school and some on my own and feel that all have something in common. They tell stories, wether it's gloomy, horifying, or educational. Being a sixteen year old girl, and most certainly not a bookworm, anyone can fancy that I like peppy, girly, short books. Well, as much as I concur, I love the Pretty Little Liars novels, I am also very interested in the intriguing novels like ones based on the Holocaust. One of my favorite books ever is Number the Stars. Although I read this short novel in third grade, it's importance and story has always stuck in my mind. I truly believe books like these should be read and taught to everyone. They tell stories that wake us up and teach us so much about our history. I remember this book literally changing the way I saw the world in third grade. I felt what the characters felt and ever since, I have been highly interested in the Holocaust.
Many books are depressing, but it is sometimes these genres that make people think and that grab people attention. They begin to open their eyes and look at what is happenning or can happen around them.
Not every book is depressing, though. There are books like Hoot, that in middle school a lot of kids are required to read. Hoot is an energetic, stimulating, great story that many kids really enjoy.
Literature is used to paint pictures in our heads and to make us feel what the author feels. Although depressing and sullen, these nonfictional drama or historical genres are what people pay attention to. Yes, we should all pick up optimistic books to lift spirits and to read what interests us, but I believe we all need the kick in us to wake up to reality and to really see what the author is trying to convey.
I am exposed to literature in ways like reading, and art. Literature is depressing most of the time but in other cases its a positive piece. When I took art last semester, the artists that I learned about were really depressing. For example, Frida Kahlo showed her pain and suffering through her art. Her pictures were very graphic and exposed what she felt in the process of recovering from her accident.
I think we should expose ourselves to more optimistic texts or images because it inspires people and it influences positive thinking in the world. Books have a lot of lessons and create imagery in my mind, therefore it is good to have positive pieces because then I can surround myself with genuine thoughts.
ALLAN NUDELMAN P3
Almost every book out there in the world today either tells a story that may or may not be true through an omnipresent speaker or it tells a story through a first person point of view. Obviously, no book is ever created for no reason; every book has a purpose and a message behind it. Usually, made up stories are used to represent and symbolize things in the real world. Authors of these books are trying to criticize society and let the reader know what is wrong with the world through graphic mental images, and tragedies that the characters undergo. If readers understand the message that is being said, they can probably empathize with the author and the feelings of the characters as they make mistakes and go through problems. I would not agree that the word "depressing" is the right word to label these books. When I read a book where the characters are going through hard times and are making mistakes, I do not feel the mood to be depressing, although I do understand the situations. Instead, I notice what the characters are doing wrong and try to determine if this is a representation of society. By doing so, I am able to learn of the characters mistakes and I'm able to make a personal change, but I don't actually feel like it is depressing, I feel like it is just a way of expressing feelings and I could say that I am happy when I read criticisms of the real world because it can help us all improve.
I love to read, but most of the books I do read are written for personal entertainment, and therefore I wouldn't really consider it "depressing literature".
Throughout my school years I have come across many literary pieces of various types and to my notice all of them were rather sullen. I don't know what it is that makes all literary from way back (and even to this day) so depressing and harsh. Is it the fact that we have endured so much pain and misery in our lifetimes? Or the that there is still anguish and suffering out there? Either way, literary like that seems as if it makes us think more of the world around as even ourselves.
Sure there could be more positive pieces out there, but the truth is, we would't learn as much from stories with happy endings and no moral lessons than from those with cruel, inhumane storylines and dark characters.
- I love reading optimistic texts for my entertainment. However, I find it that at the end of the day it is the dark, shocking, and obscure literature that genuinely get my mind to ponder deeply. I remember reading The Diary of Anne Frank younger and thinking how anyone went along with this outrageous war; it just seemed completely bogus to me. Nevertheless, I truly feel that these "hard to take in" text teach us real life lessons.
- There are plenty of books that are optimistic, and we should be bit more exposed to them, specially in school. Still, I don't feel we should eradicate the more depressing literature such as Night because as I've said they hold crucial lessons we must learn. For instance, Night and Anne Frank's diary both demonstrate how the Holocaust was a cruel act done from humans to other humans; they teach us about a dark history in order for us to understand and to not make a repeat of it. Altogether, we should expose ourself to both dark literature in order to learn vital lessons and optimistic literature to lighten the mood.
There are many pieces of literature that might seem really depressing. People have said that students really shouldn't be exposed to specific depressing literatures. There have many literatures deemed to be too depressing for children even high schoolers to be exposed to. Holocaust literature is a perfect example of "depressing literature". THe way authors describe the Holocaust is just horrific. I understand that it was a terrible time in history and it should be written but, maybe not exposed to young children. THe way authors of those books describe the event, it is excruciating. I believe we should read more optimistic literature because it can help us view life in a very positive way. Reading more positive literaru can benefit high school children and children of all ages. Negative literature can affect children in negative ways. I support in the arguement of reading more optimistic literature. Juwn Garcia
For me, romance and immortality have always grasped my eyesight. School, on a different note, has brought to my reading more of a historical or gloomy setting in novels. This might sound like a total cliche, but Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga has always been my treasured source of literature entertainment. It entails a true love story between two people that, by rules and regulations, technically aren't meant for each other. But through the ruthless journeys and harsh pain, nothing can overbear the sincere love with Bella Swan and Edward Cullen. I've also adored literature such as If I Should Die Before I Wake by Han Noloan. It describes the two different eras - one about a Nazi girl for the 1990s and Hana, a Jewish girl during the Holocaust. I loved this novel because the author staged the theme that sometimes, you can actually affect the direction of people's opinions.
I believe that some literature demands a morose air into its word choice. We, as people, occasionally look at the positive things too intensely. Once in a while, its crucial to have a gloomy day and read a depressing novel because we have to be exposed to some negative thoughts in order to fully comprehend the world surrounding us.
Of course, we could use books that represent some state of passion, happiness, and love. If the world was soaked with depressing books, the whole human population would most likely have at least one specific mental disorder, like anxiety or paranoia. My vote is a little mixture of both, and you'll be satisfied with all reading pieces they have overlooked.
The literature I read is almost all the time depressing the odyssey, about a man who gets punished for disobeying the gods and hasn't seen his wife and child in 15 years. Of mice and men about how the world casts out the "abnormal" people. Most of the books I read in school are quite depressing. I think the literature we read in school is way to depressing about two days ago we just started reading night, a book about the holocaust. One of the most tragic events in the history of the world. We should read more optimistic books to inspire our youth to do good and strive to succeed not reading every single depressing book ever published. Personally I think it could probably better our society if we read more inspiring, happy books like autobiographies of say Martin Luther King or even Harry Potter.
James Sidebottom
Alex Hebert
I feel that the feelings and emotions that radiate from literature depend on the type of literature you are reading. Often stories of love and life end in tragedy or depression because in love and life there is more room for error than there is success. I think you get out of life what you put into it, but I don't necessarily think that all of their lives were depressing. I think that literature was a good way to vent onto paper.
During school I usually find myself reading about the lives of other people which usually end in a negative way, maybe because it makes for a better story or the fact that teachers are actually trying to teach us something about life; not that the world is a depressing and evil place but to teach us about the things we can prevent in life so that we get the most out of it and so that our lives don't end in a tragic way.
I enjoy reading a good dramatic/ depressing story because their is often a life lesson behind them. But I would appreciate if occasionally we read a book that was funny or an upbeat piece of literature because life is too short to fill ourselves with depressing pieces of work.
My personal belief is that literature in general needs a little more of a push to make it happier. Lessons can be learned from happiness and it is my feeling that literature past in present is lacking very much in that aspect.
Many lessons of life can be learned through good things and good situations. You do not have to actually make a mistake to learn a lesson. Some of the most important things in life can be taken from good situations.
I also somewhat wonder why most contributing people in literature such as Poe all had depressing lives. Why are these the people that contribute the most to literature? Perhaps if people that were satisfied with their lives wrote literature, we would not be faced with this problem.
After reading pieces like Of Mice and Men; Romeo and Juliet; and The Odessy, I noticed the continuing trend of sad endings. Although these sad endings proved a point, the same point very well could have been proven through a happy ending. DIversity in what art is what makes it art.
Cory Leschel P3
Literature is actually rather depressing but to a point. Literature is depressing because the depressing stuff gets the author's point across better than the other things. Sad stories are often more interesting because of the attention to detail, this is also because there are many branches of the sad genre, the authors can tap into fear, hate, weakness, and many others that help them put their thoughts and message into our heads for longer periods of time. While it would be nice to read some "happy" novels I feel it is really not all that great, when I read "happy" books I feel like a first grader reading Thomas the Train. Although I had fun reading it, it didn't mean anything and didn't affect me in any way. We should be reading books that have a greater meaning and get us to think more deeply and look inside ourselves, not reading them because they were happy or sad, but because they had a greater meaning than the paper they were printed on...
nicole ramlal
i feel most literature is made depressing on purpose. for example, the book Ellen foster is about a girl who's parents both die and wanders around looking for a new family. in the end, she learns that throughout everything her friend will always be there for her. it seems like the typical teenage novel but it goes in depth about her drug/sex/alcohol abusing father and his friends and her grandma that is an evil cruel lady. the author shows her hardship and shows everything she had to endure in order to find peace with herself. this book is an example for depressing because she is beaten and abused sexually and verbally and it is a teen book. most teens want to read a story that has a solid plot line that isn't horrific or depressing. we should expose ourselves to more optimistic works of literature because it is good to read a sad novel, but also good to read a good one. when i finish reading a book, i always reflect on it and think about the book on a whole and relate it to myself. if i constantly read books that are depressing, then i too will think in a depressive way but if i read both sad and happy books then i will have a new perspective on things and a more critical view.
From the literary pieces that i have beeen exposed to over the years in school and at home have been more depressing than optimistic. I don't find literature to be too depressing. Maube we choose to read depressing books or those are just the ones that appeal to us most because feeling depressed is something that we arn't familiar with. People usually try to avoid sadness. There are many optimistic and pleasurable books out there to be read.
I think that we should expose ourselves to an equal amount of optimistic and depressing book to show us not only the beauty and serenity of the world but also the brutality and distress is holds. Some books like Night can express this concept almost perfectly. In contrast to books that have a happy ending like fairytale types. We should be more aware of the fact that optomistic books are out there and equally expose ourselves to both types.
Throughout life a person is exposed to many different forms of literature. I personally have been exposed to probably all forms of literature, including but not limited to books, school literature books, newspapers, and magazines.
In a sense i feel that literature is a tad bit on the depressing side. But then again i also believe there is a good reason behind it. That reason being that when literature is depressing it usually is due to the fact that it is teaching a lesson. And honestly in all seriousness most lessons are learned and taught through experience which more then likely endured tragedy.
Should people expose themselves to more optimistic text? yes, they probably should. Even though literature that is depressing usually has a meaning behind it, people should still try to expose themselves with more enlightening pieces. When one tends to concentrate solely on the negative a depressing, they become that type of person.
In school, the only type of novels we read are classics. But what makes a book a classic? Does it reflect to our present day situation? Are they suppose to teach us a lesson? Who's the one who decides if it's a classic or not?
It is a requirement for teachers to teach certain books every single year. I feel as if this limits our readings to specific teachers. With all of the extra things teachers have to teach us , theres no room for books that they would like students to read. another problem is the book situation. It's hard to ask a group of kids to go buy a book because what if someone cant afford or have the time to get the book. Also, theres no money in the school to support the teachers. There's so many different problems that could occur that makes it impossible.
I dont think literature is too depressing. I think that depressing literature is good because the society we live in people tend to think nothing wrong can ever happen to them. It opens students minds to really think critical and for them to take a step back. Taking a step back will let the students realize how lucky they are and not to take everything for granite. I don't see the need for optimistic text. I feel students need to read novels that are realistic, so they can take a life lesson from the book and not just say the novels not true.
Literature is a passage way to free the mind, and release one's feelings. This is clearly shown through the works of William Shakespeare.
"Romeo and Juliet" is an universal piece in which, two families loathe each other with great passion. "Romeo and Juliet" also illustrates how love can capture the mind and soul of someone. Furthermore, love has the will to completely bemuse and/or distort a person into losing their conscience. Take the case of Romeo and Juliet, they fell madly in love with one another and ended up killing themselves for the love they each possessed.
Even though most stories are meant to teach the reader a lesson, I don't believe that it ever really happens that way. I am more inclined to believe that writers, write great stoies to express themselves, and ultimately do what they love to do, write. Also, I belive that most writers write more for self gain, as oppose to "teach a lesson."
I feel this way because hypothetically speaking, people really only learn when they have made their own mistakes. Just like "The Allegory of The Cave" states, humans have to learn from themselves, and research for their own knowledge to mature, and eventually, "stretch out of the cave." Overall, it is highly difficult to learn and grow from someone else's experience.
I agree with theories 1 and 3. Although I don't think people generally read stories seeking guidance or answers to their problems. The only real way of learning life lessons are by experiencing them yourself. It's seems like everything we read in your class is mostly sad. I think it's just a coincidence. The books that I've read have some kind of balance that makes the book neither depressing nor uplifting. Or maybe it's a coincidence that I haven't read enough sad stories. Maybe people feel more inspired to write after something terrible has happened in their lives. When you're feeling down, your emotions feel so real and they hurt and it makes you want to do something to get rid of it. When you're having a good time, everything is like a dream and you feel whole. I'm reminded of a quote that goes something like "It's easy to remember the bad times and to forget the good times." I don't feel literature is too depressing or "too" anything. It's just the way that literature is. Sure, I think we should expose ourselves to all kinds of literature. Why not? It's important to be well-rounded in artistic preferences so you can further understand the art itself. You can't just read Poe and then say "Literature as a whole is depressing and dark and gloomy." It's like being in "the cave". To come out of that cave you have to broaden your knowledge.
The world is full of sadness and negitivity, so therefore there will always be unhappy litterature. But at times its nice to believe that we have a future and that there is some good in the world. Personally, I would enjoy some happier litterature as long as it still tells a story and has a whole hearted message to it.
The truth is that society is blind to the negitives. Literature, in some cases, can help people in making a full understanding of life. An average man could get to know the reprecussions of a cripple through a well written peice of writing. A tradgedy can have alternate meanings behind it, it can tell a story, however it may go, and, it may also give a valuable life lesson. If the lesson is payed any attention to, it can possibly effect the simplest things in daily life. Like how one treats a stranger or a homeless man. Literature, persay, is generally written to aid the blind in seeing the light.
In general, I believe that anyone ever exposed to literature will be exposed to a depressive outlook on man. However, if it were otherwise, we would never learn from the mistakes of the characters in the story. Without a turning point in the plot, there would never have been a story to write in the first place. For instance, in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, the feud between the two families goes too far, eventually leading Romeo and Juliet to hastily commit suicide. This sinister turn of events teaches us an important lesson from the Capulets and Montagues.
One might believe after reading countless pieces of literature that are, a malevolent, loathsome creatures, as they are portrayed as such. However, the depraved outlook towards man in literature serves the purpose to teach us not how wicked one can be, but to teach us how to prevent these heinous events from occurring again. As Helen Keller once stated, "We could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the world."
Melissa Magalhaes Period 3
I feel that the text or literature that we get in school is way to depressing. The county is giving us literature that is on the downside. Mostly about sad vietnam wars or to crucial love literature.The text that we receive in school needs to be motivating so it will push us students through the day of school. I highly believe that most of the authors had an unhappy soul because of the sad love the authors used to write for example Edgar Allen Poe. However, these pieces of literature help the readers get a better understanding how people lived back then and how society shaped that person.
Yes I feel that literature is too depressing because its a way for people to express themselves, for example when someone is heartbroken or is going through a rough time in their life they usually resort to writing poetry or a story to release everything they've been through. Literature could be more optimistic but there isn't as many pieces because people don't write about their happy experiences as much as something tragic that ocurred to someone.
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