Steve R Hake Why Study Literature

As human beings, we rely tremendously on communicating through writing. We need literature to understand what message is intended by the writer. People will gain more insight and know more information about the past and present if we study literature. Sometimes a memorable concrete object will help us to keep information in our minds longer. Many people in this time period remember people, events, lessons and lifelong highlights more effectively by something we can see or touch. It enables us to remember and can reflect on past experiences more easily than simply by reading literature.
The article “Why Study Literature?” by Steve R. Hake, outlines what literature is, its benefits, and various ways it has been shaped over time. It gives Christian …show more content…
In the article “Why Study Literature,” on page 1 it tells literature is like a mirror that reflects life for us. It appeals to our senses and feelings affecting our minds. “It has sometimes been said that literature is like a mirror that reflects life for us.” (Hake, 1) It depends mostly on what is being reflected to us if it is worthwhile learning it to impact our personal lives. This is easy for the world to say, but ultimately it is the Bible that shows us how to live in a more God-glorifying way. This is done by looking at Jesus’ character and reflecting it instead of looking at men’s interpretation of how to live and …show more content…
Literature helps us to think beyond the here and now and look at life more meaningfully, through different perspectives. This is true because the following quote explains how it deepens our thoughts in the following way. Literature exercises the feelings and thoughts about another person, place or event. The reader gains wisdom into the lives and thoughts of other people very easily while reading someone else 's experiences. (Reestorff et al.,10) This gives us the sense that our minds can come up with ideas and thoughts to make us more discerning of what is going on in our lives. Then we also can learn to compare our lives and the lives of other by thinking about the instances of others through literature. When we read literary works we can see the immense knowledge of the human mind and we sometimes can apply the information to our own minds. This results in becoming more interactive with our thoughts and views. We not only compare the author 's thoughts but also our own thoughts and views to extend our reactions and awareness of things happening around us. (Mitchell, 2) On page 5 of the article “Why Study Literature,” it tells us how the bible can be and should be a book that test and strengthens our minds to think deeper about instances we may have in the future about our lives. One part of literature that gives us an abundance of examples is the Bible. This book teaches us