Literature is a representation of the societal norms, tenets, values, beliefs, and actions of the people. Classical literary works stem from the imagination, creativity, and perceptions of the people in their environment. These works provide a scaffolding for the larger society to contextualize what happens around them and in so doing, expose the individuals to in-depth concepts of their society. In this regard, literary works are an educational opportunity for enlightening the community. Well defined works of literature set the precedence for other literature-oriented persons to develop their creativity and imagination and become holistic individuals (Lowenthal, 2017). Literary works by revered people like Sappho, Plato, Holmes, Shakespeare’s sonnets, and reputable poetry by John Keats and W. B. Yeats are significant in enhancing societal knowledge and defining morals and values. As different scholars give evidence on how the importance of literature, it remains morally and politically beneficial to the society.
Literature can be appreciated in deeper depths through its ability to change or create new ways in which people think. Plato and Nietzsche in their philosophies viewed the world as a society that prevents individuals from experiencing the true nature of reality (Loeb, 2016). However, the view of the nature of reality was very dissimilar for both of them. According to Nietzsche, an individual could be represented as an ideal of a free spirit by looking at the society from a different perspective. Contrary to his view, Plato’s idea illustrated humans as absolutely unacquainted of what the real world looked like (Nehemas, 1988). Nietzsche reality was a reality based on what one perceives. He believed that everything that happened was due to fate, and all humans should accept reality for what it is and not create a false sense of reality. Indeed, focusing on both philosophers’ literature of viewing the world, it is clear that society has a chance of making better decisions by accepting the reality of their current situations.
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In Nietzsche ’s philosophical outlooks, he emphasizes humans to live for what is real and enjoy life. According to his literature, he states that ‘God is dead’ and he believed that life was all there and that the greatest way to live was to find the true actuality of the world. On the other hand, Plato's concept of reality was different from Nietzsche’s opinion. With regards to Plato's theory of ‘forms,’ he believed that everything we see in this world is an imperfect imitation, and nothing is actual or perfect (Nehemas, 1988). Plato viewed the world as a two-tiered view of reality. His philosophy divided the universe into the visible realm (images, plants, animals) and the intelligible realm (ideas). Nietzsche greatly rejects Plato's philosophy since he believed that kind of reality was detrimental, and it prevented individuals from living a full and optimistic life. As such, both their views on reality expresses how individuals are shielded by the society.
The work of Plato and Nietzsche helps individuals realize their value, and they put emphasis on individuals viewing life as a way to gain knowledge. Both philosophers believe in knowing oneself by exploring their morals and values regardless of the morals and values the society holds (Nehemas, 1988). In that case, the philosophers believed that creating ourselves as individuals based on our morals and values would lead to happiness. However, each philosopher had a different view of the journey to self-discovery. According to Plato, the creation of virtue and happiness was dependent on one’s knowledge (Nehemas, 1988). In his opinion, the journey to happiness begins with knowledge that leads to an assertion of virtue and values. Plato’s literature emphasized on taking time to learn and discover their strengths and weakness since he believed that it was the only way to achieve happiness. On the other hand, Nietzsche believes that academic knowledge cannot liberate individuals. Ideally, from both philosophers,’ individuals can realize that attainment of knowledge is vital.
Also, Nietzsche philosophy emphasizes the revaluation of old values for them to be considered in life. He believes that individuals should create their values and should not depend on nature or reason, as suggested by Plato (Loeb, 2016). However, both Plato and Nietzsche in their literature agree that one’s ability to accept wrongdoing and ignorance is an important factor in the establishment of strong morals and values. Both philosophers hold high regard for wisdom, and they believe the greatest individual in a society is not the wealthiest but the thinker (Loeb, 2016). Both Plato and Nietzsche philosophies were based on changing the views of the society as they were both suspicious of the ruling régime and wanted people to be able to stand for themselves when the time for change came. As such, it is evident both kinds of literature from Plato and Nietzsche are beneficial to individuals as they enable one to change their outlook on life.
Further literature enables the readers to understand the importance of having private property and the role of self-interest among individuals. Aristotle did not believe in Plato's ideas that the state should be unified at all cost. According to Plato's views in the Republic, he claimed that wives to the rulers should be shared and fathers should not put a claim on their sons and daughters (Halliwell, 2017). Instead, all the citizens in the state should take responsibility for all the children as their own. Aristotle did not support Plato's ideas as he believed they would eliminate private property leading to shared ownership. He informed the people that shared ownership would make many individuals forget that they have responsibilities to take care of, and there will be no one paying attention to the responsibilities at hand. As a result, individuals become lazy, knowing someone else somewhere will take care of their affairs. As said by Aristotle, people will be more concerned about what belongs to them and what is beneficial, and if the property is shared, there will be no motive to maintain them. Therefore, as seen from Aristotle literature, self-interestedness and the ability to own private property is beneficial to the society and state as a whole.
Through the philosophies of Aristotle, an individual can realize the role of the middle class in the society. The philosopher expresses his views by stating that, in every society there is a gap between the prosperous and the disadvantaged (Halliwell, 2017). He believes that the state should not allow either of the sides to rule. The rich group of individuals is not willing to be controlled or ruled while the disadvantaged ones either do not know how to rule or lack the resources to facilitate their education. Also, he believes that the prosperous given a chance to rule will treat the poor as slave’s and if the chance goes to the poor, they will introduce laws to seize their property (Halliwell, 2017). Aristotle believes the middle class should be entitled to maintaining the balance between the two fractions as they appreciate the value of hard work and can learn virtues to be just rulers. In that case, readers of Aristotle philosophies understand the role played by the middle class in the society to maintain a balance between the two fractions.
In another instance, literature is politically beneficial to all its readers as they can understand that a successful political system depends on education. Most individuals believe that philosophy and events of the real world are mutually exclusive. Aristotle deflects from that thinking by stating it to be incorrect. He adds that education is the backbone of a political system, and children should be educated to understand the ideals of politics (Halliwell, 2017). If that is not the case, the government cannot stand if its citizens do not understand the principles of a society. An educated society will fight for its democracy, knowing what they are fighting for. It can only be a democracy if the majority rule, and there is freedom. On that end, also the citizens should not misuse the freedom since it is not the goal of a democratic society. Aristotle states that a society that misuses its democracy can also not survive (Halliwell, 2017). As such, a good political system should focus on providing the needs of its citizens and at the same time, creating a safe environment that enhances virtue growth. Therefore, an ideal political system is defined by the status of education that is essential for the continued existence of the state.
Aristotle’s literature on ‘ telos ’ enables readers to develop virtues that enable them to attain a moral purpose in society. According to Aristotle, everything either living or nonliving has a purpose (Barry, 2017). He adds that human beings have ‘ telos ,’ which is to become happy. Even though human beings find happiness in different ways, they all have a purpose. To reach happiness, Aristotle believes that individuals should live a life of virtue. A life that is not morally good or virtuous cannot be termed as a happy life no matter what the individual thinks. The philosopher compares such individuals to a knife that cannot cut since its meant to cut and he terms them as miserable people since they live a life that a knife cannot (Halliwell, 2017). Living according to virtue, means that one is capable of utilizing all the human capabilities that eventually contributes to their happiness. Aristotle emphasizes that human beings have been granted by nature the ability to discover things rather than create them, and they should discover what is right and wrong. Individuals do not decide what is wrong or right, but they decide whether to do the right or the wrong thing. Therefore, this is the most crucial decision we make in life. With that decision comes a happy life.
Ancient theological, literary works like the Bible and the Quran contain historical information about the religious perspectives of the origin of humankind. They also explain as to why people of certain religious beliefs behave in a particular way in comparison to others. The insight is drawn from this religious literature enhance the knowledge of the people of different aspects of their lives and deities (Hart, 2016). This establishes a strong connection between the individuals in the society and their purported genesis. These resonate, with the significance of other non-theological literary works such as sonnets and poetic ensembles, which inculcate knowledge and literacy into the society. This profoundly impacts on the audiences’ minds and consequently on their lives.
The fascinating aspect of the works of literary provides a recreational way of knowledge as a leisure activity. Shakespeare’s sonnets have an entertaining aspect that makes the readers desire to read more and delve deeper into unraveling their metaphoric meaning (Davidson, 1978). By indulging in literature for leisure, the audience is well placed to enhance their understanding and attitudes towards the application of literature in society. Great literary works compel the readers to keep up with them. Bibliographies of prominent personalities, for example, impart courage, resilience, and determination into the audience. Some well though-out literary work has been extrapolated to the audio-visual entertainment industries spanning different generations. Disney fairytales such as The Godfather were drawn from literary works and furnished with an entertaining edge to captivate the audience.
Literature enhances one’s perspective of the different facets of life. It is a reckoning to a deeper insight into the societal intrinsic values and norms which are manifested in the person’s actions, thoughts, character, attitudes, and behavior. The poetic collections of Keats and Shelly describe the cultural interactions between individuals in society (Sandy, 2017). Drawing from this, one learns the important role of positive human interactions and cohesion. Thus, literary works not only give perspective on the society’s way of life but also compels people into adopting the right way socio-cultural way of life. The knowledge and insight drawn from the poetic collections help individuals mitigate the challenges and adversities in life.
Despite its positive impacts on society, literature has some negative effects, especially to the morality of the readers. Morality, ethics, and moral behaviors are closer to each other in meaning but contextually different. Different writers include inappropriate thoughts, desires, or thoughts like wishing bad happenings to others and use virtue ethics and morality in a wider sense that incorporates better emotions to individuals. Some authors also advocate for adultery such that the characters in their stories can get away with entertaining other people’s wives sexual desires. To them, it is a normal thing. However, some actions are like eating pork, which is portrayed sinful and evil according to some systems, cannot be incorporated in the meaning of morality since their actions do not have any consequences on other people (Attridge, 2017). As long as such actions are taking place in the society, morality of individuals will always remain ruined.
Literature also has positive consequences on the readers considering the theories of morality, which are considered by philosophers in distinguishing between practical, normative, and meta-ethics. Meta-ethics theories define why we have to do what we have to do. Different philosophical theories that define the society have been postulated. These include theories like divine command of God in making an action moral, the utilitarianism in which the moral action depends on what benefits a majority group of people, the moral realism that depends on the moral facts of people’s judgements, the positivism which shows that the moral norms depend on the social agreement and not the rational foundations of moral behaviors, and the libertarianism which shows that moral values depend on their extent of maximizing personal freedom and limiting the state’s role in protecting the freedom of the people.
Many philosophers throughout the centuries, including the philosophers of classical Rome and Greece, argued that the moral values are upheld by humans in nature. This is evident through their works and publications. They further urged that humans are Homo morals as well as Homo sapiens . The foundations of morality have been an important subject to the Christian theologians such as Thomas Aquinas, for the past 20 centuries. The philosophers of the 18 th and 19 th century like Kant and Hume have also taken morality as a serious subject with Darwin and William Parley being familiar with it. Therefore, morality has been a foundation of change to the society, portrayed in the works of the early philosophers.
Among the early philosophers, morality was sustained most by Darwin, especially in chapter III of his literacy work called The Descent of Man. He asserts the main importance of morality in the distinctness of humans. In his literary work, Darwin fully subscribed to the judgment that the authors maintaining the differences between human beings and animals, their conscience or moral sense was vital by far (Darwwn, 1872). Much before the publication of the book, Darwin had bagan collecting information concerning the contemporary literature of human morals. In 1837 he read about moral behaviors in the philosophical literature, after his trip in which he also read Paley’s Moral and Political Philosophy. Both Paley and Darwin maintained morality as a conventional attribute to human beings rather than their attributes. The arguments have been further advanced by more anthropologists and philosophers on their ground of moral codes diversity. Darwin and Paley remain one of the earliest philosophers who advocated for morality in literature in their quest to determine the moral values of human beings.
There is no doubt that literature develops a better understanding about life and relationships. Whether literature makes people better or not can be argued and counter argued with loads of examples. The point is not making a person ‘better’ or ‘otherwise’; rather the point is that literature affects the readers. It certainly exposes people to the myriad lanes and by-lanes of life. Literature not only sensitizes an individual to important issues, but it certainly makes them realize their level of sensitivity and insensitivity ( Attridge, 2017). It ignites a spark in them. There are certain habits, behavior, unique ways of doing things which are very insulting or humiliating to others, but people keep doing them unknowingly. When Aristotle in his "Poetics" wrote about "catharsis" or purification of the persons through watching the tragedies in an ancient theater, he meant that by compassion to the main dramatic heroes, man could be "cleaned” or "liberated” mostly from negative emotions (Halliwell, 2017). The same can be said about comedies. So "tragic catharsis" and comic catharsis" exist in both cases Literature shows the society the mirror.
The fact is that most of what people learn comes from reading. Reading gives experiences that people do not usually get from reality. Reading provides a platform to a great variety of experiences and ideas. It is almost necessary to conclude that reading literature, brings them intuitions and knowledge that improve their lives by making them more learned in many subjects and better critics. There are contentious subjects or ideas in literaruure which do not agree among themselves. If one or two persons in a million kill someone else because they read a novel about serial killers, that should not be statistically worrisome. Much more people kill other people because they want money or other property. Literature and reading makes society better. This has been expressed repeatedly over time in the past, way before people could talk about liberal humanism.
In conclusion, literature is politically and morally significant to society as evident from the works of great philosophers like Sappho, Plato, Holmes, Shakespeare, Aristotle, Darwin, and Paley. Through their works the importance of literature in shaping the society is revealed. Literature is politically beneficial to all its readers as portrayed through the works of Aristotle and also the Sonnets of Shakespeare. However, literature sometimes advocates for unacceptable actions that affect the morality of the people, making it insignificant. Works of literarure are intended to ehnace the knowledge and awareness of individuals in society, about various aspects that affect their lives. In this regard, the significance or litearure in shaping the society’s political, moral, and general knowledge remains unsommountable.
References
Attridge, D., (2017). The singularity of literature . Routledge.
Barry, P., (2017). Beginning theory: An introduction to literary and cultural theory . Oxford University Press.
Davidson, D., (1978). What metaphors mean. Critical Inquiry , 5 (1), 31-47.
Halliwell, S., (2017). The Poetics of Aristotle: Translation and Commentary. The University of North Carolina Press Chapel Hill.
Hart, T., (2016). Between the Image and the Word: Theological Engagements with Imagination, Language and Literature . Routledge.
Loeb, P. S., (2016). Nietzsche ’s Place in the Aristotelian History of Philosophy. In Nietzsche and the Philosophers (pp. 15-45). Routledge.
Lowenthal, L., (2017). Literature and the Image of Man: Volume 2, Communication in Society . Routledge.
Nehamas, A., (1988). Plato and the mass media. The Monist , 71 (2), 214-234.
Nussbaum, M. C., (1997). Poetic justice: The literary imagination and public life . Beacon Press.
Sandy, M., (2017). Poetics of self and form in Keats and Shelley: Nietzschean subjectivity and genre . Routledge.
Darwin, C. (1872). The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex (Vol. 2). D. Appleton.
