After reading Literature for 5 Years, today the time comes to reflect my learning and understanding that grows with Literature. It is the time to look back and see how much literature affects me and bring change in myself.
What is Literature ?
Literature is a ocean that one cannot define its vastness but still I have try to put my experiences of reading literature into limited words. There are so many definitions of Literature like ‘it is the mirror of the society’ which I also believe when I am in graduation but after completing master’ study I gain deeper sense of the literature.
‘Literature is the thermometer which measured the health
of the society.’
Literature is a way to know
about particular culture, society or time span like Tom John which reflects the society of that time. It is the
zeitgeist of time that every writer tries to reflect.
How Literature Shape me ?
Literature is for self help which cure people as we find that there are many self help books which inspire people and guide them to come out from any problem as in One Night @ the Call Center, there is the God’s message about four important things that everybody should do in life to became successful that are Imagination, intelligence, self‐confidence and Failure this all have also help me a lot in my learning process where I never lose my self confidence whatever others are speaking/thinking about me. Harry Potter which is not only children’s literature but give many messages to us and portraying the dark realities of life about class conflicts. A dialogue of Dumbledore about Choice inspire me a lot that is,
‘It
is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our
abilities’
This line says abilities are
same in all people but it’s up to us that what we chose good/evil.
The
Sense of an Ending taught me to doubt everything even my memory
that what I remember from my past is not whole truth. History created in same
manner that what bits and pieces that remembered from events is written. In
Post Truth era, doubting the things is important skill which comes from this
text with example of Tony Webster’s Story. Adiga’s
dark and real image about India where he criticize many aspects like Education
system as another Jungle which is real picture of school in While studying the various theories of
literature, I come to know about the Queer
theory which talks about the marginal genders like Lesbian, Gay or Third
Gender which considers as taboo subject to
discuss in society but I expand my understanding about this on which I have
done research work which give me the new insight to look towards these people
otherwise before proper understanding of their representation in literature as
well as movies and how they are treated by society, I have same opinion like other
people have for these people but after reading about them deeply I can
understand their agony of living life in conservative society and I start
looking them as normal human beings and I also explain my family members to
treat them as normal human beings as Literature’s primary function is to spread
humanity and remove all discrimination which divide people in different groups
like rich/poor, black/white etc.
Literature changes my perceptions
about life and other people. It gives deeper implication of things. It awakes
to check/recheck/narrate the things or events. Literature is about self
understanding not for the understanding of the world, you can go inside
yourself and know what you want and who you are? If we read literature, we
became 30 years more mature than actual age as at age of 20 we think like a
person of age of 50. I have experience same thing that Literature make me
mature at very Young age as I got the deeper meaning of living life and face
many problems and troubles as a girl but I became stronger to stand on my feet.
When I am in graduation our sir used to say that who are facing challenges and
problems at very young age they became mature.
Existentialism is
my quit interesting topic as it gave me the deeper understanding of my
existence in this world that for which purpose I am living. Let me share my
experience when this topic taught in the classroom, before a day I met with
some problems and lost my hope and out of the sorrow or as a part of cathartic
feelings I wrote one FB post which reflects my agony on next day this topic
taught by Dilipsir and he always used to say that never show your sorrow to the
people because they feel happy by reading it. I got hope and new sight to look
and treat with the problems that coming towards me and I learn fight for my
right.
વિશ્વ વિશ્વ છે. પણ વ્યક્તિમાત્રને થાય છે --હું હું છું. હું ભલે દુનિયામાં છું, પણ મારી પોતાની એક દુનિયા છે. (Suman Shah)
“ચૉઇસ”-ના એ ચાર સવાલ પાસેથી મારા સ્વાતન્ત્ર્યનું સ્વરૂપ “જવાબદારી” બની જાય છે –“રીસ્પૉન્સિબિલિટી”. સમજાવા લાગે છે કે“સ્વાતન્ત્ર્ય” અને “જવાબદારી” એક જ સિક્કાની બે બાજુઓ છે. સ્વતન્ત્ર રહીને પણ જવાબદાર રહેવાય. જવાબદાર રહેવાથી પણ સ્વતન્ત્ર રહેવાય... (ક્રમશ:)(Suman Shah)
These lines by Suman Shah
have touch my heart and change my perception to looking towards life and also
taught me the way to free life along with all the responsibilities that
everyone has to perform in life. Through this I can that Literature adds rhythm to life and give me new life.
Feminism
catch attention of most of the people but very less among them can apply into their
real life or in patriarchal set up. I am lucky that I can apply it in my life
and family as in my family; there is an authority in my mother’s hand. First at
home, as elder then my brother I have to perform my responsibilities but along
with that I have done a job in a School with studies as a sense of an economic
independence. Second at department, I performed my responsibilities as a GS to
manage events and functions, preparations for guest lectures, keep record of
all attendance and many more alone. These all deep philosophies are one or
other way give the hint to deal with many aspects of life.
Literature help me to read
the mind/psychology of human beings as there are many characters in literary
texts who behave in certain manner or in particular situation which give us
idea that what they want, same in real life there are many people who behave in
strange manner but we can understand reason behind it.
I
can free myself from the chain of society and can be the free thinker rather
than what other thinks with the reading of the literature. It helps me to come
in the category of People from the Sheeple as my thinking process became
different from what layman thinks that literature taught me. Robert Frost’s lines
The
woods are lovely, dark and deep
But I
have promises to keep,
And
miles to go before I sleep,
And
miles to go before I sleep.
These lines taught me to move forward in life
as there are so many other promises or responsibilities to be done by us in
future so we can’t stay at one lovely place but should continuously keep on
going and to pass every step of life. It may happen that in life there are so
many happy moments and we want to remain there which is impossible because Life
is the Journey and we can’t stop our journey in between.
From To
the Lighthouse, I motivated by the Lily
Briscoe’s character as she is the free thinking lady who gives more
important to her Art rather than to marriage as she said to Mrs. Ramsay that
Marriage is not a success for women. As she gains her artistic vision at the end
on the novel. Her character is more radical and free than that of Mrs.Ramsay,
Virginia Woolf’s style of writing is difficult to understand but still new one
and interesting to read which takes us into the mind of every character and
reality of human relations as of Jack’s and Mr. Ramsay’s relation shown where Jack hates his father so much which
also at some level can be found in the real life relations.
How I can forget ‘Waiting For Godot’, without which the Modern Literature is
uncompleted, I have read this absurd play
earlier also when I am in graduation but not with the aspects of deep
understanding about things that are hidden in that play like setting is of
destruction after World Wars, Godot stands for God and religious aspects come
and main important thing is Waiting which is we are also doing but don’t know
for what we are waiting. (WAITING IS ENDLESS) This play throws very strong
questions of our existence in this world. As famous line, ‘Nothing happens. Nobody comes, nobody goes. It’s awful’ which reflects
real thing that there is nothing in life, it’s boring. Other deep philosophical
line, ‘Let’s go.” “We can’t.” “Why not?”
“We’re waiting for Godot.’ Which
satirizes on the people who are still waiting for salvation/Moksh or any God
comes and blesses them which are illusion of the people not reality.
Literature makes me keen observer rather than
judgmental, it make me habituate to deconstruct
the things that come to me and cross check it. The Birthday Party by Harold Pinter menacing me but I like
the last message given by Petey in the play is wonderful that "Stan!, Don't let others to tell you what to
do" which is very important to every individual artist/ people
also that be the free thinker never influence by anyone and don’t let others to
interfere in your life.
After reading literature, my situation is
like that of the Magistrate of Waiting for the Barbarians who can’t
see the injustice/torture that happen with Nomads but he is not be able to do anything because
he has not that much authority in his
hand, similarly after knowing the right things and deep knowledge and understandings
of wrongs of society I don’t be able to do anything because I have no any
authority to do any change in that as society operates by the Power. After read literature, it’s difficult
for me to adjust in conservative society but I can do my best to do change in
society.
As
it is said that Literature MUST BE THE AXE FOR THE FROZEN SEA INSIDE
US" which broke our all wrong perceptions. Literature is like a Dry Coconut which is hard from outside that
disturbs us and difficult to understand but once we get right thing which
literature wants to convey to us, it became soft as inside area of coconut.
In
short, Literature shape me, mold me and change me completely as compare to I was
before reading literature.
