Literature Mirror of Society - 1167 Words

Literature: Mirror of Society That literature is a reflection of the society is a fact that has been widely acknowledged. Literature indeed reflects the society, its good values and its ills. In its corrective function, literature mirrors the ills of the society with a view to making the society realize its mistakes and make amends. It also projects the virtues or good values in the society for people to emulate. Literature, as an imitation of human action, often presents a picture of what people think, say and do in the society. In literature, we find stories designed to portray human life and action through some characters who, by their words, action and reaction, convey certain messages for the purpose of education, information and†¦show more content†¦The novel mirrors the society and shows how the society’s misconception about the purpose of education, coupled with government policies, produce intellectually and morally bankrupt leaders. The novel also shows how both societal and family deman ds and expectations compel the emergent elite to live above their personal incomes and to consequently resort to corrupt means of self-enrichment as exemplified by Obi’s corrupt action. In the novel, Achebe paints a society where extravagant spending of public funds by public officers is the norm, and where corruption has been institutionalized. By taking bribe, Obi Okonkwo has merely done what everyone else does; it is his weakness and inability to escape being caught that is actually frowned at by his kinsmen. The novel aptly depicts the situation in our society, where those who loot the public treasuries, without being caught, are held in very high esteem and are honoured with chieftaincy titles. Another example of literature as a mirror of the society is Wole Soyinka’s The Trial of Brother Jero. This play exposes religious charlatanism, a prevailing problem in our society. The main character, Brother Jero, is a typical example of the fake prophets and other religious charlatans operating in various parts of the society. Like Brother Jero, they pretend to be what they are not. They use the nameShow MoreRelatedLiterature : The Mirror Of Society1332 Words   |  6 Pages39B 10 May 2017 Literature is the mirror of society Literature styles have always been changing through decades due to the trend of society. In some literatures, we see the authors portray the life in society through a certain character or convey a message to a certain group of people. But some literatures assist to shape the societal culture by conveying the idea of righteousness and immorality to the audience after showing how the society looks like. Genres is also somethingRead MoreDystopian Literature : The Dark Sides Of Our Dreams1456 Words   |  6 PagesUsing the text as a frame of reference, how does dystopian literature demonstrate the power of fear? Dystopian fiction shows what happens if people don t fear for what s to come. Fear influences people very substantially, changing the actions they make. As it says in the text, â€Å"Dystopias are the dark sides of our dreams. There are common themes and stylistic choices because all of the distorted mirrors that authors are holding up are trying to show us the same things . They are trying to give usRead MoreTechnology As A Medium For Communication935 Words   |  4 Pagescan be seen in literature. While some pieces of literature portray technology as something amazing and futuristic, other pieces show it as threat and voice their concerns about it in our culture. This essay will explore how different pieces of literature portray technology. Each piece highlights different concerns of technology, but they all show concerns of technology and the problems they might bring to our culture. As evident by prominent literatures such as: Her, Black Mirror, I Forgot My PhoneRead MoreAnalysis Of `` Mirror `` By Sylvia Plath And `` The Yellow Wallpaper ``1193 Words   |  5 Pages In my ENGL220 class, we have been reading a different kind of literature works. Different literature stories have struck a responsive chord in readers’ hearts. Two of literature works â€Å" Mirror † by Sylvia Plath and short story â€Å" The Yellow Wallpaperâ €  by Charlotte Perkins Gilman both shows female’s oppressive living in patriarchal society and control by men. In the poemâ€Å" Mirror†, in the 20 century, the society influence women should care about how they look and they feel sad aboutRead MoreEssay Fahrenheit 451707 Words   |  3 PagesHeroes and Villains has been the most basic concept that has perpetuated in literature. Good guys and Bad guys, anyone can understand that, but literature chooses to go deeper. Literature chooses to create the Heroes journey, and make it take on a much greater meaning than the reader or Hero had previously believed. For example, the fireman Guy Montag originally he had wanted to be able to understand his own life, and the paradoxes in it, with the help of the books he was secretly saving from theRead MoreLottery Essay Symbolism1249 Words   |  5 Pagescolor green can symbolize the feeling of envy. The following pieces of literature, â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson, â€Å"We Wear the Mask† by Paul Laurence, â€Å"Richard Cory† by Edwin Arlington Robinson, and â€Å"Mirror† by Sylvia Plath are all poems that use symbolism. The story â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson narrates about people living in a small American town. Jackson talks specifically about the horrendous actions that this society practices, which is not a new occurrence for the people of the town.Read MoreEssay The Lady of Shallot621 Words   |  3 Pagesof Shallot, by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, acts as a voice for people struggling with materialism of the industrial age. Tennyson became famous for reflecting the idealism of an industrious society that was nonetheless racked by deep doubts about its materialism (The Longman Anthology Of British Literature p. 1908). The curse of the mysterious lady of the poem could be thought of   as the curse of the people subcombing to the dreaded materialism and giving up the Victorian innocent ideals. FurthermoreRead MoreThe Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman1099 Words   |  5 PagesWallpaper, has an autobiographical element to it. It was written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. The piece of work concentrates on many different aspects of literature. The Yellow Wallpaper, has an autobiographical element to it. It was written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. The piece of work concentrates on many different aspects of literature. It can be evaluated with ten different types of literary criticism: formalist, biographical, historical, psychological, mythological, sociological, genderRead MoreThe Words Of Salman Rushdie932 Words   |  4 Pagespushes these characters to act. Connecting this idea of society to literature, novelists seek to write with a purpose, too. In the words of Salman Rushdie, a British novelist, â€Å"It may be that writers in my position, exiles or emigrants or expatriates, are haunted by some sense of loss, some urge to reclaim, to look back, even at the risk of being mutated into pillars of salt† (Imaginary Homelands, 16). Rather than interpreting literature as an escape from the world around us, Rushdie sees fictionRead MoreFeminism In The Handmaids Tale1709 Words   |  7 PagesThe Republic of Gilead, a dystopian world with a patriarchal society, is displayed in Atwood’s, The Handmaid’s Tale. More specifically, the novel takes place in what used to be considered the United States but is now being called the Republic of Gilead where freedoms and rights have been excluded, especially for women. The society nurtures a â€Å"theocratic, patriarchal, nightmare world created by men, with the complicity of women† (â€Å"Margaret (Eleanor) Atwood†). The separation of the freedoms between