Society Without Literature
Many people may not think that literature has a big impact on society, but
it does. In the two novels, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and 1984 by George Orwell,
the two societies were able to survive without any literature but that causes people to be
narrow minded and didn’t think too much. If literature was taken away from society,
there wouldn’t be people who think out side the box and find the deeper meanings in the
writings they read.
According to Dictionary.com, one of the definitions of literature is, “writings in
which expression and form, in connection with ideas of permanent and universal interest,
are characteristic or essential features, as poetry, novels, history, biography, and essays”.
Some writings like street signs or the plumber’s manual wouldn’t be considered
literature, but things like a novel or a poem would. It may seem like literature is just a
bunch of nonsense, but really there’s a meaning behind everything. In Fahrenheit 451,
Montag reads to Millie but she doesn’t seem to understand what is being said, “He read a
dozen pages here or there…Mildred sat across the hall from him. ‘What does it mean? It
doesn’t mean anything!” (Bradbury 68). Reading something only one time won’t help
you grasp any knowledge from it unless you read it a few more times. It may not make
sense after reading it once but after a while things just start coming together. In the
society of 1984, Winston learns the saying of St. Clement’s that goes, “Oranges and
lemons, say the bells of St. Clement’s, You owe me three farthings, say the bells of St.
Martin’s” (Orwell 83). This saying or poem is qualified as literature but it is not
welcomed in the society.
A person who thinks they can survive without literature isn’t very bright because
they don’t understand how much of an impact it is. The individual would most likely
state the obvious and won’t take the effort to explore the
it does. In the two novels, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and 1984 by George Orwell,
the two societies were able to survive without any literature but that causes people to be
narrow minded and didn’t think too much. If literature was taken away from society,
there wouldn’t be people who think out side the box and find the deeper meanings in the
writings they read.
According to Dictionary.com, one of the definitions of literature is, “writings in
which expression and form, in connection with ideas of permanent and universal interest,
are characteristic or essential features, as poetry, novels, history, biography, and essays”.
Some writings like street signs or the plumber’s manual wouldn’t be considered
literature, but things like a novel or a poem would. It may seem like literature is just a
bunch of nonsense, but really there’s a meaning behind everything. In Fahrenheit 451,
Montag reads to Millie but she doesn’t seem to understand what is being said, “He read a
dozen pages here or there…Mildred sat across the hall from him. ‘What does it mean? It
doesn’t mean anything!” (Bradbury 68). Reading something only one time won’t help
you grasp any knowledge from it unless you read it a few more times. It may not make
sense after reading it once but after a while things just start coming together. In the
society of 1984, Winston learns the saying of St. Clement’s that goes, “Oranges and
lemons, say the bells of St. Clement’s, You owe me three farthings, say the bells of St.
Martin’s” (Orwell 83). This saying or poem is qualified as literature but it is not
welcomed in the society.
A person who thinks they can survive without literature isn’t very bright because
they don’t understand how much of an impact it is. The individual would most likely
state the obvious and won’t take the effort to explore the