Why Do Books Misinterpreted Literature?

In a world where written words are most commonly seen on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram--digital platforms where things like sarcasm, excitement, and grief are often hard to detect without the use of emojis-- it is extremely likely that the unembellished words of printed literature are misinterpreted. Ralph Waldo Emerson's assertion that "books are the best of things, well used; abused, among the worst" is perhaps more relevant now than ever.

Thanks to social media, everything is open to the public. Every erratic twitter user has the ability to voice their opinion on any topic, regardless of the level of education or prior knowledge they have on each topic. Literature is no exception. Individuals who have never even touched the Bible or Qur'an have assumptions and opinions on what it says. When Ralph Waldo Emerson says that books are the best things when they're used well, the first step of using a book is to actually read it. This step seems to be bypassed completely all too often in today's day and age. Tumblr users can rant about what the Bible
Things to take into consideration when attempting to respect the purity of a piece of literature are things such as context, intended audience, and literality. When one creates the act of making informed textual interpretations and makes assumptions about a text based on bias, personal opinion, or to simply go along with what they have heard from their peers say about the text, they are again abusing the faith of books. This has relevance today because literature is so widely available to anyone and everyone. And while this is wonderful and vital to allow everyone the chance to form opinions and connections with millions of books and pieces of writing, it also means that everyone is allowed to abuse books as