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Benjamin Carter A Justification of Literary and Language Studies The study of literature and its validity has long been a topic of debate and discussion. From Platos censorship of literature and banning of poetry to current arguments about the usefulness of the discipline, proponents of English studies have had to defend their position and justify their study. With the advent of more and more advanced technology, the ability to communicate faster and more efficiently, and the subsequent rapidly changing societal values and trends, the validity of English studies as a discipline is being called into question yet again. Is the study of literature worth pursuing for the college student entering a harsh and competitive market? Is a focus on literature and writing an outdated and overly narrow area of study? These concerns and others are causing some to question the wisdom in choosing English as a major, including a recent article from Cracked.com that ranked English as number four in the list of The 6 Best College Majors (For Filling You With Regret) (Cracked.com ). Despite these popular concerns many continue to value literature and pursue English as a degree (including myself). The following are arguments in favor of studying English through which I will justify the discipline of Literary and Language studies: Imagination to New Ideas Many English majors begin their study of literature because they love to read. They have recently become or have always been avid readers and love the written word. While this may seem like a somewhat impractical reason to pursue a discipline, it is certainly better than spending money and time on something you hate. Furthermore, one of the exciting things that literature can do is expand the imagination of what is possible. The world is in constant need of

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reform and new ideas, whether politically or in business, the need to consider the impossible and pursue imaginative goals is one of the keys to success. Reading and studying literature can help lift an individual above their daily life and consider other possibilities. Thomas Samson in his essay, Reinventing English Studies argues that Literary criticism is a civilizing force that liberates people from the immediacy of life (Samson 471). This liberation can lead to the imagination and motivation necessary to pursue great things. In a lecture at UVU on September 21, 2012, Jerry Mills, CFO and founder of B2B, spoke as part of the Universitys Executive Lecture series. He discussed his own life and rise to wealth by sharing an account of the poverty and difficulty in which he was raised. He said that he the expectation for his life was to, at best, graduate from high school and maybe join the military. He said that it was literature and the reading of classic books that helped him realize that he could do more. It sparked his imagination and led him to rise above his circumstances (Mills). Cultural Exploration and Understanding Today the study of literature in the University provides the student with a diverse cultural perspective. Patricia Ward in her essay Why Major in Literature?What We Say to Our Students, suggests that there has never been a better time to study and major in literature. She insists that The corpus of texts available, thanks to translation is that of the world. The boundaries of the literary are all-inclusive, embracing high and low culture (Ward 519). By studying literature today a wide variety of world perspectives is gained by reading accounts of cultures and peoples from all around the globe. This multi-cultural approach helps students of literature understand the global community they live in and appreciate and experience cultures

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that are outside their own. In addition to the interesting experience that this can provide, it helps students open their minds to unique and varying perspectives from all types of backgrounds, opening the door to better intercultural understanding and communication. This leads to not only a better understanding of the world, but of the self. Self and Societal Exploration The question of why certain canonical literature has stood up to the test of time and inspired interpretation and celebration for hundreds of years is a subject worth exploring. Thomas Samson discusses William Shakespeare and the far reaching and effect that his works have produced. The typical answer to why this has happened involves human nature throughout time, but Samson argues that it is the reflection of human experience and self-understanding that has caused the success of great authors. He suggests: Shakespeares plays present the sum of all the core human emotions and responses, as well as the situations that trigger them. The Shakespeare oeuvre is a pocket-size edition of life that helps its readers experience the rational-emotional complexes in situations both real and outlandish. The experience of reading Shakespeare helps the augment their experience and in the process discover faculties and potential they have for both good and evil. (471) The process of reading, studying, and analyzing literature often leads to the discovery of the self. It provides the opportunity to reflect on our own understanding and explore ourselves. This can help an individual in almost every aspect of life, including the academic world. By understanding the self our ability to succeed and communicate is increased and the ability to explore the culture of the world and society is enhanced. Samson insists that literary criticism is a way to begin to

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understand society he argues that for people literature initiates them into a path of selfexploration which is at once an exploration of their society (471). Force for Social Change This exploration immediately leads to the discovery of the need for social reform, improvements, and changes. Literature provides insights and often eye-opening experiences into the societal problems all around us. Studying Literature not only helps provide these insights but is itself a machine for addressing them. Literature is not simply a reflection of the world and society, but a driving and effecting force behind it. Literature can be a vessel for social change and can often influence things in ways that other types of writing and speaking cannot. This is probably most obvious on the level of contemporary trends in teen literature and how it spreads to all areas of young society including fashion, speech, and other forms of entertainment. More serious examples of literature effecting social change are abundant including literature written during the Civil War by abolitionists, Catholic reformation literature, and womens rights literature. Sometimes this was in conjunction with other efforts but often certain subjects can only be approached effectively through literature, due to laws, social standards, or a persons own dogmatic prejudice and close-mindedness. Reading a book can be less threatening than an obvious agenda-based speech or text and can lower inhibitions about subjects by approaching them in an almost parable-like way. Recently I presented one of my own essays at the Martin Luther King conference, a three day academic event at Utah Valley University. Presenting in my panel was a colleague and fellow-student, Jessica Scott. Her paper was entitled The Deceptive Dream: Hope and Disillusionment in the American Dream. In her presentation she argued that the rhetoric behind

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the American Dream was a means of keeping the population pacified in the face of a broken system, and that change needed to take place. Many of her sources for the paper were works of literature, fiction novels that through a narrative, explore the idea of a deceptive rhetoric behind the American Dream. I was surprised that so many of her sources were of this nature, but she insisted that literature was not only the best, but perhaps the sole format for effectively addressing the issue. What politician? she asked, would actively attack the American Dream? (Scott). I realized that she was right, and that the only way to really address the issue was a roundabout way- the medium of fictional literature. Creating Meaningful and Productive Dialogue This experience from the MLK conference at UVU is a good example of the kind of effective and meaningful communication that English studies can produce. English studies through academic writing can help achieve the goal of social progress, intercultural understanding, and the furthering of academic knowledge. A specific academic discourse, written to a specific standard and format, creates ongoing dialogue about important social, political, and cultural subjects. Through the study of English, the efficacy of these discourses is improved and the format perfected. Specific dialogue about literature in the form of analysis can help to not only expound on the examined work of literature, but spark conversation and research into social and philosophical meanings. These investigations and conversations can help bring to light new understandings and solidify and expand meaning of old ideas. Hugo Meynell in his essay, The Justification of English, suggests that the study of literature and language can lead learners to achieve an extension and clarification of consciousness (Meynell 9). He asserts that it is a function of literature to make us envisage possibilities that we never envisaged before; but also to make us clearer about what in some sense we knew already (9). This extension and

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understanding can be expanded and increased through an ongoing, academic dialogue about literature, and consequently life. Analysis and Understanding Inherent in English studies is the ability to read, understand, and analyze complicated texts. After four years of analyzing deep and complex literature, the ability to draw meaning from almost any written text becomes almost second nature. This acquired skill can be used in many areas both professionally and academically. During the previously mentioned executive lecture at UVU, Jerry Mills asked the audience, almost entirely comprised of Business majors, what the most valuable major in college is. After many guesses ranging from accounting to philosophy, Jerry Mills asserted that to him the most valuable major is English. He argued in his lecture that English majors, more than any other students; learn the skills necessary to succeed in the world. He claimed that he would hire an English major over a Business major almost every time because they know how to think (Mills). This assertion from Jerry Mills, an extremely successful businessman and executive, supports the idea that knowing how to learn and understand dialogue and text is extremely valuable. Critical Thinking and Cognitive Development Jerry Mills in the lecture referenced above recognized that reading and analyzing literature helps with cognitive development and improves the ability to think critically. For a graduating college student that is looking forward to graduate school or career options the ability to think critically and innovatively can be a priceless asset. Furthermore, reading literature critically can increase cognitive capability and learning skills. In a study conducted by Stanislaus Dehaene, a Neuroscientist at the College de France, the cognitive function of literate Brazilians

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was compared with that of individuals who have never learned to read. The results suggested that the cortical networking of the brain for vision and language was markedly improved among the reading population tested. For Dehaene this implied that, even when literacy was acquired in adulthood both childhood and adult education can profoundly refine cortical organization (Dehaene 1). The brains of individuals in this study were scientifically more active when reading was a part of their life. This increased ability to think, understand, analyze, and innovate is perhaps one of the most important benefits of studying English and Literature. Conclusion While the above arguments provide practical and applicable reasons for English studies, there is more to it than the outward, quantifiable benefits. For me, there is a less measurable but not less real nor less important aesthetic value to studying English. It helps in the process of understanding and appreciating the world around and the self, providing an enjoyable and edifying experience. For me the following paragraph from Lionel Trilling embodies the spirit and the defense of literary studies: however concerned it may be with purposive activity, literature in its essence is concerned primarily with how the act is done and how its own powers deal with the act. This interest in how and the intense pleasure it can afford are what literature has traditionally tried to create (Trilling 124) This pleasure and understanding that the study of literature can create in the student is certainly more difficult to quantify, but for the English student is just as, if not more important than the more measurable benefits of the discipline.

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Works Cited Dehaene, Stanislaus. "How Learning to Read Changes the Cortical Networks for Vision and Language." Science 10th ser. 330.6009 (2010): 1359-364. AAAS. Web. 25 Jan. 2013. Gladstone. "The 6 Best College Majors (For Filling You With Regret)." Cracked.com. Demand Media Inc., 08 Sept. 2010. Web. 20 Jan. 2013. Meynell, Hugo. The Justification of English. Journal of Aesthetic Education 4 (1990): 5. JSTOR Arts and Sciences IV. Web. 27 Jan. 2013. Mills, Jerry. "Reed and Halladay Executive Lecture Series: Jerry Mills." Reed and Halladay Executive Lecture Series. Utah Valley University, Orem. 27 Sept. 2012. Lecture. Samson, Thomas. Reinventing English Studies. English Studies 91.4 (2010): 467. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 26 Jan. 2013. Scott, Jessica, Benjamin Carter, and Sierra Wilson. "Rhetorics of Exclusion and Illusion: Ethnic Studies, Bilingual Education, and The American Dream." 19th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration. Utah Valley University, Orem. 23 Jan. 2013. Lecture.

Trilling, Lionel. Literature and Power. The Kenyon Review 1 (1989): 119. JSTOR Arts & Sciences V. Web. 21 Jan. 2013. Ward, Patricia A. Why Major In Literature? What We Say To Our Students. Pmla 3 (2002): 519. JSTOR Arts & Sciences III. Web. 27 Jan. 2013.