This my immediate answer whenever someone asks me what literature is.
I got this definition from my third year high English teacher, Sir Licyayo. He explained it to us very well that it was etched on my mind and my heart as well. This definition maybe vague for one to grasp its true essence easily, but I know it’s easy to understand. You can take life as the cake shown in the picture, and literature is a slice of that cake. Therefore, literature is a part of life. It is a part of our everyday lives. You can find literature everywhere.
Literature, as defined by the Concise English Dictionary, is any written work. It came from the Latin word “littera” which means letter, and it literally means “acquaintance with letters”. But literature is not just limited to the printed works, it can also be in an oral form, like epics, legends, folktales, and the likes that were passed down from generation to generation. Literature is also an expression of ideas, feelings, emotions, and culture.
As a part of our lives, literature contributes something to us. We actually gain much from it. It provides us new knowledge. It helps us in developing our sense of understanding. It also takes us to new heights! It allows us to see the bigger picture of the world in which we are living. And most of all, it makes us more human; better persons for a better society.
I am a future electrical engineer, and I consider literature a weapon to succeed. I remember one of my teachers in high school telling us that the moment we stop reading, is the moment we stop learning. Reading literary works will help me in the preparation and development of Engr. Neory T. Mangaliman.
This slice of life is free. You can have it anytime you want it. So go ahead and grab one now! You may also want to share it to other people. =)
Image source: http://www.bonappetit.com/tipstools/slideshows/2009/03/caramel_desserts?slide=23
