Learning Other's Culture Through Literature

Posted by anjila | Posted in , | Posted on 6:11 PM

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Literature can help learners to develop their understanding of other cultures, awareness of 'difference' and to develop the tolerance and understanding. At the same time literary texts can deal with universal themes such as love, war and loss that are not always covered in the sanitized world of coursebooks.

Exposure to multicultural literature can help all of us to understand that there are many different ways to live and many different views on what is important on our lives. While reading about characters from a culture other than our own, we learn that often cultures have more similarities than differences. They are exposed to human themes such as honesty, justice, and love for family that go beyond culture. Such exposure can contribute to greater understanding of our own culture as well as the cultures of others in our country and around the world. Literature is the mirror of the society. It studies human nature. We see human nature through tragedy and romance, joy and sorrow, in acceptance and denial, and in moments of heroism and in moment of fear.

Next literature from other cultures offers teachers and students a powerful resource for learning. Although it can be difficult to locate foreign literature, the benefits of using these books are significant. Foreign literature can open up the world to native readers, creating new understanding and appreciation for other cultures. This literature is also a natural way to teach across curriculum, connecting good literature to history, geography, politics, or science. Moreover, foreign literature is often demanding to read, appealing to other adolescents for whom much of literature may not be challenging enough. The field of literature is enriched by works from other countries.