Introduction
What makes a person well-educated? Is it the university they attended or the amount of information they manage to gather over the years? Are table manners an important aspect of our education or is it more valuable to know by heart all Newton’s laws? More importantly, should we seek knowledge only in our schoolbooks, or are there other wellsprings of educative material that we can absorb?
All the best pieces of literature are, almost by rule, packed with real-life information and concepts that we can use throughout life. Even the works of fiction are based on stories, events, and mythology we learn about in school. In this article, we are going to examine some of the reasons that make literature a powerful ally in a child’s education process.
Literature improves vocabulary on a higher level
A rich vocabulary is one of the pillars of good education, not because it allows us to appear smarter but for reasons much deeper than mere bragging with the number of ways in which we can say something completely ordinary. The more we read the more strange terms we encounter and learn about, which is essential for the development of our research abilities. Kids often go to their parents for explanations on new phrases and concepts, however, that’s seldom enough to feed a child’s limitless curiosity.
Turning to literature for help is the best way to facilitate your kid’s process of learning about strange concepts and phrases. It allows children to form their own opinion when regarding a certain phenomenon or social structure they are not familiar with. This means that, instead of having your kids repeating your view on a certain matter, you will allow them to understand the basic principles of that new concept and form their own opinion on the topic. The outcome will result in your children learning a new phrase and understanding it to a point where they might even develop a deep interest in that subject.
Kids can find essay examples on literature easier
Getting close to literature at an early age makes one much more comfortable with literary assignments later in life, which makes high school and college much easier in so many ways. Writing essays and research papers requires numerous skills, among which is the ability to recognize relevant sources of information. Nowadays, the best site to find literature essays can be just a click away, however, if you don’t have a strong background even the most generous resource platform can seem like a never-ending maze.
Students that spent their youth reading are more likely to recognize good sources of inspiration and information because they already have a developed literature analytics mindset. A good essay always relies on authoritative citations, and with a vast library behind them, students spend less time searching for authors and pieces that could be used to prove a point. Since reading improves creativity, experienced readers can use existing essay samples without the risk of plagiarizing other people’s work by accident.
Lamb to the Slaughter as a good book for your children
Although it might seem like a work of fiction intended for adults, due to the main plot including the act of murder a deeper literary analysis of Lamb to the Slaughter leads to the conclusion that it’s also a good story for children to read. Apart from numerous scenes and dialogues that consist of unique dark comedy elements, the story has a dual metaphor that can serve as an example to children that there is more than one way to read a certain sentence. The very title of the story “Lamb to the Slaughter” can be a metaphor for both Mary and Patrick Malone.
According to some literary critics, Mary is the innocent lamb which was led to the emotional slaughter by her husband Patrick with his threat of divorce. Ironically, this led to Patrick himself getting killed unaware of the danger, which makes him the proverbial lamb as well. Understanding the literary dualisms is important for children and Roald Dahl’s short story can serve as a stepping stone that will facilitate the identification of such literary figures in more complex works.
Literature expands views from the early age
Authors like Lord Byron or Ernest Hemingway spent their lives exploring new cultures, different customs, and the influence of war on human behavior. Sinking into the words of famous travel writers that depict places and customs that exist far from our realm, helps us realize that there’s more to life than what we’re used to. We build more complex expectations in life knowing that there is so much to see beyond the boundaries of our cultural milieu.
Furthermore, novels based on historic events can serve as relevant sources of information, as long as we are able to separate authentic data from fragments of the author’s imagination. Reading about The Great War from those who went through the horrors of the battle gives us a fresh perspective that helps us establish a clearer point of view on events we learn about in school. In schools, we often get romanticized versions of historic events, sometimes the political interest shapes the way we are thought about certain occurrences, and this is where authentic literary pieces allow us to hear the other side or a different impression of events that we were taught about in school.
Conclusion
When we read, our mind generates images based on how we understand the words in front of us and thus expand our ability to imagine even the most abstract concepts. Reading improves memory and offers information we might not receive in school or during college. Our world becomes larger with every new place we read about, and we learn about human diversity with every new character we encounter in literature. With every novel, poem, or short story we go through, we build experience and learn valuable life lessons.
Author Bio:
James Collins is a freelance content writer engaged with several online publishers. As a writer, James seeks new ways to bring his audience closer to new ideas and fresh points of view. He builds his content using authentic and practical pieces of information that his audience can relate to.
