Hello all,
As I continue my reading of Carol Jago's Classics in the Classroom I came upon the section on pg. 51 titled Reading For Empathy. In this section, Jago talks about the way that reading literature can have benefits for people who are not necessarily studying in a literary field. Doctors, lawyers, and other professionals can learn a lot about the people who they are serving by reading texts that offer insight into the human psyche and heart. Jago talks about how doctors can gain a lot in the way of compassion and understanding for their patients by reading texts like Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilyth. Furthermore, people in the field of social work could gain a lot of insight into the plight of abused children by reading books like The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison.
I absolutely agree with what Jago is saying in this section. By reading about characters and stories of circumstances we have never experienced, and therefore cannot relate to, we are able to better understand those situations through our ability to relate to the characters in the story. By emerscing ourselves in the story, it can allow us to better understand the way that people in similar circumstances may be feeling and what they may be thinking. One of the most important aspects of working with people is being able to understand where they are coming from and what they may be going through. Being able to empathize with their situation will better allow you to help them.
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I agree! I think that making the literature more relatable will help the students get the most out of it. I think that taking a better look at the characters and understanding the situations better will help the material become more relatable overall.
ReplyDeleteI think that letting students know that even people who otherwise might not be interested in classic literature are now required to read it. Now students who don't consider themselves readers or who think of themselves as math or science oriented have a reason to read these texts and care about them.
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