Literature: A Criticism of Life

Literature: A Criticism of Life Literature does not simply add to reality, but describes it. Matthew Arnold’s statement about literature being a “criticism of life” is right because literature teaches it talks about problems that the world faces daily, good moral lessons through criticism, and it shows the author commentary on things. Literature is used to express people’s feelings and thoughts. In some literature, it can be used to show what authors critique in this world, being either good or bad.

Matthew Arnold’s statement about literature being “a criticism of life” is accurately depicted in some works of literature like Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry and Cyrano de Bergerac. These novels reflect situations and problems that occur in the world today. Mildred D. Taylor shows examples of segregation, racism, mistreatment, and discrimination through her novel Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. This book showed some bad morals that the world had and still has to this very day. In Cyrano de Bergerac it shows real life situations like love, jealousy, pain, anguish, and loss.

Another reason Arnold’s statement is right is due to able to teach good moral lessons through criticism. Literature is sometimes a mirror for what happens in society. But, in literature we are allowed to change the stuff that we do not like. In some literature it shows you the chain reaction of someone doing something bad, so maybe in real life the repercussions of that event will hopefully teach the reader a lesson to not do that bad thing. Literature is not only able to teach a good moral lesson through it’s reading, but also to prevent bad real life situations from happening.

In addition to teaching good moral lessons, literature is also used to show the authors commentary on things or situations. The authors of literature often use their works to comment on a certain issue or to show their own personal opinion on a subject. Sometimes literature has a deeper meaning than what it is