Literature - Nation.docx

Some people say that school children should be mainly taught about the literature (e.g.fiction and poetry) of their own country because it is more important than that of other countries. To what extend do you agree or disagree.

Some people argue that it is crucial for schools to focus more on national literature rather than on similar works from other countries. While this is valid to a certain extent, I believe that both sources of literature are equally important, and they complement each other. It is understandable why some advocate the view that literature from the home country is of importance to students. The fundamental rationale is that since learners should understand about their own culture and languages prior to others’, they should prioritize to study creative works from national writers. If students do not spend enough time on these internal materials, they may not fully comprehend cultural values of their nation. In addition, supporters of this view assume that if one spends more time on a particular subject such as local literature, the person would know more about that topic. However, these ideas are flawed, as to understand a specific theme of writing, learners should study the subject and also other related entities as well. In fact, it is vital to study other countries’ literature when one studies their own country’s fiction because different literature in the same era support to understand the piece of writing under study. Authors in similar periods of history typically share common views and materials in their works. Novels and poems about the Vietnam War are prime examples. While the majority of literature from Vietnam during this war is about brave patriots, other writings in the same period are about the drama and lost from the war. They all together depict a better view of the war and the country during that time frame. In sum, while some advocate that students should primarily learn about their literature, it seems to me that other nations’ documentation is as significant to review.