Краткий конспект подготовки к ЗНО по английскому языку №21 "Literature"

Подготовка к ЗНО. Английский язык.
Конспект 21. Literature

  People need art and that is evident. It makes us wiser, it touches our feelings. However, as far as I’m concerned, it is literature that has a special place in our life and in the history of humanity. Words, texts, speech are natural for us like, for example, breathing or walking. A man is notable because of our ability to speak, so a text is closer to us, easier for perception (but not for understanding) than music or, for instance, sculpture. Other fields of art are too changeable and subjective; sometimes we need to peer at every dab on a canvas to interpret a painting wholly. We can say the same about music; may anybody know for sure what thoughts and feelings a composer wanted to bring to us? Definitely not.
  There are words, sentences and a writer’s text in literature. You can just read it, and then think about its idea and sense. But, actually, it is not as easy as it may seem. Not everyone can understand what they are reading. People often read books only because of exposure to stereotypes (“if everybody has read it, I should read it, too”) or because of someone’s request (“to read it is my home task at school/college/university”).
  A writer takes a pen or sits down at a keyboard for different reasons. It may be a spiritual crisis or, on the contrary, enthusiasm, or social problems that can’t be hushed up, or just sudden inspiration… Thereby, it is clear why people write. But why do we, readers, need literature?
Firstly, literature enriches our souls – this is irrefutable. Mostly it happens when a writer begins some kind of a dialogue with a reader, when a reader responds to a text. We like some literary works, some of them – not very much, others easily annoy us or make us bored. Authors are different people with different fates and characters, so their ideas, styles are unacceptable for us sometimes. However, classic literature includes books that stand the test of time and many generations, becausesometimes people need some kind of a reminder about easy truths.
Secondly, literature trains our mind and intellect, although it sounds a little strange. There are two sides of this advantage. Of course, literature broadens our outlook, gives us factual knowledge – the knowledge about the world (let us consider Alexandre Dumas with his perfect knowledge of French history or Jules Verne and his scientific hypotheses that passed ahead of progress). In addition, literature develops exact mind skills: abilities to reason, to conceive abstract things, to compare and to draw the conclusions. I think a lot of people after reading of a good book have a feeling of a lucid interval, an intellectual discovery.
  Thirdly, literature certainly teaches us to examine life, its profoundness and universality, laws and regularities. In the first place, it is about people, because all literature is created by human, about human and for human. Writer’s heart may ache for personality, soul or a whole generation, but, somehow, for humanity and human, for his place in this world. Thanks to literature, a lot of people become kinder and wiser. So, would the world be fairer and more joyous if people read more good books?

Online-тест подготовки к ЗНО по английскому языку №21 "Литература в Украине, Британии и США"