Introduction
While literature is considered a form of art, its content is equally important as it allows the readers an opportunity to experience different emotions and look at life from different perspectives. Furthermore, writers can use the connection established with readers through literature to convey important ideas or provide social lessons that the reader may lack in his personal experience. This essay will discuss the social lessons provided in four distinct literature pieces written by three authors.
Social Lessons in Literature
Out of Alien Days
Firstly, both poems, “Out of alien days” and “Beautiful spurted blood,” written by Aimé Césaire, focus on African resistance. In the first poem, the author reminisces about the ‘alien’ days of African people and encourages people to unite to stop the continuous nightmare (Césaire, n.d. a). The poem contains two important social lessons: Firstly, it explains the importance of a nation’s unity for the solution of its problems. Furthermore, the poem explains that patience has a greater limit than oppression, and therefore, it is crucial to solve the core problem instead of continuing to endure the oppression.
Beautiful Spurted Blood
The second poem has a similar message that explains the essential role of freedom for the nation’s future generations (Césaire, n.d. b). Moreover, the poem emphasizes that eliminating the sufferings of the past can motivate the nation to reach greater achievements in the future.
In the Cutting of a Drink
Next, both short stories, “In the cutting of a drink” and “A little matter of marriage,” focus on the topic of women’s role in society and marriage. The primary social lesson in Ama Ata Aidoo’s story is that “any form of work is work” that deserves respect (1968, p. 7). The second social lesson is that people should not use the difference between traditional and modern values in conflict with family members.
A Little Matter of Marriage
Lastly, the tale written by Patrik Chamoiseau (1997) also centers on the topic of marriage but has different social lessons from Aidoo’s story. Thus, the tale encourages women to stay vigilant in romantic relationships and notice potential warning signs. Furthermore, the story recommends that women set realistic expectations for their future spouse to avoid being deceived.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this essay discussed eight social lessons conveyed in four distinct pieces of literature. The essay identified that despite focusing on similar topics, the poems and stories included different social lessons. Therefore, focusing on the same topic does not limit the scope of perspectives in literature, creating a source of endless valuable social lessons for readers.
References
Césaire, A. (n.d. a). Out of alien days.
Césaire, A. (n.d. b). Beautiful spurted blood.
Chamoiseau, P. (1997). A little matter of marriage.
Aidoo, A. A. (n.d.). In the cutting of a drink.