Affirm Gillespie's Essay 'Why Literature Matters'

Jenny Tse Mr. Ritter AP Lang Block 1 April 22, 2024 The Importance of Literature While many view reading as a tedious, monotonous pastime, Gillespie’s essay, “Why Literature Matters,” highlights the importance of literature. In Gibson’s Neuromancer, Orwell’s 1984, and Huxley’s Brave New World, various themes are touched upon, including technology and its impacts, identity, and societal structure. These three novels not only help affirm Gillespie’s argument, but also serve as examples of how literature does matter because of its role in understanding human experience, fostering empathy, and encouraging critical thinking. Using literature, Gillespie claims we can explore and understand the complexities of the human experience. In Orwell’s 1984,

Orwell writes, “He gazed up at the enormous face. Forty years it has taken him to learn what kind of smile was hidden beneath the dark moustache. Two gin-scented tears trickled down the sides of his nose. But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was over. He has won the victory over himself. He Loved Big Brother” (172-173). Throughout the novel, readers experience the shift in Winston from hating Big Brother to loving him. This helps us understand the effects of the dehumanizing totalitarian government on the people of 1984. Similarly, in Huxley’s Brave New World, individuals have to sacrifice their personal freedom for the sake of a stable society and superficial happiness. Bernard Marx says, “But I don’t want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want to sin” (Huxley 180). This quote expresses Bernard’s feelings of dissatisfaction with the superficial relationships between people in the dystopian society of Brave New World. It highlights the human desire for self-expression and

Other than helping to understand human experience and foster empathy, literature can also help promote critical thinking among readers, according to Gillespie. Orwell’s 1984 portrays a totalitarian regime that controls all aspects of the lives of people in Oceania. A common term used in 1984 is “Big Brother is watching you” (Orwell 1). The slogan highlights the oppressive nature of the government and helps us analyze the effects of such regimes on the way people think and act, in addition to their fears of forming relationships with other people. It also aids in helping us analyze the unethical ways the Party controls people, including torturing people suspected of thought crime. It provides a visual of what a society such as the one portrayed in 1984 would look like in our world today and how it psychologically affects everyone of all classes and social statuses. Similarly, Huxley’s Brave New World immerses us in a society that no longer has individual freedom but rather a sense of superficial happiness. Huxley writes, “Everyone belongs to everyone