Riches For The Poor By Earl Shorris Analysis

Why We Read
Charles William Eliot once said, “Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.” Since Aristotle was born in 384 B.C.E scholars have debated as to why one should read literature, and what kind of asset literature brings. Some say literature is powerful enough to change one's life around for the good, others argue that literature is political and is used to control society, some even believe that literature can be radical and even used to end sexism. However, it is my belief that literature can be used as a tool to better one's life and even society, if one were to choose to use literature as a constructive tool.
While several literary

Earl Shorris would advocate this cause, his recent book "Riches for the Poor", focuses on a crash course Shorris began to teach the poorer class the Humanities. However, for this essay I will be referencing the article published in Harper's Magazine. In the beginning of this article Shorris tells his new students, "The humanities are a foundation for getting along in the world, for thinking, [and] for learning to reflect on the world instead of just reacting to whatever force is turned against you" (6). Throughout the Clemente course the reader follows several student's stories, while watching them go from vaguely interested and defensive, to contacting Shorris on his personal phone, and later applying their knowledge. At the end of the course Shorris states that various students who have completed the Clemente Course are attending universities and making better choices for their future, he also states that one previous student had gotten fired from her job for trying to start a union, while another had considered what Socrates would have done in his situation. Literature teaches people to reflect rather than immediately