Introduction
One may agree that every country’s literature has its unique characteristics and objectives. Despite the fact that the history of American literature began later than in many other countries, many works of U.S. writers and poets are currently valued and studied around the world. American literature has a distinctive social purpose, which is to perpetuate the country’s past experiences, maintain connections and solidarity with the rest of the world, and raise the population’s educational levels.
The American Experience
To begin with, U.S. literary works allow for the preservation of the country’s historical details, events, and values, connecting contemporary citizens with their ancestors. For example, Washington Irving’s 1828 biography of Christopher Columbus refers readers to the experiences of those times and allows for the discovery of the motivation behind Columbus’s own writing (The Norton Anthology of American Literature 53). Thus, according to Irving, the European adventurer had a vivid imagination and “the enthusiasm of a poet and a painter” (The Norton Anthology of American Literature 53). The Traveler’s Letter of Discovery and Letter to Ferdinand and Isabella Regarding the Fourth Voyage contains beautiful descriptions of America.
Further, some literary works remind their readers about some inhumane and terrible experiences that some colonists and Native Americans went through centuries ago. Thus, Rowlandson’s A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration is a valuable source that allows for the understanding of American history (The Norton Anthology of American Literature 260). Since U.S. literature fulfills its social role, modern generations and the rest of the world will not forget about both the positive and negative historical aspects of the country.
Worldwide Appreciation
Further, American literature helps the states to maintain international cultural relationships and solidarity. Past and current literary works affect the writing of foreign authors, contributing to the creation of other brilliant pieces of literature. Many famous movies are based on American novels, allowing the states to spread their views on social issues and encourage the world to be in solidarity in the need to solve them. Additionally, one can see how American literature characters and authors are mentioned on social media to change some potential negative perceptions of the country. Through writings filled with kindness, affection, tolerance, and other moral values, the country is able to demonstrate its ethics and national identity. The promotion of these values within and outside of the country changes the world, which is a powerful social purpose of American literature.
Reasons for American Literature
The third component of the U.S. literary works’ objective is the general aim of literature itself. For example, when children and adolescents read American novels and poems, they learn basic grammar and punctuation rules, as well as expand their knowledge about real-life events or other people’s perspectives. Furthermore, readers’ imagination also improves as they see how American writers and poets use literary devices and techniques, such as imagery, metaphors, similes, symbolism, and others. As their levels of creativity and critical thinking enhance, individuals can better contribute to solving acute social issues.
Conclusion
To conclude, U.S. literature has a unique social objective that consists of three components. Firstly, it ensures that people can learn about the state’s historical events and the positive and negative experiences of colonists and Native Americans. Secondly, American literature secures solidarity with other nations and allows to maintenance of strong international cultural relationships. Finally, it develops critical thinking skills and imagination in readers, which then makes Americans better address social issues.
Work Cited
The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Edited by Sandra M. Gustafson, et al., W. W. Norton & Company, 2022.