Learning and Literature

In our current political climate, people everywhere are seeking ways to try and reverse the decline of democracy. Although donating, voting, and participating in local government are all critical to ensuring that a democracy continues to thrive, it can feel like those moments of action are not enough to help our nation overcome its current circumstances. 

From widespread political polarization to the increased rise in violence and extremism, it is hard not to feel that we are not doing, or are not able to do, enough. However, through the simple, accessible action of engaging with literature, people can gain new perspectives, remind themselves of the power of empathy, and learn how to have respectful disagreements that are necessary to help save democracy. 

Although it may seem like an incredibly small step in the face of so much chaos, the act of reading is an incredibly powerful tool. One of the written word’s many impacts is the ability to show readers the perspectives of characters and groups they would otherwise never encounter. When we read, we are transported to other worlds, both fictional and factual. Within the pages, we discover new planets, forgotten cities, and characters from all walks of life. We witness people (or aliens) facing challenges and joys that can be reflected in our own lives, or we see them go through an experience that may feel completely foreign to us. 

Regardless of a story’s contents, each time we read we are given the opportunity to see life through a new set of eyes, which is the perfect environment to develop empathy. Empathy is often described as “walking a mile in someone else’s shoes,” but when those shoes can only be found across oceans, reading gives us permission to travel when reality cannot. 

The true test of a talented author, of course, is to connect readers to their characters, especially those who may not be the traditional hero archetype. In most books there is a protagonist and antagonist. The antagonist is sometimes a classic villain, but in many novels and short works of fiction, the antagonist is often an antihero. 

These characters tend to be morally gray, making questionable decisions that align with their own moral codes, which can differ from the protagonist’s, causing conflicts. They are the perfect example of how reading can help save a democracy. When readers encounter characters like Severus Snape, Walter White, and Macbeth, they can’t help but feel a kinship to these characters despite their inherent flaws. These characters are humans with backstories that have made them complicated individuals, much like the real antiheroes in our lives.

In learning about these characters through stories, we gain important skills like forgiveness and compromise that we can apply to the conflicts in our own lives. Both of these skills, and many more that we gain from literature, are essential to having productive disagreements that do not end in what feel like life-or-death arguments. 

By entering conversations with a willingness to forgive and compromise through empathizing with others, we gain the opportunity to make real change. The small step of picking up a book can be everyone’s first step toward saving democracy.

By Lily Brennan