In “Why Literature”, Literature has admittedly been ignored and put into shadows for the past years. Primarily because people don’t want to, but also because it lacks attention and awareness especially in our country. The education system teaches literature up until tertiary levels however it has never really been of interest to the majority. Literature, just as important as other humanities subjects, play an important role in society. It makes up one’s vocabulary, intellect, creativity, and most importantly, their soul. As stated in the article, the world would not progress without its inclusivity. We would have not acquired such achievements in certain fields without the aid of literature's colors. While studying the course Literature, as we spread awareness on this subject, I also hope to learn and discover more of its interesting knowledge and its impact on my mind and actions.

 

As for "Why Literature," it made me realize that literature too has its benefits. It provides us a portal to another world, a world that we may never experience in reality. It can make us feel emotions or feelings that we have never felt before. It helps us learn many things in a matter of days, even hours. However, literature is easy to overlook and forget as time passes by. Most people have no time to read books anymore. With the rise of e-books and more advancements in science and technology, books may become obsolete. Mario Vargas Llosa asks us to keep on reading, as it is only us that can save this dying art.

Truly it is fascinating how literature can wield the past, present, and future of a nation. We have experienced this phenomenon with the impact of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo written by the respected national hero, Jose Rizal. Through the power of literature, Rizal enlightens his readers of the different social injustices during the Spanish colonization.  His works were merely a single match that blazed justice within the hearts of Filipinos. United, Filipinos became a conflagration—seeking to eschew the injustice ingrained within the country. Literary works have become a beacon of hope in times of darkness and a source of wisdom in times of uncertainty. Our ancestors gifted these blessings for future generations to utilize yet, many take these blessings for granted. Our history has not changed. It continues to haunt us as our past social issues continue to plague the present Filipino society.  Unfortunately, ignorance continues to poison the mind of Filipinos.  This shows that literature alone is not enough to generate change. Alongside it, people must have the willpower to integrate these values and wisdom into their lives. Consuming various literary works is simply reading a few pages. However, putting these into practice is finishing the whole book.

 

I believe, everyone has experienced a realization because of literature – be it a fantasy passage or an academic passage. As someone who has experienced how tiring this world could be, the feeling of wanting to detach myself from the real world, being in a fictional world can relieve my reality’s stresses. Take into example the Harry Potter series of J.K. Rowling or the Demigod series of Rick Riordan – it completely takes you into a different world, completely shows you a world you’ve never seen before. Like in the Percy Jackson series, have you ever seen a centaur or a satyr in real life? – the answer: no, because they are fictional beings only Mr. Riordan has brought them alive in your heads. Through reading and writing, it helps you envision the impossible, unrealistic things. 

 

Not only is literature a getaway destination from the real life, but it also became an inspiration to many people. Let’s take Jose Rizal’s famous books: Noli Mi Tangere and El Filibusterismo as an example – these two novels awoke the sense of nationalism to the proud Filipinos, urged them to fight for their motherland. Although, I read that Rizal did not write his two novels to urge Filipinos to fight, rather he wrote them to let the world know how the Spaniards treated his motherland. In this way, we can see that literature does not only inspire people, but literature is like a story with open endings. 

 

Literature is not just about creative writing; we’ve used many literatures in our research subjects. Therefore, literature is not only a getaway destination from the real life, not only an inspirational medium to people, not only an open-ended story, but it is also an informative medium. Journalists write articles to inform people of current issues and makes sure release the truth in all issues, scientists write their research findings to help humanity’s development progress and also to help other scientists with their research, politicians or lawyers write to create republics acts or senate bills, and many more. 

 

So, to conclude, I believe literature can be anything and everything – from technicalities to fiction. The only thing required in literature is your randomness. They say that the best things are always unplanned, and most of the famous literatures today are written unconsciously, through personal experiences and through passion. #ThroughLiteratureYouCanExpressYourselfFreely 

Similarly, the article “Why Literature” is also basically portraying the same message as to what Mario Vargas Llosa said. I think all of us can already agree that it is in literature that we get to experience it for entertainment purposes but mostly for the knowledge that we seek for as human beings. Understanding life that surrounds us and making it as a better shared experience; including the origin of our relationships that we get to establish as humans is what literature offers us. However, it is in our hands whether we fully accept it as a gift or neglect this opportunity in fulfilling the prosperous qualities it can give us. Without literature, the world wouldn’t have progressed as to how it came to be right now.

Why literature?

“As a result of literature life is better understood and better lived; and that living life more fully necessitates living it and sharing it with others.” This line made me smile because we are human beings who are designed to relate to one another, and literature allows us to exercise this role as we learn or strive to be involved in literature. We may be critical thinkers and participate in our society by simply dedicating time to reading in order to discover what dissatisfies us. A world rich in literature is rich in values, experiences, truths, and cultures. Literature improves our standards by shaping our imaginations and demonstrating the deficiency of our society, and we may be the ones who can fill it.

To put it out there, literature allows both personal and collective growth given that it is the backbone of societal development. It opens our eyes to explore more about the wonders of human condition through the revelations of truth and shared experiences— a kind of enlightenment that science can’t offer to the table. As an individual, reading expands our vocabulary for ameliorated self-expression, serves food for our thoughts to promote critical thinking, and  even stretches our imagination to the fullest. Genuine literature frees us from the confinement of life’s limitations, granting us “a challenge to what exists”. 

Furthermore, it has given me a deeper understanding that it contributes to the formation of critical citizens, in which we examine situations around us more tediously and through the application of learnings, we can either repeat history or create a better one for our generation and the next to come. As the election day is fast approaching, I, as a new voter, am reminded of the importance of literature in choosing the right leaders who will be governing our nation for the next few years. Contrary to the common notion, I wholeheartedly perceive that reading is an indispensable action, allowing each one of us to be a productive member of society. Truly, what we will become rests on our hands. 

Llosa mentioned in the article that Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, intends to replace paper permanently using the advanced technology that society has today. Having the same thought as Llosa, this should not be carried out. If Bill Gates’ plan would be fulfilled, the following generations would not witness the true origins of literature. I read novels on my phone most of the time because buying physical books would cost me money. However, if I am given a chance, I want to read actual books than reading in front of a screen.

Furthermore, the essay "Why Literature?" demonstrates that literature is crucial to humanity. The arts of writing and reading teach us how to communicate effectively and even how to explore different scenarios such as love and desire in a creative manner. A major benefit of reading literature, according to the piece, is that it allows us to open our eyes and observe how the world is in desperate need of improvement. It not only benefits the modern, but it also has a positive impact on the political and social environment. In conclusion, the last part of the piece was the most striking to me. It helped me realize what I was capable of and what role I could play in the process.

Literature also assists us in expressing our feelings and thoughts. As a result, literature can be a tool for defending our freedom and combating oppression. However, according to Llosa, some individuals consider literature to be dangerous because they are terrified of losing control of society because, once again, literature can be used to resist and critique. This has been seen in dictatorial, authoritarian, and totalitarian regimes, according to Llosa. 

In the article “Why Literature?”,  I imagined the world as if everyone was illiterate. It would have been an animalistic world indeed. Literature teaches us to be critical and radical thinkers; in other words, literature teaches us to be wise. I suddenly realized that we had survived to this day because of literature. Literature is the reason we have freedom, technology, and the ability to communicate. Literature teaches us what the world teaches us, which is why it must not perish because the world does not stop teaching. In a sense, we must also continue to educate ourselves.

These are some of the reasons why it is important to keep literature alive. Good and creative writing has an impact on people's lives on a personal, societal, and political level in today's society. It's far past time for us to acknowledge the value of literature in society.

#LongLiveLiterature

Literature aids in the expansion of our vocabularies. Reading literary works has the potential to improve our composing skills. Readers of literature, according to Llosa, are "free" because it expands the domain of human joy. It gives us the ability to freely express ourselves. It helps readers communicate effectively, develop a large and diverse vocabulary, and discover the perfect words to convey their thoughts and feelings. 

In “Why Literature?”, based on my understanding, women dominate those who read and involve themselves in literature because they have more time to do so due to their less time-consuming jobs, but I think this is not true because I believe that it is not about having the time to do so, considering that women also are occupied by their duties, but more of having an interest in literature itself. Additionally, I think this also touches on social class issues because it shows how lower-class people have less access to literature compared to those in the higher class of society. This gives reason as to why those in the lower class have limited access to knowledge which is a cause for the poverty of thought. However, social class is not the only reason for the poverty of thought and illiteracy but also the intentional lack of involvement of oneself in literature. Another thing I can conclude after reading was that literature is important in building a good society. It entices critical thinking which leads to people becoming more critical of society. Literature also tells us more about different cultures and the history of society. It is used to voice out people’s opinions, thoughts, ideas, and can also be an instrument for our freedom of speech. 

As a person who loves to read books, I completely agree with him because there are numerous ways on how books influence our lives — it provides us insight into how people live, it widens our perspective, and it helps us to feel less alone. This interview made me appreciate the beauty of literature even more.

According to the article "Why Literature," I figured that literature is increasingly becoming a female occupation since thousands of men have so many important things to do, so many obligations and responsibilities in life that they have insufficient time to read literature. Moreover, literature teaches us how to think critically and boldly. Literature is the sole reason why we have freedom, technology and the ability to communicate. It enables readers to communicate effectively, to have a broad and diversified vocabulary, and to be able to find the right words to convey their thoughts and feelings.

 

There's one section in "Why Literature?" that I liked the best, it stated that. “Literary works are born, as shapeless ghosts, in the intimacy of a writer’s consciousness… It exists only when it is adopted by others...”

 

I think this particular section could answer the question “Why literature?” “Why waste our time reading instead of working” “What benefit does reading/writing do?”  Because as said in the article, surveys have shown that there are very few people that read and the majority of them are middle-class women who work a few hours. This clearly shows that, in general, and up until now, people believe that reading is a waste of time when, in fact, it is not. 

 

Literature provides us with more than just the pleasure of reading; it also provides us with experience and knowledge, may it be situations from the past or analysis of the future, it gives us a sense of freedom where we can share our thoughts and stories with others.

 

Knowing that not everyone can appreciate the beauty of literature is a little frightening because we can only imagine what life would be like without it. Literature has been with us since the beginning, and I hope it will continue to be so.

The article helped me clearly understand that a community without literature will be a poor excuse for a community. As said in the article, “A community without written literature expresses itself with less precision, with less richness of nuance, and with less clarity than a community whose principal instrument of communication, the word, has been cultivated and perfected by means of literary texts”. It will be a community without reading and afflicted by alarming problems of communication.

After reading the article, I have gained a new level of understanding about the field of literature. So why literature? With the magic of literature, the ink on paper becomes words, words become sentences, sentences become paragraphs, paragraphs become stories, and gradually gives life and meaning to a whole other world crafted by the writer’s imagination. This is what we call a literary work. Literature can take you from one world to another, from different generations, each uniquely made by a writer’s consciousness. Literature can also help us become better individuals equipped with the proper and correct way of communication. And better individuals, means a better community. 

In the article “Why literature?” Llosa said, “Literary works are born, as shapeless ghosts, in the intimacy of a writer’s consciousness, projected into it by the combined strength of the unconscious, and the writer’s sensitivity to the world around him, and the writer’s emotions,” and this passage allowed me to appreciate literary works more. Many people have used literature as a medium to express themselves, and some even made history with their works (e.g. Dr. Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo).

To sum it up, the literary world is vast. It’s not just writings with flowery words—it’s deeper than that. Llosa’s interview and article helped me reflect on a lot of things and motivated me to reconnect with the literary world. Literature is amazing, and it's a shame that a lot of people don’t have the time to indulge in it.

#realizationHasDawnedUponMe

Llosa's "Why Literature" had definitely spiked up my opinion towards literature. And with my love for fictions, it did piqued my interest towards understanding and agreeing that fictions do exist because of a mere imagination of a writer far from reality. Perhaps they create fantasy to take a break from reality and in this way we became aware of the existence of something, thus, literature is born. 

#iHartFictions

 

The article made me understand that literature should be a part of everyone's life. That reading helps us to see the world through the eyes of others. It trains the mind to be creative, to respect other people's viewpoints, and to set aside one's own preferences in order to see life through the eyes of someone of a different age, status, or ethnicity.

Now for the article, Why is Literature? There was a paragraph that talked about phasing out books written with paper, and I think that yes it would greatly help in keeping our environment clean and safe, however when reading a book online it just doesn’t feel the same when holding a literal book in your hands. That Literature isn’t just a woman thing but can also be a man thing, literature is essential despite having little or many hours in a day, because there is knowledge that you can obtain from reading well written novels, stories, or books.

come to realize the influence of literature in our lives. Basically, it revolutionized our world. Literature changes our perspective. We get to travel to different places or time even beyond reality if we wanted to. This is because reading transports us to a completely unfamiliar world - which may be a setting from the past, modern or future. It enables us to broaden our horizons, and we get to learn from the experiences we acquire in reading literature. Moreover, it is a way of getting in touch with different cultures, customs, and languages which greatly helps in understanding the ethnic and cultural differences of people. Most importantly, through reading good literature, we become more critical of the world around us, just like he mentioned in the interview. We’re reluctant to accept our world as it is because we’ve gone through different places in literature which helps us gain knowledge. Thus, we become dissatisfied with our reality as it is and end up criticizing it.

On other hand - In his article, there’s this passage that was memorable to me which was “Literary works are born, as shapeless ghosts, in the intimacy of a writer’s consciousness, projected into it by the combined strength of the unconscious, and the writer’s sensitivity to the world around him, and the writer’s emotions”. When I read that, I had goosebumps. Something about it just hits right through me as I recall the books written by Anne Frank and Dr. Jose Rizal. The two authors’ aforementioned commonality is that they both used literature as their avenue of expressing themselves. Moreover, Dr. Jose Rizal's novel - namely, Noli me Tangere and El Filibusterismo was written because he wanted the world to know about the abuse that his motherland had to endure because of the Spanish friars and officials in the Philippines. And of course, the Spaniards were furious when Noli me Tangere was published. This truly supports Mario Llosa's statement "They didn’t trust literature. They thought that literature and gender were a kind of threat to the society they wanted to control". Above all, literature is an instrument of resistance and criticism. 

In conclusion, literature helps us discover what we like and dislike in the real world. Just like what he mentioned in the interview, we need to have exposure to good literature because it gives us knowledge that is unique to you. Lastly, literature can also be a medium for us to express ourselves and to have sensibility and imagination.
#LiteratureisRevolutionizing

In his article “Why literature?”, he quoted that “But even though I enjoy surfing the Web in search of world news, I would never go to the screen to read a poem by Gongora or a novel by Onetti or an essay by Paz, because I am certain that the effect of such a reading would not be the same” and I definitely agree with it. Reading just isn’t the same without the actual pages and the covers, as well as the texture and smell of them. Majority of the people would still prefer physical copies because they feel more connected to it and have better reading experiences. #ReadingIsFundamental 

After listening to his discourse, I’ve come to realize how vital Literature is in our life. Living in our physical world is tiring itself but reading can help us escape from it. Not only does it assist us in escaping from it, but also discover new insights about our reality that we were previously unaware of. The author’s creativity can take us to different realms and immerse us in them. It can allow us to learn about life in different ways and as well as from new perspectives, especially when it comes to our own history. 

"Why Literature" by Mario Vargas Llosa covers the functions of literature. Many people regard literature as a pleasurable pastime that keeps them from being unsatisfied or bored in life. Reading provides us with the opportunity to reflect on ourselves, who and what we are, and our flaws as human beings. These readings originated from the minds of different writers and left an indelible mark on each of us. For us to express ourselves, we have to engage with others. And to do that, we must start reading. It is said that the level of our language depends on reading that will allow us to express ourselves clearly and thoroughly. Then, the world can be refined by the kind of world we wish to live in.

 

It is an eye-opener to the delights and horrors of the world we inhabit. For instance, when reading de Sade’s novels, horrendous events narrated seem familiar as it made us realize that these are also happening in our society. 

 

Literature is also a great transformer to a better world - a world that we envision, through the imaginations good literature offers. On a personal level, it also shapes the readers to be the critical citizens the society badly needs which I believe, is affected by the experiences readers encountered in different worlds of literature. Not only that, literature likewise allows us to transform into the better versions of ourselves for it permits us to express our feelings and emotions aptly, as well as connect with others, through the wonders of language. 

 

In addition, literature is a part of who we are. It comprises our history, our culture, our personal experiences, our diversity, our morals, and our freedom. Without literature, we would not be able to look back and improve our lives; not be able to share our personal experiences and learn from it; and not be able to experience freedom.

 

However, in today’s society, people tend not to notice the real essence of literature. It is slowly being controlled, reformatted, and outweighed by science and technology; and we should not let this happen. With all these wonders literature offers, we must continue to act and let reading be part of our day-to-day activities, not just a luxury pastime. Just like Mario Vargas Llosa, let us also allow ourselves to be instruments not only for the preservation, but also the creation of good literature that could be of great impact to our society.

 

The interview of Mario Vargas Llosa is a realization for us that literature gives us different perspectives and imaginations of the world. With good literature, it makes us more apprehensive about accepting and discovering the realities of the world. It provides us the knowledge and sensibility and can be an instrument for our society’s pursuit of freedom and diversity.

The progress in technology has led to the decline of people’s interest in literature altogether, thus, people tend to neglect its importance. Literature has always been something that can be used to connect with others, even withstanding their difference in ideals, ethnicity, race, gender, or sexuality. It has been a source of inspiration in humanity’s development as a whole. A lot of today’s development was inspired from pieces of literature found throughout the years.

Since we were given a task to read and watch Mario Vargas Llosa’s outlook on literature, maybe I’d give reading literature a try or two again. That’s because Mr. Llosa explained that literature was more than just entertainment, I then realized that the thing I’m lacking in reading literary works was looking at the perspective the authors were expressing in their writing. I got this simple answer when I read the article and read a short passage about “literary works born as shapeless ghosts of a writer’s consciousness...,” so, as I finished reading and watching the interview, something at least changed from my point of view. Although my opinion wouldn’t change because of that one answer, just like I said, I might give it a try or two again, but even if I say that, it doesn’t matter since I will eventually read one as it’s one of the courses I’m attending to hahaha

I share the same sentiments as Llosa, as I have been exposed to literature at such a young age as well, it has become a part of who I am and who I will become in the future. I might say that, indeed, literature can be an escape from the dissonance of reality and it may cause readers to be reluctant to welcome the real world after the story’s conclusion but it leads them to reflect on real life events and it plants a seed of hunger for change, and freedom. Reading transforms people and one is never the same person after finishing a book, a story’s overall message will take shelter in one’s heart, plague one’s thoughts, and finally reflect on one’s actions. 

While reading and watching the material, one of my favorite book quotes came to mind. It is taken from Erin Morgenstern’s ‘The Night Circus' : 

I may not go out slaying dragons or take part in some quest to restore a kingdom’s magic, but these kinds of experiences only read in good literature always relay a moral lesson. A lesson that can be discovered along the lines of a novel and will make an impact on a person, an impact that can transcend through time. A lesson that will move not only myself but move a whole generation to take a stand for freedom and to fight for what is right. A lesson that will equip a person to face the hardships of life. All of which can only be possible if one has enough courage to read a book. 

The interview addressed as well how literature has a bigger affect on society than we think it does. He mentioned that what comes with reading is the reluctance to accept the world as it is and that this way of thinking itself may be one of the reasons why society keeps of pushing to improve. 

Llosa said, “You discover in literature what you like and dislike about the real world.” As a reader myself, I can very much testify to this. Though only through hearing this from him that I realized that this had happened to me. I am someone who had a reading phase where it was one year of reading around 10 books. Nowadays I rarely read anymore but through hearing and listening to Mario Vargas Llosa’s interview, it has once again sparked my interest of reading.

"Novels offer you an experience of a different kind of world. You discover very rapidly that the real world is always less rich, less profound, less diverse than the world that we were able to fantasize, to invent." This was one of the lines from Mario Vargas Llosa's interview that piqued my interest. Reading good literature enables us to become more critical of the world. This is not only beneficial to literature; good literature advances society. It teaches us to become knowledgeable about matters that we cannot learn in school or in an institution. On the other hand, as the proverb goes, there is no rose without a thorn. They believe that literature may be a threat to society, as shown in all dictatorial, authoritarian, and totalitarian regimes. They aimed to control and manipulate literature in order to brainwash people's minds. Immediately, literature becomes a weapon of resistance, of critique. In contrast, literature can be used to defend freedom and against oppression. One example is Jose Rizal's novels, which were written during the Spanish occupation of the Philippines. He battled for his motherland's independence by writing novels that exposed the ills of Philippine society during the Spanish colonial era. This demonstrates the importance of literature in politics.

According to Mario Vargas Llosa's book "Why Literature," people used to believe that literature was exclusively for the upper class or those who could afford it. Literature, in reality, is for everyone, regardless of their socioeconomic level. We may develop empathy, good manners, and imagination through literature. Furthermore, nothing educates us better than literature to appreciate the richness of the human legacy in ethnic and cultural diversity and value those differences as manifestations of humanity's multifaceted creativity. On the other hand, one of the good impacts of literature on us is through language. According to his book, "A community without written literature expresses itself with less precision, with less richness of nuance, and with less clarity than a community whose principal instrument of communication, the word, has been cultivated and perfected by means of literary texts." Literature, I believe, is essential for us since it is a form of self-expression and a means of communication. We learn how to talk effectively and thoroughly from good literature. No other branch of the arts can replace literature in creating the language that people need to communicate. This indicates that there is still a lot to learn about literature.

To sum it up, we discover about what we like and dislike in the actual world through literature. Furthermore, this is significant for literature, as well as for the world and society. Literature is about more than just reading; it also profoundly impacts the political and social worlds. Watching Mario Vargas Llosa's interview and reading "Why Literature" gave me the impression that literature is always associated with freedom, possibilities, diversity, and a sense of ideas, attitudes, and societal customs. As he emphasized in his interview, we should strive to preserve literature and emphasize the necessity of having good, creative, and unique literature for future generations and society.

Although at most times the message literature brings to us is subjective, it always works towards one goal, which is to to highlight things the ‘real world’ has failed to give attention to. Most people consider reading as an escape from reality, as I am guilty of thinking this way as well, but it is nice that throught this we get to immerse ourselves to a whole different point of view, one that can help us learn more and how to improve the world through our own little ways. 

Within his excerpt, he expressed how important literature is within society. He had expressed how it helps us communicate, to be creative; be more open-minded. Genuinely, I would say the same, considering the different series of events that had happened over the course of time. If not for literature, some people would not be able to open their eyes, and free themselves of the suffering that they are currently experiencing. Yes, I am talking about the negative events that happened during the colonization of our country, and perhaps even other countries. We would not be able to learn love, and we wouldn’t be able to even comprehend what freedom meant if literature hasn’t existed, just as Mario Llosa expressed in the excerpt.

Knowledge too, wouldn’t have been preserved if it weren’t for literature. It has kept several pieces of information and knowledge over the years. With it, many other fields have advanced to a higher level over the course of time, like the sciences and technology that have been integrated in our society. And again, it helps us be able to communicate with one another. To be open, as well as to comprehend what everyone would like to express. It too can help us comprehend the weight of the things that are happening in the present society’s time, such as the politics running around. It can help us describe things in many ways, whether it be eloquently, or well, as casual as most things usually are.

We’ve also got to listen to Mario Llosa’s interview and got a hop into his past. To me, it was fascinating and inspiring how reading immediately got him to aspire as a writer, despite the troubles he had to face. A writer back in the day apparently really seemed to not have any social standing, and even so, he was able to persevere to become one, and all paid off in the end. I find it interesting how diverse it can be sometimes, as it can be expressed in different ways to be read. I found how he expressed his way of writing interesting, and well, later I found out it was usually what I found many other writers that I’ve seen do in their works – the use of experiences in their writings, which, at least in how I see it, would be able to make a written work filled with richness and soul. Surely, I’d love to see and learn a lot more. This was truly a fruitful tackle upon how we should perceive literature.

 

We can become more expressive, especially in our thoughts, by reading literature. It aids us in expressing ourselves in a sensitive and profound manner. "As a result of literature, life is better understood and better lived; and that living life more fully necessitates living it and sharing it with others," stated in 'Why Literature.' I agree with this, because our true selves can be seen and reflected by the way we express our ideas and opinions in life. It’s impossible for people to live without literature. They are the bearers of wisdom. If we ignore literature, we won't be able to fully comprehend other people, learn to consider their different points of view, and understand the complexity of human nature. In literature, we can get a sense of what the writer is thinking because their ideas are a representation of their thoughts in words. I believe that literature can mold a person’s behavior and only literature, people will realize their dreams and have wisdom in every step of their lives. 

Similar to his country, the Philippines is also colonized by the Spaniards, and I remember how they stop us from writing and reading literature. They are so afraid of what a person could become if they have an opportunity for literature. Freedom is what they wouldn’t want for the people they colonized because they cannot do what they want if that’s what’s happening. Despite their constraint to them, the people did not stop their will for freedom from being oppressed and one way they did that is from the writings of Jose Rizal. Through this I realize how literature shaped our civilization for as Mario Vargas Llosa said that if we are satisfied in our world, we wouldn’t have written a literature. The world is not perfect, but our mind could create worlds without limit. 

Through literature we express ourselves and the world we wish we have. By reading or writing literature, our certain experiences show uniqueness for our understanding and our writings would be different from someone else's. Our identity reflects how we see the world, but
good literature could help us see something in a different or clearer view of
something. I could relate myself to Mario Vargas Llosa as a reader but not yet
as a writer. He loves literature and I realize what knowledge I could gain
through it.

Consider how enormous the world of books is in and of itself. Books are a lifeline for some people. Reading literature provides enormous joy and a sense of completion, propelling our imagination to new heights. Llosa believes that literature leads readers to a timeless world in which practically everything is delightful. When these people are returned to reality, they have an overpowering desire to recreate the alternate dimension that they may have read about in a poem or a book in the real world. There are various misconceptions about literature; some people believe it is a waste of time, while others believe it is irrelevant. But, can you picture a world without literature? It's as if the world is devoid of color; everything is grey. Literature adds color to our lives, and every piece of literature can alter our outlook on life. Life is more than what you expect when it comes to literature. Literature is beautiful for a lifetime, not just a season or two.

However, as the rapid growth of technology and science prospers, mankind has consequently became divided. Lost of the seeming thirst to get its hands in a book has become more evident with surveys across the globe. Like Llosa, I am deeply convinced that a society without literature is a society jeopardize of its freedom. No matter how far the world of invention has gone, the art of literature has greatly aspired and contributed as it shape how and who we are as citizens and a civilization.

I firmly believe that what distinguishes literature from any other medium is that pieces of literature are works of art that are rooted in written language that gives form to the world. The most important reason to engage with literature is that it makes us better people. How we make sense of the world around us is formed by our experiences. We, humans, are quite literally some total of our life experiences, the highs, and lows, and the love and pain and everything that we experience are what makes us who we are because we can only have our own experiences. We can’t live someone else’s life unless we read. Literature is the playground of our moral imagination, it broadens our perspective and makes us more empathetic. Actively engaging with a philosophical question in the stories that we read helps us to transform those fake notions in our head into thoughts that we can articulate. Literature enhances our thoughts and actions that help us become better people making it possible for us to leave a significant and timely change in our world. 

Personally, I’ve been wanting to get myself inclined with reading various books but haven’t really gotten into it yet. Watching Llosa’s interview inspired me to go further into the rabbit hole of literature, especially when he mentioned that his interest in literature simply started by learning how to read. This encouraged me that it’s as easy as that to enter the vast world of literature. He conveyed how life-changing literature is, which can be considered over exaggerated for someone who doesn’t read literature. But, in reality words really does carry weight, it has the power to create great impact. 

#LiteratureIsLIT🔥

 

Furthermore, his outlook about literature made me realize how important literature is to our society, that literature serves as a tool for both resistance and critique.

Moreover, his outlook on literature taught me to think critically about complex topics from different perspectives and enabled me to better understand social situations, history, one’s own emotions, and various cultural practices. It amazes me that Literature is more than just written words and that it is vast and diverse. Llosa’s understanding about literature brodened my knowlege in literature. He impressed and inspired me to read books to know more deeply about literature. 

#LiteratureIsTheKey

Literature is challenging, sometimes it is difficult to read and comprehend, but it also offers us with a chance to express ourselves creatively via the use of words. Reading literary works aids in the development of our vocabularies, which in contribute towards achieving in our ability to be a better speaker and interact effectively with others. Literature assists us in growing as individuals who must be able to speak for themselves. 

The article “Why Literature” is also similar to what Mario Vargas Llosa said in the interview. Because in literature we get entertainment not only that but also the knowledge that would help us in our day to day lives. Books that give the entertainment of experiencing a different world and a different life, Books that make us feel emotions that we don’t normally experience, Books that would ultimately aid in advancing our studies and learning, and so much more. literature can give us so much yet we overlook them most of the time. So, let’s not forget that literature is the reason that we developed this far and that it can still offer us a lot of things that will be worth our time.

In the interview Llosa stated, “I think that if you were completely in accordance, in agreement, with the world as it is, you wouldn’t write novels, and probably wouldn’t read novels.” This statement sparked my mind because I felt that his idea was true because growing up, I never really liked reading. For me, it was boring and a complete waste of time, and compared to other things you can do in your past time like playing games, or playing sports, it was incredibly underwhelming and it did not give the rush and the ecstatic feeling that I felt when I was playing games and sports. But as I grew older, I became more aware of the world and a bit dissatisfied in how it works, and to escape my dissatisfaction I began reading mangas and manwhas, where I could escape reality and use my imagination. 

After hearing this statement of Llosa, it became apparent to me that literature as a whole is extremely important in our world, it was an integral part of the development of our society, it can act as watchdogs guarding the move of anyone who used their power to oppress others, and most importantly, it assured us freedom. 

As we move forward in the future, more and more of the new generation neglect literature, they mostly focus on games and technology. For me, this is extremely sad, since they don’t know the value of literature and what it can do for us. We must educate people and must make them realize that we need to give importance to literature and its marvels.

 

Upon watching his interview, I learned that whatever it is that you feed your mind, has a great influence to change, reshape, or remodel our perspective of the real world. Literature writing is a form of art, that opens our minds to the thoughts of the ones who wrote it. An amazing experience that gives us a visualization; of what the writer wants us to see through the use of words. Literature unlocks new doors to new knowledge, and fresh perspectives.

This particular passage stood out to me because it was a very bold claim to make. Though by reading through his entire dissertation, this claim of his continues to make more and more sense. It summarizes the exact idea that Llosa wanted to showcase through his article. 

Literature is what brings us together. It is something common and accessible to every human being and it transcends all our differences. Literature gives us taste of the past and gives us a sense of what it was like in the world even before our own existence. It connects us to our culture and beliefs, and gives us a place of comfort—an escape— from the cruel and imperfect world that we live in. Moreover, literature also improves our critical thinking, imagination, and self-expression. Without it, we would forever stay illiterate and we would not be able to communicate our feelings fluently enough. The expression of ideas would be bland and repetitive since majority of the people would lack the proper vocabulary to convey their thoughts in an innovative way. 

Without literature, we would not be able to point out and rebel against the misdeeds and maltreatments that we experience in life because we simply would not realize that the things that were happening around us were actually a violation to our human rights. In the absence of literature, problems like classism, racism, sexism, and prejudice would not have been brought to light and addressed. An example of how literature can help us open our eyes to the injustices we face is the novel written by Jose Rizal entitled "Noli me Tangere", and its sequel "El Filibusterismo". These books allowed the Filipino people, those that have lived through the Spanish colonization, to realize the abuse and tyranny that the Spaniards—and by extension the church—had over their lives. This realization resulted in an uprising; a revolution that gave rise to the freedom of the Filipino people.

With all that said, it is hard to deny the vital role literature plays in our lives. Good literature leads to advancements, awareness, enlightenment, and fulfillment. Without it, we would not have progressed from the primitive and archaic civilization where we once came from. 

Where does this leave literature in the 21^st century? What would literature do in a time in which half the world had just recently been freed from colonialism and a century of wars, where developing nations could not afford its population to seriously pursue the studies of the Humanities, or that of the Social Sciences?

In accordance with the article of Mario Vargas Llosa, literature will still stand continuously as long as the people have the ability to think, and to think freely. Not even confiscating every pen in the world would cease the production of literature. As long as language exists, literature will stand even if a millennium has passed.

Mario Vargas Llosa’s “Why Literature?” is a testament to how important literature is to everyone, on how literature simply is one of the pillars upholding the basic human core values. Even if such a medium is as simple as a children’s storybook, literature proved time and time again that it is how humanity grew to appreciate oneself, and of every other daily occurrence in life. Not only does it show and remind everyone of their humanity, but it also proves itself as the catalyst that as human beings, we have value too. After all, how else did those revolutions in the late 17^th towards the 19^th century occur? From Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” to Jose Rizal’s “Noli Me Tángere” and “El Filibusterismo”, to even Karl Marx’s and Friedrich Engels’ “The Communist Manifesto”, these are few of the many examples of literature across history that served as the catalysts that sparked the movement for independence and/or reformations of many nations in the past.

The fact that mere pamphlets enlightened hundreds of thousands show the importance of literature, for it is literature that gives us this reality check that the human life we have right now has unequal value compared to even the rarest resource known to man. Literature is the key ingredient to critical thinking, after all. It answers even questions pertaining to our life that we have not even given time to think about. It is a culmination of experiences that we could not have experienced ourselves, yet somehow find ourselves sympathizing to. Literature serves as this massive form of communication between the writer and its readers, that holds so much power that even if the writer had died a century or two ago, it still continues to influence a large population even up to this day. 

Literature in the 21^st century still upholds itself as one the key protectors of human rights itself, and a grim reminder of the world’s darkest times. There is, after all, a reason why totalitarian governments tend to ban literature they consider hostile to their position, such as the likes of the Third Reich and other fascist institutions. Even in the Philippines itself under Spanish colonial rule saw most of Jose Rizal’s novels confiscated and burned, as well as its distribution banned from his homeland due to fears of how it would awaken a sense of nationalism (which it did) that would backfire on the current Spanish rule across the isles.

To answer the question if whether or not literature still holds its importance amidst the ongoing pursuit for technical advances, I would say yes. It is because literature too, has evolved alongside our technology. With the introduction of the internet and electronic books, it became easily accessible to the point where anyone with a smartphone can access books that would normally be hard to get a century, or even 50 years ago. With global literacy rates being tremendously high nowadays, I would see literature being more widespread, especially with teaching institutions applying it in their curriculums.