Uses of Literature in a Student’s Life

Literature is characterized as any single type of artistically written work that has intellectual value due to its use of language in a way that differs from ordinary use. Literature is a central discipline in all educational institutions, and it has a positive effect on a student's life. This paper investigates my own use of literature as a reader.
Reading and writing, as key modes of literature, lay the foundations for correspondence. Without literature, I couldn't properly articulate myself or understand anyone. Communication is critical in ensuring learning takes place. Literature facilitates learning by enabling students to read and understand other disciplines and to redefine it. This great philosopher and a feminist literature writer further argue that women play a very central role in the nation by educating their children. So, they deserve the very same fundamental responsibilities as men in any field.

On the other hand, her counterpart Emily Dickinson is a known poet whose work has been echoed by many readers of poetry. In her poem "There's a certain Slant of light" she tries to confront the reader with the issue and problems of relationships and oppression. The two writers take a common ground where they talk about oppression of people and disturbance of the state of mind.

In fact, Mary Wollstonecraft is a mother of feminism. She talks at length about the rights of women and more importantly women's education. A vindication of the rights of women was written with a classic thought of feminism. She expresses her attitude towards gender equality and giving more approach primarily on the rights of women either in the society or nationally. Women should get formal education rationally in order to empower them so that they can have a chance to contribute or make major decisions in the society. Mary Wollstonecraft argues on the principle that women cannot be prepared to be men's companions. By so doing, there will be no any progress of knowledge and the society will degenerate with illiterate women.

As compared with the work of Emily Dickinson's "There's a certain Slant of light', here Emily brings about the theme of oppression (Batu 322). In her poem, she describes a certain light and its effect. In fact, the effect of this light is being compared to the effects of the "Cathedral Tunes". So this light is symbolic. Oppression and the state of mind surround the main content of Emily's poem. The experience, encounters, and challenges that affect the state of mind of a person are also featured in this poem.

In fact, the two writers though they have different contents of their work, they dwell on the same ground of oppression which affects the state of mind of other human beings.

In her work, Emily reflects on her own personal experience which she starts describing by introducing a natural phenomenon that can be familiar to many people. Her work is highly linked to the work of religion. She uses a depressive and very painful tone in her poem. This shows a lot of oppression and despair may be she underwent at one point in life. Therefore, through her text, we can be able to imagine and maybe make some assumptions on what the girl child undergoes on the face of the earth as it is depicted in the work of Mary Wollstonecraft.

Furthermore, Emily brings out very closely the theme of "Death" in her poem which becomes the last word in her poem. The expressions like Afternoon, winter, and shadows depicts the end of life (Jepsen 540). This might be physical death, mental death or spiritual death. Since all this comes from the chops of a woman, it then shows how the girl child suffers in the society. Her encounters are brought out by these two philosophers through writing though from a different perspective.

In the poem, it is not clear on which kind of oppression is Emily exactly talking about but in the first stanza she describes like "Heft/of Cathedral Tunes". This is a simile that describes the oppression that was going on. This brings out a clear picture that this kind of oppression was very complicated in nature. The slat of light that she talks about is something that is said to have an outward visible damage that causes no scar (Jepsen 670). But instead, it causes a change spiritually and mentally. The change cannot be taught in school but instead it is experienced with a lot of despair, pain and imperial affliction. In fact, all this leads to an upward movement or uplifting. This means that although there are some people undergoing this kind of pain, afflictions, and suffering, they make them grow stronger and keep on moving. In relation to Mary Wollstonecraft's work, the suffering is directed to women in the society which are down looking by men as weak creatures who cannot make any important decision. By so doing, they oppress them spiritually, mentally and physically. This leads to a very painful and fearful illuminating process.

Emily decides to use the word "heft" in her poem instead of" weight" which actually means the force that comes downwards.

This is well known that any force that comes downwards causes a lot of pressure. This is more symbolic. But in the process, she decides to use the phrase "cathedral Tunes" which brings about the theme of religion. This means that although Dickinson undergoes a lot of challenges, pain, and suffering, she lays her trust in God as her only savior (Jepsen 701).

As woman, she knows that the humiliation and oppression she undergoes like any other woman in the society its only God who can intervene and drop their yoke

More so, Emily tries to make it clear in her poem that although there are learned women in the society, all did not come on a silver plate. They went through a very painful process of transformation. This is very clear in her third stanza of her poem. The use of words like "Seal" and "imperial" in the poem brings out a clear picture of the whole experience that even went to a certain level in life among certain groups of people. Although at the end of the poem the painful transformation lies on a better side because it leads to an uplifting that is more worthwhile (Meagher and DiQuinzio 123). From the face of the readers of the poem, the death that she talks about seems not being an obvious death but remains symbolic. Either, it is the death of all the oppression, pain and suffering those women in the society undergoes. It is a time that all women must stand up for their rights of education and self-esteem which can give them a chance to be heard in any decision making process in the society and the Nation at large.

But in the meantime, she stands a chance of saying that all the afflictions that women are undergoing through are compared to the forces between Satan and God. Satan oppresses the people of God making them create a major distance between them and their God. It is a battle that has been won by the believers other than him.

Although Dickinson's work has been interpreted by many philosophers in very widely different ways, she remains firm on her attitudes towards the rights of women in the society as it is also depicted by her counterpart Mary Wollstonecraft's work (Meagher and DiQuinzio 145)..

Mary Wollstonecraft stands out as a feminist woman to fight for the rights of women. She honors the talents of women in different capacities of life. More so, she gives a detailed analysis of sexual feelings between men and women. Women must be given full attention when it comes to sexuality. They should be treated equally and not like sex objects. Therefore, men should not be greedy and give an oversight of things when it comes to love issues and family management

In her argument, Mary says that women should not be forced in any endeavor either in the family level, society or nationally. They should be given equal opportunities as men politically (Osborne 564).



Furthermore, women should be supported in acquiring more understanding of authority so that they can discharge in a very virtuous manner. They can be slaves in one way or the other but their slavery will always have a negative impact and degrading the master. In fact, if women are to be excluded without having any voice, participating in decision making like any other human being, this will be a lot of injustice of the highest level. Then men must be to some extent acting like tyrants and tyranny in particular. This will always undermine morality. Actually, Mary's "A vindication of the rights of women" gives a clear picture of the treatment that women undergo in the society. This great philosopher maintains her stand that women cannot be confined in the house to only perform domestic works. This will make them start neglecting their private duties and start shrewd tricks.

Actually, women who are kept indoors become ignorant leading to their husbands becoming unfaithful. This will also lead to unfaithful women a situation that cannot be contained in a family making process. In fact, in relation to Emily Dickinison's poem, the common law of gravity should prevail. There must be cohesion in the society and all sexes must fall into their respective and proper places. There must be equitable laws among all the citizens in order to make marriage sacred (Osborne 865). Otherwise, if women are not going to be given their legitimate powers and rights, they will make men and themselves, in particular, to become more vicious hence acquiring dishonest civil liberties.

For sure, these two philosophers have tried to argue in different ways and from different perspectives on how women are treated in the society as compared to men. Mary Wollstonecraft uses her book "A vindication of the rights of women" to attack the oppressors of women rights while Emily Dickinson uses her power of a pen to pen down a poem featuring her personal life and the lives of many groups of people who are going through this painful transformation. Emily uses symbolic words to give us a clear picture of the rotten society that keeps on humiliating women. Women have been treated like young kids in the nursery. They have been left to spend most of their time at home with children. For this reason, they can never be enlightened at any point and they will always be unjustly be denied their legitimate share in the society.

Actually, a girl child should not be mere objects; instead, she should be allowed to get an education so that they can also have powers to deliver our communities from the bondage of illiteracy and unemployment. They must be given equal opportunities as men either socially, politically or spiritually.

In her poem, Emily brings about the theme of religion. On that ground, it can be argued that God created all individuals equally in his eyes and no man should attempt to break that law. Actually, this is the same ground that Mary Wollstonecraft uses to ask a question; "What acquirements that make one human being to be more and above the other?" that leaves a question on the minds of many. Should some people attain some high degree of knowledge than others? The answer is always no. This is due to the fact that God created all human beings equally they should get an equal share of knowledge if need be (Paludi and Ellens 234).

In conclusion, Mary Wollstonecraft and Emily Dickinson's works have to steer wheeled the journey for self-discovery and transformation. It is high time women should come out of the box and fight for their legal rights in the society. They should be more sensible and humanity than their greedy men. They should stand up, reclaim their position in the society and be equal to the fight. Women should get equal treatment like men, get formal education and be allowed to make decisions either politically, socially and in any other field of life





























References

Basu, Srimati. She Comes to Take Her Rights: Indian Women, Property, and Propriety. State U of New York P, 1999.

Jepsen, Dee. Women: Beyond Equal Rights. Word Books, 1984.

Meagher, Sharon M, and Patrice DiQuinzio. Women and Children First: Feminism, Rhetoric, and Public Policy. State U of New York P, 2005.

Osborne, Susan. Feminism. Pocket Essentials, 2001.

Paludi, Michele A, and J H. Ellens. Feminism and Religion: How Faiths View Women and Their Rights. 2016.