What is English?
Definition of Literature and Language
|
What is literature ? from Oxford Dictionary
|
Literature and Language in the English Classroom
- How is literature and language related?
- Have you ever thought about the way you described your frightening 50 question math exam to your best friend? Or how you explained the events of your last birthday party to a friend? If you haven’t, the way you described these events was through the form of a STORY! Stories are a form of literature, and as we frame our stories to our friends, we use plot structure and specific language techniques like repetition to communicate effectively. An example of an oral story is the Epic of Gilgamesh, you will be reading this if you are in 1H honors, that was originally only told in it's oral form. It is estimated the Epic of Gilgamesh was only into transcribed into words till 2000 B.C.
Okay, Ms. Chavez .. but cavemen didn't have to take an English class! Why else is it important?
Correct, cavemen did not take English classes but.....
Cavemen did hold their own English classes in a way, using art as their language to communicate important events and stories to other cavemen! For example, look above, we have an image from Chauvet, France. This piece is from the world-famous limestone Lascaux caves, titled " Lion Hunting Bison,". This piece is only one of many paintings that gives us insights on the prehistoric people from about 30,000 to 12,000 years old years ago. So, the stories we study in English classes are important also important! Stories, like The Epic Of Gilgamesh and this painting "Lion Hunting Bison," is expand our minds! Stories give us a glimpse of the diverse people around the world and enable us to understand their cultures and customs we may not be familiar with! In addition, studying literature helps us improve our oral communication skills and improve our writing! In our class, English 1H or American literature, we will explore different genres such as graphic novels, short stories, novels, and poems! We will also challenge our critical thinking skills by trying to give new meanings to text and trying to interpret what the author wants us to take with us!