MULTI-CULTURAL AWARENESS – LITERATURE
Literature has been part of my life since I was younger. Reading stories, poems and essays was my favorite hobby. I still recall the days when reading books was my daily habit before I sleep. One of the best stories I read was the biography of our national hero Dr. Jose Rizal. When I grew up, I learned to express how I feel through writing. I loved writing everything that comes to my mind.
We have come a long way and still, literature helps us awaken our minds and widen our thoughts to reality and the historical backgrounds of the world. As we go to school and study history and literature, we learn that we, people have differences when it comes to culture. It is important to be multicultural aware to understand and appreciate the history, values, experiences, and lifestyles of one another.
Through literature, we had the idea of what happened in the past. We learn through the ways history is recorded, in the forms of manuscripts, and through the speech itself. In periods from ancient Egypt, we can gather their history through hieroglyphics and paintings. The symbols Egyptians left behind are what we now use to understand their culture. This is different from Greek and Roman culture, which is found with greater ease, because of their innate desire for accuracy in their writing. Because of literature, we can easily connect ourselves to the psyche of authors through their stories. The famous novels of Rizal, Noli Me Tangere, and El Filibusterismo tell us stories about the colonization of the Philippines by Spain which has also influenced our Filipino culture.
It is undeniable that literature is important since it is a reflection of humanity and a way to understand each other. By listening to the voice of another person and by reading their stories, we can realize how a person thinks. I believe that literature is an art of expression and it helps us understand ourselves as well. Creating a place where there is greater understanding and awareness between groups promotes harmony and unity in a society.
