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Post by timmy on Oct 4, 2015 2:37:47 GMT
When we look back at literatures, we tend to have a certain perspective on them. Sometimes we agree with their culture, while other times we look at them pessimistically. Soetimes we praise heroes, while other times we call them arrogant and haughty. The point I am trying to make is that everyone becomes subjective when we are reading literature. But, how subjective are we, and are we entitled to make such judgements? Personally, I think that we really don't have any right to judge any literature. The fact that we have not lived in that culture and time means that we cannot truly empathize with what is going on there. How can we judge something when we don't even know what it is about?
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Post by Jooyoung on Oct 4, 2015 6:31:57 GMT
Although we did not live in that culture at times, people of the past and present share common feeling of emotion. We understand what is like to be sad and happy and, though moral standards may differ, we share similar idea of what is wrong and what is right. Therefore, we are able to understand what is going on. Furthermore, I think it is normal to be subjective when reading literature. What is the fun of literature if we must view everything objectively, unable to connect and sympathize with the characters?
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Post by jin794 on Oct 4, 2015 11:55:26 GMT
It is true that people are subjective when they read different literatures from different cultures. However, I think it is normal to be subjective when reading literature because people have different point of view and value because they are from different period and culture. The fact that we have not lived in that time period may depend on how people view on different literatures. For example, in Chinese literature, dragon symbolizes the most purest and bravest, which plays a crucial role in Chinese literature due to its history. On the other hand, in European literature, dragon represents an evil role. It is because each country has a different value and culture, which shapes individual point of view.
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Post by ETypeRegymon on Oct 4, 2015 12:57:20 GMT
We all have human nature, regardless of when and where on earth we are, so we're free to view and judge any piece of literature any way we want, We all have some form of greed, fear, arrogance, and other traits that connect us humans no matter what. And there's no reason to not be subjective considering no human is dictating us how to interpret what we read (we can be told how wrong it is though), so I'll read however I want.
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Post by melody on Oct 4, 2015 13:47:10 GMT
Unlike science which has an objective styles of answers, literature has a subjective style of answers. It is okay to have various feelings or various answers for one question and it is also okay if that question leads to a deeper question that might be a controversy. There is no right, or wrong for literature. We can think, feel, express freely and the purpose of literature is to share those feelings altogether. Although, we are subjective to literature, we still share with empathies which might seem there's an objective answer for it. In my personal perspective, even if we have a subjective answers to literature, we still have an objective view about the general feelings such as grief, joy, and etc.
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toufiq
Junior Member
Posts: 86
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Post by toufiq on Oct 4, 2015 14:26:43 GMT
Referring to our discussion in t he cluncool i don't think it's totally impossible to empathize with someone from different time and culture. It can be hard to feel the whole situation but we definitely can understand someone in particular from that time period. The reason is, we may feel the same way as they did. We may have the same emotions as they did. I don't think literature is totally subjective. It's more open to the reader to come to a conclusion and that's the true beauty of literature to me.
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Post by susansun18 on Oct 4, 2015 14:53:33 GMT
I think the best thing we can do is to not be subjective while reading literature. We don't always have to be subjective to everything we read. Maybe if when we are reading a literature, and that you have a different perspective of religion or culture, then you might become very subjective and begin to judge and I think that is where cultural difference approaches in and it is just something that we cannot fully understand. To the point where there is always a limit to understanding a culture.
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Post by andrewcho77 on Oct 8, 2015 14:20:09 GMT
Well, how can we not judge anything? Everyone judges a literature or a person. Yes, literature is written in different times but we can relate to their culture and feelings. Centuries may past but there are similarities between the past and present which are emotions. We can know how it's like to be lonely or be loved. Yeah, we may have different values from the past and the present but emotions never change. When there was slavery in America, if you look at a white person perspective in that time you will likely think that slavery is a good thing because it's free labor and it's free to use. However, today we view slavery as a terrible thing to do as a human being. We have connection through our emotions so why can't we be subjective to literature? It's really impossible to judge nothing because humans judge everyday in their life. So I believe it's good to judge if you have a connection to the literature.
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Post by jonah21 on Oct 9, 2015 4:20:00 GMT
It's impossible to read a story without bias. No matter what story, we'll compare what it was back then with today's society. Let's take the beheading game in "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight." While we read and take in their culture, we wouldn't be able to understand it clearly because we personally haven't experienced it. Is beheading each other for a game truly moral? People in the past may have thought so, while we today do not. Because we can't understand them, we tend to judge them. It's somewhat like saying that the current society is right and everything in the past is wrong. It's impossible to not judge.
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Post by sangjoon on Oct 9, 2015 8:58:54 GMT
In my opinion, i think we are judging things in literature by only seeing the story line and emotional change of characters. In other words, actually, the author makes us to think and judge in same way because author all set the story line and emotional change of character and even tone and theme. So, maybe our subjectibe opinions were planned to author so the author can make audience more concentrate and be emotional in story.
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Post by maysamyounis on Oct 10, 2015 12:36:02 GMT
I agree with You , but also that is something depend on person him self , like we judging literature want we read literature we must have idea and perpective about that story also about what we read, to understand people in different time just because of literature and how getting that , i think inn easy to understand people in different time and different culture and judging them because what they have been teach us during literature and poetry stories that they have.
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Post by anniee on Oct 11, 2015 4:06:45 GMT
Forming our own opinions about a subject is a natural process for humans, as we were born with feelings and emotions. We have the right to our point of view, and to express this views. Making judgments is not about how entitled we are, but how these conclusions are results of personality traits. Our thoughts about different topics reflect our upbringing, our decisions, our puncoolions. What I think we can have is opinions about the literature, whether you love it or hate it. What we can't do is negatively call out a piece of culture just because we don't understand it. One example is with gay marriage: people can choose on their own whether they approve or disapprove of gay marriage, but if they disagree with this subject, they shouldn't openly state that it is wrong and not biblical just because they believe it as so. We can form our own opinions, but we have to be respectful of other's ideas.
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Post by chris9280 on Oct 11, 2015 9:23:37 GMT
I strongly agree with you. Most literatures were written to empathize the cultures and believes of that time period or era. They are written to the people of that generation to read and enjoy. I don't think the authors meant us to read and judge the story. The heroes from the story may not be suitable to current time just like the spaceship and rocket science may be unsuitable in the time when the literatures were written. We should read and enjoy the story as a literature, not judge the story.
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riyadh
Junior Member
Posts: 59
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Post by riyadh on Oct 11, 2015 11:36:40 GMT
it is like we might study it really deep but we won't really empathize the literatures or the stories or the characters but we just look at them and try to learn something that we can change in our time . the auther wrote it down for a points and that might be one of the pint so yah that what I think ...
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Post by Jessica (Yeeun) Kim on Oct 11, 2015 13:12:32 GMT
I agree readers become subjective when they are reading literature. I believe we always have discuss about this question, but my opinion never changed. Although readers do not have any right to judge any literature, they always image pictures of literature based on our experiences, culture, and belief because literatures always require readers’s imagination in order to fully understand contents. For this reason, it is inevitable to readers to become subjective when they are reading literature.
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