Books are often considered portals to other worlds. They shape societies, build empires, and turn the impossible into reality in their fictional world. Books allow you to let your imagination fly. Dive right into a post-apocalyptic world or explore the world of magic and lose yourself in an entirely different world. On the other hand, books also present a harsh look into the realities of your world – the realities from which you might have turned a blind eye for a long time.
Some students consider books important only because they are forced to read them for their assignments. The only time they would intentionally open a book is to find inspiration for some essay topics. But books are more than just a factory to find inspiration for process essay topics – you have MyAssignmenthelp.com for that. Instead, perhaps it’s time you learn how valuable books can be in shaping the world around you.
I. A Warning About Society
1. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Since this entire blog is about the importance of books in shaping society, you might find it ironic that this book is about a world where books are banned. If anyone owns a book, they’ll be hunted down and their books burned to a crisp. The government has complete control over the media that people consume. No one is allowed to think for themselves. Dissent is nipped in the bud. Yet, Bradbury makes it clear that such a society can never survive.
2. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Scientific advancements are certainly helpful for the betterment of human society. But Huxley’s dystopian novel makes it clear that human beings should know where to draw the line. Technology and science should not advance to a point where they eliminate the intrinsic humaneness of a person. Computers and machines cannot form relationships, whether romantic or platonic – human beings can. The moment science and machines override these emotions, human beings lose themselves completely.
3. Anthem by Ayn Rand
In a world filled with hatred due to differences, people will strive for equality. After all, equality is good, right? Well, not when equality translates to conformity, where people sacrifice their personal opinions and freedom of speech to do what everyone else does. Anthem provides a subtle warning about how society will become if it is so focused on making everyone equal that it forgets to acknowledge and embrace differences.
II. Highlighting Social Issues
1. The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Society views motherhood as a blessing. In The Yellow Wallpaper, Gilman makes it a point to highlight that that is not always the case. She highlights the issue of postpartum depression – a condition that millions of women go through but never voice out loud for fear of what other people will think about them. This mental condition goes unnoticed because society demonizes anyone who doesn’t view motherhood as anything but a blessing.
2. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Harper Lee’s standout novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, highlights the irrationality of adults when it comes to dealing with social and racial prejudices. Human beings aren’t born prejudiced. A child will never intentionally discriminate against a person of a different race because their mind isn’t polluted by society yet. Unfortunately, it is the adults who sow the seeds of discrimination and thrive in making others feel inferior. They would rather blame a man of a supposed inferior race than focus on finding out the truth and bringing the wrongfully accused to justice.
III. Emphasising the Futility of War
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
War novels are often about the glorification of mindless massacres to feed the ego of political leaders. They romanticise the concept of going to war to fight for one’s country. But not this novel. All Quiet on the Western Front has a different take. It focuses on the futility of war. You have young soldiers – as young as 18-year-olds – who have their whole lives in front of them, and yet they sacrifice themselves for glory. And for what? Who remains to witness that glory? Bereaved families of the fallen soldiers can’t even take part in the festivities. Surviving soldiers undergo so much psychological distress that their entire lives are filled with war flashbacks. Only the politicians remain safe in their offices and pat themselves on their backs for a war that they had no hand in winning.
Thus, the main purpose of books isn’t only to entertain readers. They are also the best instruments to make people aware of the various social issues prevalent in society and give a wake-up call so that society in real life doesn’t turn out to be a dystopia in the future.
