Identify Themes

General Themes of Literature

Literature is not written in a vacuum; it emanates from a society to reflect its social, political, economic, as well as cultural aspects. Therefore, literature has a direct connection to human life and thus, it cannot be separated from human beings.

The following are some of the important roles and functions of literature

1. Literature criticizes societies. Authors of a literary work criticize society by revealing corruption, oppression, humiliation, and inequality.
2. Literature expresses people's culture. This includes norms, values, traditions, and practices so that people can follow them. It can also make people abandon some bad cultural practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM) for positive changes.
3. Literature educates people. It educates people about day-to-day happenings or events in their society. It widens their mind and thinking capacity.
4. Literature entertains people. People enjoy watching and reading different works which appeal to their state of mind.
5. Literature is a tool of liberation. It makes people know the presence of exploitation and irresponsibility; it directs people to struggle for mental and physical liberation against these problems.
6. Literature develops language. Language is a tool or medium of communication in literature.