The aim of Studying English Literature

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English Literature as English is considered "foreign" by most of the citizens of this country. Maybe it has something to do with the phenomenon of national language politics, which still places English, including its Literature, as part of a foreign language, not as the language of instruction in schools and campuses except in certain classes at international standard schools (SBI). This is exacerbated by the lack of English poetry, novels, or drama literature on the shelves of campus and school libraries.

This is a matter of concern because English Literature, as part of the world's literary, cultural heritage, has a wealth of knowledge, understanding, values ​​, and wisdom. According to Matthew Arnold as "Life-enhancement" and contains "A criticism of life." Studying English Literature does not mean that you are "led" to forget Indonesian and Indonesian Literature. On the contrary, studying them will broaden your knowledge and insight to deepen further the great works, life stories of famous authors, and their attitudes towards life, people, and God. You will find out by reading their experiences, observations, understanding, intelligence, rich reading, and the problems they express in the literary works they produce.

Meanwhile, some people are worried that there are elements that can endanger the survival of our culture and customs in the works of English Literature. Their culture and beliefs are indeed different from what we have. Still, it would be wise if we could absorb only the positive values ​​and lessons from them and throw away the negative influences by strengthening the strength of our culture and our strengths. What is needed to overcome this is to improve self-confidence and have a national culture so that all of us, especially the younger generation, do not feel inferior in the face of foreign cultures.

This is very important to understand so that we can filter and select all aspects of foreign culture, although some of them are beneficial and some have a harmful impact. Suppose we can filter that culture. In that case, it is hoped that studying English Literature can help you to improve and perfect the power of taste, logical ability, attitudes, social and religious understanding, value processes, and thinking that are very applicable if applied in the community. Both English Literature and the sources of knowledge behind it also contribute to the enlightenment of human values, from which you can take lessons for your life.

So, learning English Literature indirectly gives good guidance to students because Literature is a means of transformation, which can indirectly change the guilty to become conscious and then come back to the right path. However, not all literary works preach, lecture, and upholding moral values. Readers are expected even to be able to find suitable lessons about life by reading literary works from any country or nation. These works are often loaded with philosophical, religious, moral, and social values. Readers are expected to be indirectly directed to take suitable lessons from the results, author biographies, literary criticism, and the reading experience of scholarly authors.

Reading English Literature will help us become more realistic, mature, wise, and humanist in viewing personal and societal issues. The moral messages and themes will bring us closer to other humans who have the same or even different nationalities, cultures, and human values. Our lives become more tolerant, balanced, and more meaningful. We will be able to sympathize with the suffering of others as we sympathize with the suffering of the boy named Oliver in Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist. We will marvel at the extraordinary fortitude, patience, tenacity, and motivation of life as illustrated by Daniel Defoe's novels "Robinson Crusoe" or Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travel." We learn to value what others value appropriately. In this way, our capacity for feeling and appreciation increases so does the power for inner satisfaction. We will become "rich in heart" through the experience of reading literary works.

English Literature is the first step to get to know world literature. By studying the realm of Literature, which is considered old in Europe, we will see the nation, people, history, regions in England, and all areas that have historically connected with the British atmosphere. Keep in mind that England is said to be a land where the sun never sets.