The literature which has
kept me milling over its meaning and effects over several years is that which
has shed light upon previously suppressed social and political issues.
I have come to realise that for writers affected by political and social
ignorance, writing for them can often become a peaceful and effective form of
protest.
For example, Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird portrays the injustice of racial
segregation and discrimination in Post-World War II America, and became a
significant milestone in the progression towards the civil rights movement.
Angela Carter contributed in the rise of gender politics in the late twentieth
century through several of her books including The Sadeian Woman and The Bloody
Chamber, educating readers of how gender should not affect status
or power in society.
However I feel that there was something extra which these two author's brought
to their work which made them particularly successful and I think it was not
only their passion for change but also their understanding and empathy towards different
members of society. It can be difficult writing with the intention to educate
and please everyone, and a piece of literature can easily become too
overwhelming and confusing for the reader to take in or so personal that the
reader is put off by the arrogance of the narrator.
Writing about a new, diverse or past culture can equally educate and inspire a reader;
there are always elements of character and socio-political elements which the
reader can relate to. People can easily develop nostalgia for a time in which
they haven't lived in, fans of period dramas or sci-fi for example.
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