Defining Literature and Civilization

Interview One:

Literature:

"In my opinion, literature is prose or poetry in written form."

Civilization:

"In my opinion, civilization is a group of people living together, usually harmoniously, working to help support each other."

Interview Two:

Literature:

"Literature is written works, regardless of style."

Civilization:

"Civilization is a group living together that has established customs and rules for living together."

Interview Three:

Literature:

"Literature is the written aspect of a civilization. Examples include (but are not limited to) stories, novels, or other written works that are passed through the years in that particular civilization."

Civilization:

"Civilization is the cumulative aspect of a society's culture, work, and economy."

My Response:

In regards to literature, all three responses required the literature to be written down. I thought this was an interesting caveat for literature. I personally feel like societies that keep stories through oral records should count their stories as literature. Also, nobody mentioned anything about art. I feel like art should be included in the literature definition. Art stands the test of time, and some art even includes written words. Just because it falls under the "art" realm, it should not be excluded from literature. As for civilization, nobody used "advanced" (which we discussed in class). All three of their definitions seem to be about the same idea, just worded differently. For the most part, my definition of civilization follows theirs. I believe that culture plays heavily into civilization. I really liked that the third definition included work and economy. I believe these two principles play heavily into civilization. I am not sure if I agree with the fact that a civilization has to live together peacefully. The term "Western civilization" is used frequently, but you would be hard pressed to find someone saying that those people "live harmoniously." War and disagreements are a part of culture, and therefore they are a part of civilization. Overall, I was very satisfied with the answers I received from my mini "survey." I agreed, for the most part, with all of their responses. I just had a few caveats that I thought should be included.