Assignment 4: Northanger Abbey

I feel as if reading novels, and reading in general expands a person's mind. Books and stories open you up to new experiences, life lessons, and knowledge that you may have been unaware of before. Novels can also inspire imagination and creativity and lead to new inventions or inspire dreams, hopes, and goals for the future. Novels can show us paths that we should follow and evil that we should be aware of or mistakes that others make that we, ourselves need to steer clear from. I do believe that novels can teach us much about the society and world we live in. After reading some background information on "Uncle Tom's Cabin", by Harriet Beecher Stowe, it seems as if this book inspired profound changes in people's mindsets on the African American race and demonstrated the harmful effects of slavery. Ultimately, people were so inspired by this book, that some became abolitionists themselves! Stowe's novel, gave Americans a true reflection of themselves, and it wasn't a pretty picture. This book encouraged the abolitionist movement of the 1850's and helped begin the American Civil War, which made our country what it is today. "Uncle Tom's Cabin", began a revolution against slavery and would change life for the future generations for the better. Also as we have discussed in class, many of the books we have been reading inspired the romanticism era and gothic nature. I believe the same goes for any other novel. We can all learn something new or profound from reading, even if it doesn't inspire a revolutionary movement. I think novels can inspire people to put themselves in the character's position. Lots of times when I read, I find myself making comparisons to the main character or visualizing and attempting to understand their point of view. I feel as if books reveal aspects of ourselves that we may have not even been aware of, and can promote us to change ourselves, or remain the same. I was read to a lot as I was growing up, and I feel as if the choices that my parents made in the books I read helped shape me into the person I am today.