The Importance Of Global Literature

Literature is frequently comprehended by most people as a mass of writings. In particular, it refers to those reckoned to have the aptitude of being inventive and rational, or which deploy languages which departed from the common usage. Global literature, on the other hand, has two different definitions where the first one explains it as the summation of all literatures of the world, including personal and nationalized work. The second definition is, global literature consists of the world’s classics, or the most sought after works that are read across time, ethnic and language borders in which they were produced and become the intercontinental patrimony of civilization. (Gafrik, 2009, p. 28) Global literature penetrates deep into cultural

In this way, ethnocentrism, racism and stereotypes towards other cultures can be hindered. Ethnocentrism is a term created by William Graham Sumner in 1906 which signifies the belief where one's own race or ethnic group is the most notable or the elements of a culture are superior to another. (Boundless, 2015) while racism refers to various ideas supporting that the basic significance of an individual can be inferred by the standard racial category and that social prejudice by race is therefore admissible. This kind of feelings will result in making fallacious speculations about others' actions based on their own evaluation, norms and beliefs. For instance, in the story of ‘Baseball Saved Us’ by Ken Mochizuki, a Japanese-American boy called Shorty, who, through playing baseball, pursues self-confidence after he was ridiculed by his schoolmates. In America, baseball is considered as part of their culture since to know the nature of America; one should learn the rules and realities of the baseball. (Barzun, 1954) Shorty, his family and the other Japanese-Americans have been evacuated to the Camp which was supervised by American armies as they were deemed as threats to America due to the bombing of Pearl Harbor during the World War II. In the story, Shorty, who was usually the last choice to be a team member of any sports because of his small size.

As the world is now developing by day resulting in changes of culture, it is wise to take note that despite of one’s own cultural background, everyone may have their own interpretations, practices and lifestyles that should be understood in order to respect their beliefs and achieve mutual consent. In Inem, an Indonesian story by Pramoedya Ananta Toer that gives the readers some idea of what it is like for a small, poor girl to live in among the Indonesian culture. Inem, an eight year old girl, was a servant at Gus Muk’s house and described as a sweet, well-mannered, skillful and hardworking girl. It was stated in the book that she would make a good daughter-in-law which tells the readers of the standards that is sought after by the Indonesians in looking for their spouses. After that, Inem was forced to get married by her own mother at such a young age as her family lives in poverty, so, marrying the daughter can trim down the outlays. When Gus Muk’s mother defies Inem’s mother’s plan in marrying Inem, her mother opposes by saying that all of her family members were married at young age. This condition conveys that in Indonesia, child marriage is permissible and widely practiced; overlooking the fact that it would bring harm to the child. During Inem’s wedding