Why is Literature so important to the English curriculum?

Should poetry and literature be replaced in the English curriculum by more modern forms of media?

• Given that people mostly read the internet these days, and form their opinions about things from newspaper articles and TV news headlines, should we be teaching people how to read and interpret these media? Could this completely replace the analysis of poetry and classical literature?

• Answer:

  Whether it's poetry, literature, YouTube, reddit, or any other information medium, we must remember that the most important thing is to learn how to think critically. Most English curricula encompass more than just simply evaluating and understanding classical works of literature and poetry. It taught us to assess the author's intention and greater meaning. Even though we don't actively realize it, we are constantly applying this inductive form of comprehension to other forms of media, such as online news, Internet memes, et al. Now, to understand these other mediums requires a different lens that we may not traditionally use when, for example, we try to understand Shakespeare's Hamlet. But the same reasoning skills we developed in order to read between the lines can be just as applicable to wading through potential journalistic biases that exist in media headlines and content therein. As we rapidly start to digitize nearly every aspect of our life, we should learn how to take previous English skills that were taught to us and learn how to think critically in order to mold those tools into more relevant forms for emerging forms of media. A fine balance of both should be sought after, with neither's advantages being discounted.