What does this quote mean?? help!?!?!?!?

Question

"The decline of literature is the decline of a nation"

what does that quote mean??? HELP!!!!!

2day is my first day of school and i got this question as my hw and i have to idea what it means!!!!!! and i have to right a whole page of what i interperate from it..... pleaseee help!!!

Answer 1

I think it means something along the lines of: If peoples literature skills go down then so ill the nation because less people would be able to read & write properly. resulting in less people for jobs, harder to get jobs so more unemployed which will have a big effect on the goverment, which could cost alot of money etc. To put it simply if peoples skills in literature goes down then the world as we know it will end because of problems.  

Answer 2

Literature is so many things...it contains writing that sometimes is considered artforms, like poety, free verse, novels...Literature tells of our history, our experiences, and culture.

Literature isn't just reading but rather "understanding symbols" and meanings to think critically. When we stop thinking about deeper meanings of things (thinking critically) then we are sort of like robots, obeying and not having opinions aobut what we read and interpret.

As a nation, when we stop thinking critically about things written, then we never question or learn to think for ourselves. Understanding meanings behind symbols or metaphors, hyperboles, and various other genres allow us to simply, "think" for ourselves.

We must do this to be a nation of critical thinkers or we just accept all the information given to us without question.