So basically...I've been thinking about how any word, or theme, or story can take on a different meaning depending on the cultural context in which it is used. I think this is really interesting because it has given me a new perspective on the discussion we had the first day in class. I kept on trying to think about what stories or works I considered literature, and a major part of that for me was identifying important themes and lessons. We talked a bit about the motivation of a work and if the work has value to the people who are reading it. Well, given that now I am considering that the value of a work can change vastly depending on who is reading it, I think that the whole concept of "what is literature" in regard to my initial response of "what are the important themes in works that I consider literature" has to be viewed in a different way.
Take a look at this story about a woman who thinks that the themes of Shakespeare's Hamlet are universal.
http://www.cc.gatech.edu/home/idris/Essays/Shakes_in_Bush.htm
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