This post is a little bit jumbled and confusing, I tried to
convey a thought process as I experienced it and hence it may contradict itself
and be hard to understand.
When working on the compare and contrast assignment in American
studies I asked if we should analyze FIDDS in our essay. I was met with the
response that no, we didn’t need to analyze FIDDS as this was Studies and not
Literature. I accepted the answer and continued on with my writing, realizing that
if I had attempted to analyze FIDDS, my essay would have far exceeded the
recommended length, and I would have been unable to complete it within time.
Upon further thought I stumbled upon the question of why we don’t analyze
history as we do literature. After all, there is still material to be analyzed
in historical documents with figurative language, imagery, details, diction,
and syntax. I then came to the idea that maybe it is because History’s goal is
different from Literature’s goal. History is meant to tell us what happened and
literature is meant to provide insight into meanings and insinuations of text.
But if that is the case, then aren’t those insights and insinuations crucial to
the understanding of what happened, and the effect on others. So perchance
history is the thing and literature is the effect? But no, literature can
sometimes also be the cause of history, as we explored in our journals, and
events are often a crucial part of literature (as seen in Billy Budd). Perhaps the distinction between the two
subjects must be determined in a case by case basis. For instance, the compare
contrast in history could be conducted as a literary analysis with historical
aspects if given the space and the time, or as a historical analysis with
literary reference in the case of the assignment. Overall, history and
literature must only be separated in a case by case basis, distinguishing the
analysis based on situational needs. And, in reference to my previous blog on
why history and literature must go together, in certain cases their analysis
must go together.
