why read the classics? is it worth it?

I would appreciate your thoughts--good or "bad." thanks for taking the time to read!

Argumentative Essay

“A well furnished mind is like a beautifully appointed home: it has room for many things, and must be kept with constant vigilance. (Valine)”

Broadening the mind and thrilling the imagination, reading is one of the most profitable past-times of indulgence. Classic poets and world-renown authors, Homer and Xenophon, wrote epics dealing with arduous circumstances, complex relationships, god-ordained trials, and the detailed history of their respective greek people--Xenophon even included himself in his memoir--in order to educate future progeny; the Bible (over 35 known authors) is full of wisdom, insight, and stories of both righteous and ungodly men and the consequences of their actions; Herodotus’ and Thucydides’ tomes are first-hand accounts and still considered to be the best references for their time. People the world over--particularly Christians--should take advantage of such rich literature and read these classics, familiarizing themselves with the ancient and peculiar sagas. Hidden in the pages are timeless tales of mettle and adventure waiting for the reader to simply crack the covers and discover portions of the fascinating ancient history of the Greek people. These two books are not alone in the queue of novels and history narratives that are worth reading; contrarily there are hundreds of classics that beg to be read.

So, what are classic books? And why should Christians read that type literature? Classics are books that have withstood the test of time and are considered by a wide audience to be worth reading and will in some way, benefit the reader. In todays’ culture the value of moral-rich stories have been replaced with cheap, one-hit-wonder fads that will fade away in a handful of years. Besides simply reading a book, the classics can be studied to further knowledge; intriguing plots can be discovered, good ethics and morals can be picked up and applied to real life, the mind can be introduced to new concepts. Because all that is good and beautiful originated from God, it is quite proper for Christians to plunder the works of the pagans to retrieve the truth from their writings. Hidden amongst the dust of culture and pagan world views are nuggets of gold waiting to be picked up, washed off and displayed for the world to see shinning in the in the light of the Son. What we read should become part of us in some way. What we believe is the filter through which everything we read passes, and only the purest nutrients can be absorbed It is important, especially for young readers, that the literature one is exposed to should rightly portray good as good and bad as bad. The august Plato writes,

“For a young person cannot judge what is allegorical and what is literal; anything that he receives into his mind at that age is likely to become indelible and unalterable; and therefore it is most important that the tales which the young first hear should be models of virtuous thoughts.”

Because people are so impressionable, the kinds of books that are digested should be distinguished from those that are read solely to gain copiousness with the world around them. Rare is the book that is all good and should be totally absorbed. Much of what is written needs a healthy dose of discretion and disciplined volition. In the past, education beginning in the early elementary years included a broad exposure to the classic authors; classics used to be the foundation from which learning grew. At the end of a person’s typical schooling, one would be well versed in most any topic and could easily converse with others, even if they had nothing in common except for the reading of literature.

Moderns have raised many questions concerning whether a christian should read the books written by ancient, non-christian authors. While there may be some truth and wisdom in intentionally not educating with the secular books, due to the irreligious nature of the content, the imbalance is too great considering the extraordinary material contained in the classics. Avoiding the classics all together deprives the student of a plethora of useful knowledge. After all, everything good, beautiful, and truthful comes from God--whether it comes from the mouth of a God-fearing individual or one that lives in denial of the only truth that matters--and the nuggets of wisdom and cultural insights gained from classical studies far out weigh any negative effects it might otherwise have on a reader, assuming good judgement is applied and, when needed, instruction from a Christian teacher is sought, “for learning requires a mentor--an Athena, a Virgil, a Beatrice--to lead and teach, guide and instruct...showing their charges how to learn, stepping back when the pupil begins to see and to understand on his own. (L. Cowan)”

Coming face-to-face with greatness is often one of the hardest but most important things a person will ever academically encounter. Learning how to walk, for example is extremely difficult, but once a person learns it, nothing could be easier or more automatic. It is the same with reading great literature. Time-consuming and arduous, picking up and reading a 250+ page book can be daunting and at times hard to understand. These books tend to use difficult syntax and the inferred semantics are nowadays translated differently which add to the laboriousness of reading them. This can only improve the mind; like exercise, it is hard at first, but after constant repetition it becomes easier and more enjoyable. However, one must push past this initial fear of thinking to be able to appreciate it for all its worth. Of course steps must be taken to acquire a mind that is able to comprehend labyrinthine masterpieces, but taking the first step towards genius is paramount. For it is well-known that a person who does not know history is foredoomed to walk in its footsteps, like it or not.

It is important to note that it has only been relatively recent that there has been a surge of protest against referring to classic books to gain knowledge, saying that the ideas presented in the texts are full of pagan ideals and ideology. With this contemporary notion, the baby has been thrown out with the bathwater. Bumptious assumptions cannot but hurt the reader as a bias is created right or wrongly without knowing the material beforehand. Common threads of love and anger, pain and happiness, fear and courage, faith and hate, are woven through all great books. They constantly deal with the trials that mankind faces in trying to live well. No one is able to lead a perfect life, but in reading about the trials, achievements, shortcomings, and perseverance of long-dead saints of the ancient world will expose the reader to well written, deep-thinking books and yield a wealth of knowledge with which one can enter the Great Conversation, but the reader will also learn about himself and the culture he lives in, “when you read a classic you do not see more in the book than you did before; you see more in you than was there before. (Clifton Fadman)”

America’s founding fathers all received an education based solely on the great books of the past and were some of the most intelligent, prudent, and judicious this nation has yet seen. This is not the only instance in history where a copious knowledge of celebrated literature has been beneficial. In fact, many times in the Paul’s letters to the early Christian churches, he paraphrases directly from archaic sources (Epimenides, Aratus, Aeschylus, and Menander). He also alludes heavily to Plato’s Apology and other classic works. Quoting from these people shows how well educated Paul was and how helpful it was to him to have something in common to draw on when talking to people that did not come from the same background nor automatically held the same values. We should take the example of these God-fearing men; read the classics with a grain of salt and enjoy the benefit to the start of a well rounded education--enjoy plundering the godless for all they are worth.