Literature Can Change the World (one person at a time)
In my earlier years I read Saul Bellow’s Henderson, The Rain King, and I loved the book. A tall, thick, wealthy pig farmer becomes disillusioned with himself, his surroundings, and essetially life in general, so he gets up one day and goes to Africa to live among tribal people.
Saul Bellow writes beautifully here, using a clash of cultures as a literary device rather than as subject matter. In Rain King the reader encounters animistic culture, lions, ignorance and understanding, and an obstinate white man who becomes “the Rain King”.
After reading this work, I found a new desire to travel, especially to Africa to spend some time with the Zulu’s and Xhosa, a desire I have since fulfilled. It reminds me of the power of communicating ideas and ideals to humanity. That a novel, or play, or poem could genuinely alter someone’s attitudes, and even decision making in the future, should not be taken lightly. There is power in the written word to alter perceptions, to educate, to damage or to heal.
I am excited to be a part of the body of readers who everyday encounter this force eye to eye.
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