Define Literature and discuss the benefit of its study.
Short essay- Offer your extended definition of literature and discuss why it is valuable to study plays, short stories, and poetry even if they are hundreds of years old.
Do NOT use a dictionary definition of literature. Define literature in terms of what it is and isn't, what role it plays for individuals and for culture. Offer a "big-picture," personal definition of literature. Continue by discussing its value, its relevance, its role.