FOSTERING CULTURAL AWARENESS THROUGH TEACHING LITERATURE (Pages 18-23) by Mrs. U. Pushpalatha in THE ENGLISH INDIA / ISSN: 2321-1172 (Online); 2347-2634 (Print)

Culture is the widening of the mind and of the spirit” said by Jawaharlal Nehru. As the words of ourCulture is the widening of the mind and of the spirit” said by Jawaharlal Nehru. As the words of ourformer and first Prime Minister, this paper explores the significance of culture in acquiring the second languagethrough literature. Literature is the mirror of the social and cultural background. Literature has both language andculture. Teaching literature brings the cultural awareness and also it enhances the language style of the learner.These three constituents Culture, Literature and Language are interrelated and interconnected. Literature learninghelps to comprehend the contemporary status and the ancestral life of the people and also grasp the innumerablecustoms and rituals from all around the world. In addition to this, the learner acquires the various expressions indifferent languages particularly, the English language expressions and cultural and social background is largelyimportant for the target learners to understand the native speakers talk and comprehend it without any difficulty.This cultural awareness helps them to adopt the second language efficiently.