Plato and the Moralizing of Arts

      Disagreeing with Plato’s idea that all literature or art should teach moral. Literature or art is more than that. It does not only argue about morals, but also other things; for instances the characters, the plots, the settings, the language, the symbols, the techniques, the style, and anything written or used in the literary texts.

       Moral is a part of literature shaping the story and making the story easier to understand for the readers, especially if the readers are beginner like children. Thus, it is still debatable; is that all literature or art should teach moral? From the writer's perspective, it is quite true that moral is important for children or beginner readers. Why is it important for them? It is because children or beginner readers still have difficulties to differentiate which one is right or wrong. They need parents or elder people to guide them to see which one is right or wrong in a story (ex: children's stories). Then, when they are growing up later, it is believed that they will know which one is right or wrong; or they may be questioning any texts or stories they read since its story has its grey area. The writer also believes teaching moral in literature or art all the time is dull or ineffective in conducting teaching - learning processes. The reason is the readers will not think critically toward literary texts since they always see it from one or two perspectives only; called moral value.

Furthermore, what makes something moral or immoral, depends on whom, what ages, what cultures, what circumstances, and many more. Moral or immoral is an ideology or paradigm about someone's perspectives toward which one is right or wrong; agree or disagree. Take an example happening in our daily life; in a family it may okay to go back home late or midnight, invite friends to have pajamas party, some people may consider that as something moral. However, in other families, it may immoral to do those things; because they think to go back home very late at night will be considered as a “bad kid”. That kind of reality as a simple example related to literary texts or arts mean moral or immoral depends on someone's perspectives.

The standard used in how to determine moral and immoral are the readers’ standard itself. In detail, the literature lovers (readers or audiences)are the one who will decide whether the work of literature is moral or immoral. Still, it determines from her or his point of view. For instance, there is a picture of naked woman in an exhibition, and there are two audiences who have different perspectives toward the picture. The first audience may see it as a usual picture or something moral; because she/he may see it from the technique of the painting. On the contrary, the second audience may see it as a pornography picture or something immoral; because she may see it from the norm perspective which is wrong to show off the woman naked body in the exhibition.

This previous example makes the writer proposes; is it dangerous if people only look from the moral side? They cannot see other things like the beauty of the technique, and they will not see the interesting part in searching the hidden things inside a literary or art work. Furthermore, the readers who only look from the moral side of literary or art work will get limitations in thinking critically, they will have limitations in seeing the world’s issues, and they will have limitations in being a creative person.

 The previous example (about picture) is only a simple thing of how we see something about moral or immoral. If the audiences already used to see things from one side, she/he may not be able to understand the meanings/issues behind the picture; unlike the audiences who think from many sides. The writer argues, it is sad to see things from one perspective only which is moral or immoral; and not trying to see other perspectives.

Meanwhile, if we relate it to Plato's moral and immoral ideas to one of the Hamlet's work (where there is a murder or revenge done by the character), it does not mean the literary work will be immoral, too. Moral is a part of literature shaping the story to be more interesting, but it does not mean it is the most important part. This might be true that Hamlet is immoral because he took a revenge, but do the people in the palace, Hamlet’s followers, and the things surround the palace also as immoral as Hamlet? We cannot say so, because literary work does not shape from one thing like the main character, but it shapes from many things. Thus, if we want to consider literary work as immoral because only from one part of it that might not be true; since there are other things should be considered before we claimed or stated that the literary work is moral or immoral.

To conclude, seeing literature or art as being moral or immoral is still depends on whom, what circumstances, what cultures or ages, and how we responsible with our judgment followed by strong reasons toward something that we see as moral or immoral.

Plato and the Moralizing of Arts