ANALYZING ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT AND TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD: LITERATURE PROPAGATING PEACE AND HUMAN RIGHTS

Abstract

The discipline of literature is a productive way of bringing transformation in the society for building peace and achieving human rights. Cockrill, Hall (2018) in Understanding Human Rights through Literature, argues that literature can cultivate a better understanding of Human Rights through critical evaluation of characters, analysis of scenarios, and examination of diverse historical voices. The present study analyzes two novels; Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. The former novel reveals characters’ physical and mental trauma during the war as well as the detachment from civilian life whereas the latter propagates human dignity. Through both novels, the study manifests that the aim of literature is turning blood into ink, as says T.S Eliot, for building peace among people and dissenting to war and anti-human practices. This qualitative study implies Fry’s (2007) Beyond War as theoretical framework which argues that human being has no inherited inclination for war and this is a politico-cultural creation. The study demonstrates the role of literature in promoting human rights and peace against war and racism. Keywords: Literature, Human Rights, Peace, Transformation, War, Racism.