Hi!
I'm going to say my thing for the deep and meaningful question ms. ellen posted. so here goes...
literature and reading is nessecary for our culture to be functioning properly. reading fiction can make you think about things that have happened and how they could have been different and how they could be changed. For example, the book, to kill a mockingbird, was about an event similar to something that actually happened. the book tells about the trial of a black man acused of rape (this took place during the 30's). however, there was a good deal of evidence saying that he didn't committ the crime. but he was convicted anyway. hearing about an event like this form the point of view of a person with opinions about it, is much different from hearing about it from an emotionless news person. when reading a book, you become emotionally involved with the characters, when you hear about a unjust or disturbing event, you think about it more than if all you are told is a brief summary.
reading books give the reader acess to many different piont of view, and this helps each person form thier own thoughts opinions and values. if that is taken away, people can become much easier to controll. if you are only showed one side of a story, then, you will believe that that is how it really happened.
i hope thats clear enough...
i'll probably think of more to say later.

see ya!
~Eleanor