In this passage, “Why Literature Matters, Dana Gioia talks about what has happened to American arts. During the past quarter century, American arts has had a strange occurrence. The participation in the arts has declined for eight of the nine major forms of it. A study shows that the percentage of young Americans reading literature or reading in general is declining. Do you want to know why the decline in American arts is bad? If so, this essay will tell you why it is bad and how we can fix it. Gioia uses facts and examples to support her claims that there is a decline in America arts. According to a population study designed by the National Endowment for the Arts, the decline has been most severe in adults ages 18-24. The decline in reading has consequences that go beyond literature. The significance of reading has become a persistent theme in the world. The decline of reading is also taking its toll in the civic sphere. A study by National Conference of State Legislatures said, “Young people do not understand the ideals of citizenship… and their appreciation and support of American democracy is limited.
Gioia also uses reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims to evidence. Between the two studies I explained above, they both say that Americans ages 15-26 are decreasing the amount they read. This longstanding and fundamental
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Dana Gioia uses persuasive elements such as surveys to show the decline in Americans reading. Not only does this make young Americans feel stupid, it also makes the United States look bad. The survey that would persuade more people to read would be the “Reading at Risk” article. This article says that literary readers are markedly more civically engaged than non readers and that their social and cultural interactions may lie in the kind of civic and historical
Dana Giola believes literature is a crucial part of life, especially for young adults. In her passage “Why Literature Matters” she describes that young Americans' interests have diminished for literature. She persuades her audience using ethos, logos, and cause-and-effect reasoning. Giola starts off her passage by describing the interest young Americans showed in arts which “actually diminished”(Giola 1) because of how they “taught reading comprehension”(Giola 2).
In this essay the author, Dana Gioia, discusses his opinion on the effect of a decline in reading. Gioia starts by introducing his topic and than giving his theme statement. Now we all know his purpose for the article. He begins his explanation by discussing the development of a young adults mind. The theme of reading being important to young adult’s, seems to flow through this piece.
The article “Why Don’t Teens Read For Pleasure Like They Use To?” by Jennifer Ludden, writes about teens not reading as much and why aren’t they reading. Ludden uses logos and people to show the drop-off reading among teens. The author utilize people and data to support the drop-off in reading amidst teens.
(Westport) If people were trying to get the novel out of school systems because it still isn’t relevant why would they still be buying the book almost as much as people were years and years ago. Also according to the same article “It was the best selling book 50 years ago and nothing really has changed. Or at least people still carry the book out into their lives and many even without reading the book or watching the movie know what the book is about.” (Westport) People may be consistently trying to get the book out of their lives but people are also constantly bringing the book into their lives so what would the good be out of trying to take away this book because it isn’t relevant
In “Reading and Thought” by Dwight Macdonald, Macdonald raises the idea of reading deeply and how our society has changed its reading style. He points out that our modern society constantly reads irrelevant information in articles, newspapers, or magazines in our daily lives. A term called “functional curiosity” is a person’s interest in being amused, entertained or wanting to know what’s happening around the world. According to Henry Luce, the creator of Time magazine, “Functional Curiosity grows as the number of educated peoples grows.” Macdonald argues that being “functionally curious” is not functional because it does not help the individual function.
Ray Bradbury depicts a future society in Fahrenheit 451 where reading is viewed as harmful and pointless. The government's decision to burn books did not come out of nowhere; rather, it was made after the populace as a whole ceased reading and lost interest in censorship. This begs the question of whether such a scenario is conceivable in the society we live in now and whether reading and books might experience a complete loss of interest. Furthermore, a complete loss of interest in reading and books in our society is impropobable concerns have been raised regarding the reading habits and the emergence of digital media.
Ideas and knowledge are stored. Mistakes are logged and learning is developed. Literature defines humankind. So why would the Government take it away? In Ray Bradbury’s novel, Fahrenheit 451, Guy Montag lingers in a world where literature is burned by fireman in front of the reader’s eyes.
(Rich, Literacy Debate, The New York Times). Reading books seems to be a thing of the past, thus thrusting online reading into the future and that is not necessarily a bad thing. I do research every day and, quite frankly, about ninety percent (90%) of the things
Behind each movie lies the meaningful aspects and significant features worth noticing. All movies and books can be carefully examined and interpreted. Thomas C. Foster’s How to Read Literature Like a Professor provides a new view on interpreting literature. In the novel, Foster identifies and analyzes common patterns, themes, and motifs found in literature, many of which are also present in Disney’s film, Maleficent. This movie showcases several of his ideas, including quests, flight, geography, and symbolism.
In this essay, "Why Literature Matters", author Dana Gioia sets up an argument about literature. Which she uses various ways to persuade her audience be in favor of her proposal; by showing statistic evidence, facts, and historical evidence, as well as some ironies, diction, and the appeals to reader's emotion. First of all, Gioia begins with strong appeals to reader's logos by clearly laying out the statistic source. For example, "According to the 2002 survey of Public Participation in the Arts, the reading population of the Americans is declining. " In turn, is an attempt to point out the thesis statement and make the readers to think out about this topic wile reading through her essay.
In the article, “Why Literature Matters” by Dana Gioia, he states that the decline of interest in literature—especially from young teens—will have a negative outcome in society. Notably, he informs the readers by utilizing strong vocabulary, as well as rhetorical appeals to persuade his audience that the decline in reading will have a negative outcome. This allows readers to comprehend his views and join his side of the argument. Gioia’s word choice assists in showing the magnitude of the text by stressing the meaning and importance of his argument.
Not reading has many negative consequences associated with it. Studies have proven that unlike readers, non-readers are less empathetic and understanding of others feelings and perspectives on the world. It is very likely that those who do not read will not be nearly as enthusiastic or willing to volunteer and be a part of their community. Non-readers are very passive in comparison to those who do in fact read (Gioia 423). People who do not read are less focused and often fill their days with readily made media like smart phones, television, movies, and video games.
As the digital age comes upon us, more and more Americans become dissatisfied with the state of literacy in this generation. Because the Internet paves the way for shorter and shorter interactions, namely articles versus novels and six-second viral videos versus films, many people that grew up in the age of the Internet have a preference for this condensed form of entertainment. Dana Gioia of The New York Times asserts in his essay “Why Literature Matters” that the decline of reading in America is destined to have a negative impact on society as a whole. Gioia opens his essay with a bittersweet account of which trend is occurring in the twenty-first century America arts scene. He notes that as college attendance rates blossom, the interest
Payton Lehnerz English B CP Final Essay American Literature: How it Changed Over Time Literature has been a constant expression of artistic emotion throughout history. Over the course of the years, Literature has developed and changed due to America’s evolution. These changing time periods can be classified into 9 eras: Colonial, Revolutionary, Romantic, Transcendental, Realism, Modern, Harlem Renaissance, Beat Generation, and Postmodern. Throughout the changing history, new literary eras have begun in response to previous eras and events. American Literature has changed over time by adapting previous values, beliefs, and literary characteristics when a new era presents itself; this progression is due to changing societal views in
Everyone knows that reading is important, but have you ever asked yourself why is that so? Reading is one of the most beneficial and practical activities that a human being can do. Unfortunately it is a disappointment that people these days read less. As we know, books were the main source of entertainment centuries ago, but with the widespread of technological advances such as the cinema, television, internet, among others, many people left their books on the bookshelf. The purpose of this speech is to present the benefits and the importance of reading.