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Dana Gioia's Essay Why Literature Matters

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Knowledge is Power Dana Gioia makes a compelling case in his essay "Why Literature Matters," that society would suffer as a result of the reduction in reading in America. Former Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts Dana Gioia argues that literature has the power to educate, inform, and inspire, and that the loss of emotion and intellect could have severe consequences for society as a whole. In this essay, I will analyze how Gioia builds his argument through the use of rhetorical devices, statistics, and personal anecdotes Gioia starts his essay by emphasizing the significance of literature in human history. He observes that "literacy is a form of human expression" and that it has been critical to the advancement of civilization. …show more content…

He uses statistics from a 2004 survey by the National Endowment for the Arts to demonstrate that reading in America has declined in recent decades. He notes that "The percentage of adults who read literature has dropped dramatically over the past two decades," and that this decline is particularly directed toward young people . By presenting this data, Gioia demonstrates that the decline of reading is a real and significant issue that must be addressed. To further strengthen his argument, Gioia uses personal anecdotes to illustrate the benefits of reading. He notes that "reading books can be a form of self-discovery," and that literature has the power to "expand our horizons and help us see the world in a new way." He goes on to describe his own experiences with literature, noting how it has helped him better understand himself and others. Gioia makes his argument more relatable and persuasive by sharing personal stories. Gioia implements rhetorical devices throughout his essay to further persuade his audience. He uses repetition to emphasize the importance of literature, noting that it is "one of the most important things we do," and that it is "essential to the health of our civilization." He also uses metaphors to make his argument more vivid and memorable, noting that "a nation without literature is a nation without a

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Dana Gioia creates a passage encouraging, influencing, and informing the reader of the recent literacy rate decline. He begins by verbalizing the problem, then moving to how it connects to business, then finally the decline affecting politics. Gioia uses evidence such as facts and quotes to support this idea and drive the thoughts into the reader’s head. These strategies, build his argument and assists with persuading the reader on how this decline will have a negative effect on society.

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Dana Gioia uses facts and evidence to back up his claim that the decline of reading in America will have a negative effect on society. Throughout the passage, Gioia gives examples and facts from studies to show how and where the society is altered negatively. In paragraph 2, Gioia uses facts to tell the readers that “the most worrisome finding in the 2002 study” are the “declining percentage of Americans, especially young adults, reading literature.” Gioia uses this is in his passage to show the readers that the study is real and that real factual evidence came out of doing the study.

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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).

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One person, Dana Gioia, strongly believes in this problem and in his article “Why Literature Matters” published in 2005 by The New York Times Company he argues that this lack of literary reading is quickly becoming a problem that will impact the american society. Dana Gioia is effective at persuading the audience that reading literature is imperative to a prosperous society by using his research to support

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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

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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.

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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.

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