Summary Of Why Literature Matters By Dana Gioia

Diagnostic Revision Despite great leaps and bounds in sectors such as the information media and higher education, young Americans are showing increasingly less and less interest in the arts and literature. In "Why Literature Matters," author Dana Gioia poses a compelling argument that a decline in literary interest poses a threat to American society and economy. One of the broader notions presented in the essay is that skills gained through reading literature are conducive to an individual's survival in the business world and participation in the civic world. Gioia deftly delivers a cogent argument to sway his readers by using real-world applications of literary skills, citations of credible sources, and evocative language. Gioia argues

As a whole, his careful word choice, normally portraying literature in a highly positive light, is used to give his argument emotional appeal. For example, in the sentence "That individuals at a time of crucial intellectual and emotional development bypass the joys and challenges of literature is a troubling trend," his usage of "joys" and "challenges' in reference to literature would evoke positive images of literature, perhaps of enjoyable but difficult novels, in the minds of his audience. This would prompt them to think of literature in a positive way, and to view a decline of interest in it as highly regretful. Gioia's usage of "crucial intellectual and emotional development" sway an audience to believe that a lack of interest in literature is a pity, due to the great benefits it could have on an individual undergoing that period of their life. In reference to the abilities that literature helps develop, Gioia uses the word "talents." The usage of the word "talent" (usually used in reference to rare skills) would drive a reader to believe that the skills acquired through reading are unique and desirable. Thus, again, a reader would view a decline in literary reading as being