Author, Dana Gioia in her writing, “ Why literature matters,” explains the positive and negative effects of the decrease in literature. Dana Gioia purpose is to convey the message that literature is important. He realizes that the significance of reading is continuing to become a meaningful theme in the business world. He recalls an example to prove to his audience of his statement. In the feburary wired magazine, Dana Gioia Stated, “The February issue of Wired magazine, for example, sketches a new set of mental skills and habits proper to the 21st century, aptitudes decidedly literary in character: “ (P.5 Gioia) Dana Gioia also establishes messages through her total audience as whole through the use of diction, tone and appeals to the reader emotions.
In “Why Literature Matters”, the Dana Gioia emphasizes the importance of literature. Using logos and pathos, he justifies his claim on how the waning interest in literature is affecting America’s society in many negative ways. In the sixth paragraph, he uses logos to appeal to the working class by referring to a poll in 2001 taken by the National Association of Manufacturers. The poll was taken on their members about the skill deficiencies among their workers.
English class should be a place of imagination and creativity, where great works of fiction are read and not reduced to a moral value. Prose states, “Only rarely do teachers propose writing must be worth reading closely. Instead, students are informed that literature is principally a vehicle for the soporific moral blather that they suffer daily from their parents” (93). Books should be enjoyed and not feel like punishment. Many students today are feeling exactly that, that books are just assignments that need to be completed and not enjoyed.
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).
Additionally, it suggests that books are not just a source of entertainment but also serve an important function in society
Books have a history of impacting the views of the masses, influencing thought and bringing about the most spectacular inventions; the Bible, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, The Republic, and so many more. With books playing such a role in society, it is hard to imagine a world without literature. This is the goal of Ray Bradbury’s book, Fahrenheit 451: to explore a world where reading is outlawed, and to show how books, or the lack of, change the way people feel and connect. The general people who do not read, including the protagonist, Guy Montag, seem discontent with their lives and derive no real joy. Conversely, the readers and the thinkers are kinder, bolder, and humorous; Faber and Clarise, for example, leave powerful impacts on Montag with their thinking.
Novels flourish a persons imagination and present advances in their independent knowledge. Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451 displays a society deprived of novels, leading Montag to the realization of affects novels have on people. Montag fought for what he believed in, the right to read and learn from numerous novels, containing various topics ranging from innocent child books to vulgarity stricken novels. “The School Library versus the School Board: An Exploration of the Book Banning Trend of the 1980s” contains several arguments Montag would agree with, such as, “Even when a book contains language that is not appropriate for everyday use or describes unsavory ideas or feelings, the ability of the book to have a positive impact on the reader or provoke discussion or awareness is not necessarily diminished.” This quote symbolizes the positive viewpoints an “objectable book” most definitely possesses.
In Fahrenheit 451, the fire chief says that “‘Authors, full of evil thoughts, lock up your type writers. They [do],’”(57). It is seen through real world events recently that falsehoods spread by trusted people hurt people. In the novel, books and authors were taboo.
Fiction is a forgotten gem; an untapped well of knowledge. It deals with the things that make us fundamentally human, such as conflict, passion, love, lust, jealousy, and hatred. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee highlights the truths about racism and especially stereotypes. In Lord of The Flies, William Golding focuses on the darkness that lives within all human beings. In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury writes about the mistakes society makes when depending solely on technology and not allowing fiction to even exist in people’s households.
How do books affect a person’s individuality/uniqueness? The 16 personalities that are devoid of the world of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, each being boiled down to the knowledgeable, the ignorant, and the hostile. People are molded around society’s mental experience, their knowledge and personality affected by the media, or rather, the lack of books. Through semantics and comprehension, Bradbury proves to readers that Montag, Mildred, and Beatty, while all possessing versatile personalities, form opinions; they grow up or stay unaccepted mentally when exposed to books.
In Guy’s case, he becomes a fugitive and joins Granger’s elite society. Both governments are fearful of the messages books can convey to citizens and the result of this message. This idealistic view that can be imparted upon people proves a book’s uncanny ability to immerse a reader into another world full of new knowledge, beliefs, and opportunities.
Since a novel is more enjoyable than a factual text the novel can influence the readers understanding of history. “Happy-ever-after is a fairy-tale notion, not history. I know of no woman who escaped
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
Is Robert Penn Warren’s claim that fiction makes us feel significant in our everyday lives accurate? Warren believes that fiction can fulfill a person’s wants and desires. Robert Penn Warren’s claim that fiction makes people feel significant is accurate. NEED MORE. People who read fiction are able to gain a sense of significance by living vicariously through characters within the piece of fiction they are reading.
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.
