Dana Gioia Analysis

　　In the essay “Reading and Thought”, Dwight MacDonlad talked about the kind of poor reading people are attached to in modern society. MacDonald believed reading materials such as Times and New York Times are too overwhelming for the readers. Readers tend to skim through the reading materials because most of the reading do not have any connections with their daily lives. Moreover, MacDoanld claimed that the readings people do these days are not thoughtful. The readings are rather irrelevant toward the readers. It is because the journalists to produce dull pieces of readings which are meant to be skimmed through without having too much thoughts involved. As the journalists do not have much consideration of the materials they produced. To the journalists the readings they produce are just a series of news that should be read driftly and left behind with no thoughful idea needed to be informed. These effects caused modern society to have a poor reading habits because people do not reflect and give time to think about the readings they did. Readers casually accept the readings even though they do not have provide any resourceful information for the readers.

Reading is an important part of people 's lives and how society functions. The amount of literature someone reads impacts the amount of success they will have academically( Issitt and Cook 1 of 7). Reading also helps to advance reading skills for later use in life and future jobs it improves the lives of people. Whether engaged in a book, a newspaper or looking at random signs a requirement of basic reading skills is needed for engagement and interpretation of the world surroundings(Hoss 1 of 2).. To be a successful student a reader uses background knowledge for different subjects. Students with the right reading skills can in the future develop this more to a higher academically or professional level(Hoss 2 of 2). Once developed written words are easier to interpret; to their advantage they use the information to better improve their lives(Hoss 2 of 2). There are major problems that arise when someone has little or no reading experience. "A person with low reading ability may not be able to read signs, understand medical information or prescription directions, or apply for jobs that require basic test

The decline of reading by Americans isn´t by all Americans, Dana Gioia states that the “ declines have been most severe among younger adults ages 18-24.” (pg 1) Dana uses this fact from the 2002 survey to support her conclusion that the decline of reading will have a negative effect on society because it “ signifies deep transformations into a contemporary life.” (pg 1)

LIterature matters because it’s used more in society and helps more than people think. Americans have had a decline in the Arts. Dana Gioia believes that the decline of reading in American will have a negative effect on society. Dana uses data from surveys to let people know of the fast decline of reading. Which makes him persuasive because this shows he’s not just saying that Americans don't read, he is showing that this is the truth. Now people will actually believe what he is saying. Dana also uses quotes from other people. This is important because it’s not only Dana saying these things now it’s other people. His audience can see that this is actually a growing negative effect on society. Dana shows that even in workplaces they would like

Reading is immensely important to society. That's why Dana Gioia persuades us that without reading are society gets scarily terrible. She persuades us using facts and emotional words or phrases.

Contrary to an escalation in income, technology, and higher education levels, American Interest in Literature is deteriorating much to the dismay of author Dana Gioia. In his argument “Why Literature Matters”, he stresses the importance of literature in an intellectual society. Through Gioa’s use of statistical evidence and emotional appeal, he builds his argument through which he attempts to persuade his readers of the detrimental impact a decline in reading will have on society.

The main idea of Stephen L. Carter “Reading for Pleasure Is in Painful Decline” is that today’s generation are not reading books that make them use their intelligence and that literature skills are important to our society’s democracy. Throughout the book the author explains to us on how books are important to us. The author also uses many rhetorical devices such as allusion and anecdote. The author argues that people are not reading books that are hard.

The importance in Literacy is that it helps us do jobs in life. I can tell you that a lot of jobs in life have some type of literacy in them. The type of literacy that the jobs have is reading, spelling, grammar, and writing. I have a feeling that the jobs wouldn’t let you work for them if you don’t have the literacy skills needed or you wouldn’t get the money that you are supposed to. I would not have someone work for me if they don’t have the literacy skills needed to do the job.

This article named “Do Today’s Youth Read Less than Past Generations?” which support Americans to read more books and enhance reading and writing abilities, was written by Dana Gioia, who is a writer and served as the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts as well. In this article, writer wrote a number of different aspects of influences, which involved in social, economic, cultural and civic implications, when people read less, to persuade individuals to improve their reading abilities. I am of the same mind of the author; in my perspective, reading skill is a kind of basic ability for the modern civilian, it is really important in this society, even if the media technologies are developed very well.

We live in a society today that is for the most part illiterate. Literacy isn’t just the ability to read words on a page. Infact, according to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy, Literacy means the ability to use printed and written information to function in society, accomplish one’s goals, and develop one’s knowledge and potential.

It is a proven fact through the ages that knowledge is power, and the way to achieve unbridled knowledge is to be informed by having the ability to read and comprehend text. In addition, the ability to comprehend text coupled with one’s ability to express thoughts through written form is a powerful combination. Ippolito, Steele, & Samson (2008). puts it this way, if knowledge is power, then literacy opens the door to the whole kingdom. Ippolito et al. (2008) goes on to point out that the ability to have access to book learning was often limited to a privileged minority and this practice continues in different areas of the world today. This day and age where society is driven by digital technology, the availability of written text is so much

Literacy affects both the economic and social well-being of individuals. The lack of literacy skills is linked to an individual’s ability to obtain and retain employment which in turn hurts Canada’s opportunity for innovation and productivity. Inadequate literacy skills in the workplace may endanger public health and safety. People with low literacy have been found to be in poorer health and more socially isolated (OECD, 2013). Four out of ten adult Canadians, age 16 to 65 or about nine million struggle with low literacy at the middle school level or lower (Laubach, 2016). Even more alarming is the prediction that the number of low-literacy adults will increase to 25% by 2031 (CBC, 2010). Therefore, in order to stem these literacy-related issues, it is crucial that quality programs for literacy providers be available so that they, in turn, can provide relevant literacy training and support lifelong learning for low literacy learners.

The ability to read is not just a skill, but a key to the door of life. Reading is powerful in that it can transport, transform and tailor a reader’s mind in millions of ways. I read to imagine, to learn, and experience both new and exciting things. Reading uplifts, educates, and armors me to live a better life. My generation, however, is not one of readers. My generation has been enticed by the aura of technology, an increasing problem I see overlooked.

First it is important to note that contrary to popular belief lack of literacy is not the fault of the student. It is common for children who have difficulty reading and writing to be seen as lazy, or lacking a proper work ethic. However the responsibility remains on their teachers, and the education program that a school has in place surrounding English. In low performing school districts these standards are lowered, and many times teachers lower the standards for themselves as a result. Due to this lack of motivation and the declining proficiency of students in the United States, literacy rates have been dropping drastically. this set of statistics is shocking

Specific Background: There are a large amount of articles that discusses the advantages and disadvantages of reading. Some authors discuss the negative sides of reading and literateness while others wrote the article which is about the positive sides. One of those types of articles is “Why our future depends on libraries, reading and daydreaming” by Neil Gaiman who is an outstanding English author of fictions, novels, comic books, and so on.