Dana Gioia's Why Literature Matters

Larissa MacFarquhar’s essay titled,“Who Cares if Johnny Can’t Read?” , was published in the Slate magazine in 1997, rebuts the misconception that Americans in today’s society don’t read as much as people did in the past. MacFarquhar presented factual information to back up her claim that Americans do read and that they read more now than they ever did. In addition, people do not read classics as much as they read genre fiction and self-help in today’s society. MacFarquhar also stated that reading books is better than television. According to MacFarquhar, she believed that reading can stimulate emotions and allow people to participate unlike television. Later, she acknowledged that certain television can also stimulate emotions and allow people

Today, no one seems to give much value of literary works or reading. Not because it doesn’t give anything beneficiary, but because not everyone had the urged to at least finish a book. We now live in a world where social medias almost dominates our daily activities. It’s unlikely to have a place for us to consume a non-fiction or fiction book. As absurd as it sounds but that’s how people often think. We now live in an egalitarian society, where everyone is given the freedom and right of its own.

Dana Gioia calls out millennials and younger generations in america, to spark a conversation about the increasingly declining and destructive behavior of NOT reading! Gioia makes very many fantastic points and uses very many persuasive elements on why literacy actually is vital to to our society and the negative effects that come from this lack of literacy. She gives us factual evidence and credible sources to pull the reader into her side of the argument.

When was the last time you read a book. I guarantee that your parents & grandparents still read books. Though, people around my age have begun to read less often. Which is why Dana Gioia wrote this article. She tries to persuade reading literature to inspire my generation to read more by stating facts from different sources.

Dana Giola writes an essay persuading the american people, specifically young adults, to read more in order to achieve a better understanding of the world as well as learning how to interpret and comprehend any type of text, even in the workplace. Dana builds her argument by blending quotes and facts to illustrate how reading less diminishes society as a whole. The author first builds her argument by revealing to us how a decline in reading affects our ability to think creatively. We are told that the more we read, the more we are able to use our imagination to solve problems and create new ideas.

Dana Gioia builds an argument to persuade american citizens that the decline in reading in america will have a negative effect on society. The decline of reading in the point of view of dana will decline americans knowledge

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

In the article, “Why Literature Matters”, the author, Dana Gioia, states how reading is taking a turn downhill as young adults are not reading literature. Gioia addresses that in order to fix the issue, politicians and business communities need to try and fix the problems. Dana Gioia uses a series of logical appeals to show how the decrease in literature is affecting the society.

The negative diction that Gioia expresses lets his argument linger in the readers mind. The harsh word choice also maintains the ongoing importance and critical outcomes that may follow. Gioia states that as "more Americans lose this [reading] capability, our nation becomes less informed, active and independent minded." Gioia uses "less" and "lose" to show the declining factor that non-literary readers bring.

As a young girl, I remember my grandma used to read me a story every night before bed. Now that I’m older I find writing as an escape, a way to let my feelings out. However, in the persuasive essay, “Why Literature Matters” by Dana Gioia, it is brought to light that literature is a dying subject. The author informs the reader of this tragedy by providing a solid, well built argument, and backing it up with factual evidence.

In the excerpt from “Why Literature Matters”, Dana Gioia uses evidence-based phrases that detail how a lack of reading has affected society. One of the strategies used to illustrate his point is to present a paragraph about why the use of literature, or lack thereof, is important, and then making a new paragraph to support his claim with evidence. An example of this is in the paragraph beginning with “The decline of…” being followed by “It is probably”. The first paragraph states that without literature,”[Young people's] appreciation and support of American democracy is limited”, and the next backs it up by saying that citizens who read take up other civilised acts more commonly as compared to those who don't.

The youth of America’s society is starting to grow up without the arts of literature. The idea that adolescents’ interest in reading has decline is clearly express by Dana Gioia, in the article, “Why Literature Matters”. The author uses different illustration to persuade the readers of his argument. One persuasion method he utilizes is describing the consequences of reading and not reading to display the reality of the dilemma.

The Premature Obituary of the Book: Why Literature is an essay written by Mario Vargas Llosa. In this essay Llosa writes that it is crucial for literature to be a part of people’s lives. In Why Literature he writes that reading is important for the mind, communication, and developing knowledge about life and democratic ideals. Reading is not only important for one’s self but for the world. Just as he mentioned in his quote, it’s not just about the leaf, or the person, but its about seeing the world in different ways and being able to experience and gain knowledge on all subjects. Through his writing he gives many valid points as to why reading literature is important to people of all ages and genders all around the world. Llosa’s persuasive essay is relatable and can get readers thinking about the importance of reading by using many valid points in his essay. Llosa presents his reading to many different audiences and he effectively persuades the audience through his points given in the reading. He does this because he wants the reader to understand why it is necessary for people to learn and experience new things through reading literature and other texts.

Is literacy, the value of literature, and its ability to adapt to the needs of its audience