WHY LITERATURE MATTERS
The article written by Dana Gioia describes the inadequate education on reading skills of today’s society. The author tried to portray the American population as one that the illiterate rate is extremely high. The cause of which is not explained, but the article seem to have an extremely large database of numbers of percentages of people with deficiency in reading. In summary, the article dictates that by reading prominent works of acclaimed literature, such as Uncle Tom’s Cabin, one may presume to know the history and political knowledge of that period in American history. The author also tells the reader that by becoming a better reader, one is able to achieve greater success in the social-economical world.
The author is very precise in his writing of this article, and he has a tendency to generalize. The article is written in a form of a warning, and contains many quotes and documents in which prominent figures in history (or present) have stated their love for literature, and the literary arts.
This article does not contain many flower imagery, nor does it contain any excessive use of adjectives, thus its premise of argument was clearly stated. The author wrote with a serious tone, and clearly stressed the importance of literary arts and its connections to both the historic world, the present world, and those of the future.
People may argue that this article contains a certain degree of truth, and that they literary article delivered a strong and concise message that Americans should be better educated in their ability to read. The author has many supportive ideas on the causes of deficiency in reading, and the problems that ensues, but his examples of so-called “important works” are all but fiction. He employs this examples in paragraphs in which he tries to persuade his readers to read those “important works” in order to understand the history of the world. For explanation purposes, lets take the example of the author’s recommendation: Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Uncle Tom’s Cabin was a book written during the abolitionist movement during the nineteen century in America. The book is considered historic fiction, in which non-existent characters plan and execute an escape plan out of the United States and into Canada. Uncle Tom’s Cabin cannot be considered a reliable source when it comes to learning American history (besides a published classroom text book), thus, the author failed to prove his point by reading this “important works” one may be able to better understand history.
In my own opinion, the article was a pleasure to read, and it provided some witty quotes, but it failed to provide a solution to the deficiency in reading. That article’s tone was more of a complaint and/or warning, but not one that stated a situation, then a remedy. It does not take a whole article to provide proof of deficiency in reading in America, but it does require at least a whole article to help reverse the deficiency rate.
“The multitude of books is making us ignorant.”
~ Voltaire 17th century humanist and philosopher
The author is very precise in his writing of this article, and he has a tendency to generalize. The article is written in a form of a warning, and contains many quotes and documents in which prominent figures in history (or present) have stated their love for literature, and the literary arts.
This article does not contain many flower imagery, nor does it contain any excessive use of adjectives, thus its premise of argument was clearly stated. The author wrote with a serious tone, and clearly stressed the importance of literary arts and its connections to both the historic world, the present world, and those of the future.
People may argue that this article contains a certain degree of truth, and that they literary article delivered a strong and concise message that Americans should be better educated in their ability to read. The author has many supportive ideas on the causes of deficiency in reading, and the problems that ensues, but his examples of so-called “important works” are all but fiction. He employs this examples in paragraphs in which he tries to persuade his readers to read those “important works” in order to understand the history of the world. For explanation purposes, lets take the example of the author’s recommendation: Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Uncle Tom’s Cabin was a book written during the abolitionist movement during the nineteen century in America. The book is considered historic fiction, in which non-existent characters plan and execute an escape plan out of the United States and into Canada. Uncle Tom’s Cabin cannot be considered a reliable source when it comes to learning American history (besides a published classroom text book), thus, the author failed to prove his point by reading this “important works” one may be able to better understand history.
In my own opinion, the article was a pleasure to read, and it provided some witty quotes, but it failed to provide a solution to the deficiency in reading. That article’s tone was more of a complaint and/or warning, but not one that stated a situation, then a remedy. It does not take a whole article to provide proof of deficiency in reading in America, but it does require at least a whole article to help reverse the deficiency rate.
“The multitude of books is making us ignorant.”
~ Voltaire 17th century humanist and philosopher