This is shown in the second paragraph, when Gioia says, “The declines have been most severe among younger adults (ages 18-24).

Every day authors receive letters from readers that say, ''Your book changed my life." It is probably no surprise that declining rates of literary reading coincide with declining levels of historical and political awareness among young people. Against the downturn in American literary compassion which encompasses the reading industry in a negative demeanor, in his article “Why literature matters”, Dana Gioia has depicted reading as a core asset in any intellect-based society or civic spheres. . The decline of literary reading foreshadows serious long-term social and economic problems, and it is time to bring literature and the other arts into discussions of public policy.

The most worrisome finding in the 2002 study, however, is the declining percentage of Americans, especially young adults, reading literature. Literature is a catalyst for education and culture. Literary reading also enhances and enlarges our humility by helping us imagine and understand lives quite different from our own. These stories usally help us with moral guidance and issues of life (ugly duckling, nursery rhymes etc). Reading starts from when we are little and our parents read us bed time stories. History reveals case after case of famous people whose lives were transformed by literature. They will add to their studies geography, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, he continued, so that This strong diction helps convince the reader that literature is very important because they do not want to be affected in their jobs and social circles. In focusing on the social advantages of a literary education, however, we should not overlook the personal impact. reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence. By the mid 20th century, America boasted internationally preeminent traditions in literature, art, music, dance, theater, and cinema. One reason for their higher social and cultural interactions may lie in the kind of civic and historical knowledge that comes with literary reading. .

123Helpme.com. In a 2000 survey of college seniors from the top 55 colleges, the Roper Organization found that 81 percent could not earn a grade of C on a high school-level history test. (Only jazz has shown a tiny increase -- thank you, Ken Burns.) Little of the frenetic activity it … He says, “Libraries, schools, and public agencies do noble work, but addressing the reading issue will require the leadership of politicians and the business community as well” (Gioia). He talks about the decline of reading over the years and the effects it has on different companies and communities. "Why Literature Matters" Dana Gioia discusses the importance and decline of literature in his essay Why Literature Matters. But a strange thing has happened in the American arts during the past quarter century. If the 21st-century American economy requires innovation and creativity, solid reading skills and the imaginative growth fostered by literary reading are central elements in that program. Corporate America makes similar complaints about a skill intimately related to reading -- writing. Without a literary inheritance, the historical past is impoverished. The decline in reading has consequences that go beyond literature. That such a longstanding and fundamental cultural activity should slip so swiftly, especially among young adults, signifies deep transformations in contemporary life. stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion, to add power to the ideas expressed. When the great Victorian thinker John Stuart Mill suffered a crippling depression in late-adolescence, the poetry of Wordsworth restored his optimism and self-confidence -- a ''medicine for my state of mind," he called it. The evidence of literature's importance to civic, personal, and economic health is too strong to ignore. Likewise our notions of American populism come more from Walt Whitman's poetic vision than from any political tracts. As more Americans lose this capability, our nation becomes less informed, active, and independent-minded. Among hourly workers, poor reading skills ranked second, and 38 percent of employers complained that local schools inadequately taught reading comprehension.