Dana Gioia's Why Literature Matters

The modern era of America has featured many problematic situations in recent time, but the most notable example is the lack of appreciation for literature that young adults possess. The element of Reading is a very unique, critical, and highly valuable skill in society that one should master. The author of the article “Why Literature Matters”, Dana Gioia, takes an in-depth look into why literature should be appreciated and the future consequences that will soon come due to the lack of reading. In order to support the claims made in the article, Gioia utilizes multiple resources such as studies done by professional agencies. Gioia develops a successful argument that persuades the reader very well because of the use of professional studies, tragic consequences, and supporting claims.
Gioia’s argument is well constructed due to the amount of studies and surveys cited in the article. Within in the article, Gioia utilizes the …show more content…
Although it can be said that Gioia states some consequences of not reading literature which are not backed by research, there are plenty of consequences that she uses that are backed by studies. For instance, Gioia uses the studies done by “The National Association of Manufacturers” and “The National Conference of State Legislatures” to present that many hourly workers are poor readers and that many young adults do not appreciate and support American democracy due to the lack of knowledge. In order to be more persuasive, Gioia places a lot of emphasis on the topic of consequences and what these consequences will mean in the long term, such as “The decline of literary reading foreshadows serious long-term social and economic problems.” The emphasis that the author places on the consequences of not reading literature showcases the position of the author and how they see literature as a friend rather than a