Summary Of The Decline Of Reading In America By Dana Gioia

In the passage, Dana Gioia tries to persuade her audience to believe that the decline of reading in America will have a negative effect on society. She thoroughly explains that reading and studying literature is a principal practice that all people should embrace, as it develops essential skills needed in the common workplace. She achieves this task through using evidence to support her claims, reasoning to develop ideas and connect to claims and evidence, and stylistic syntax and diction to add power to the ideas expressed. Gioia sites various examples and evidence to support her claims and findings. She refers to diverse official surveys and polls throughout the passage to support her claims, connect her writing, and transition into different ideas and standpoints. For example, in paragraph six, she uses the 2001 poll conducted by the National Association of Manufacturers to expound on how a lack of reading ability affects individuals in the workplace. Gioia also uses this reference to transition into the next paragraphs and point out how a …show more content…
First, she introduces introduces her argument, second, she provides a valid source of evidence to support her claim, and last, she sums up her stance through reasoning. Gioia displays this structure in her passage by using the first four paragraphs as her introduction to her argument, the next three paragraphs as her evidence and supporting examples, and then the last three to sum up her claims and explain why they are important and relevant to our society today. Through the use of this structure, a reader can understand very easily the point being made by the author and confirm that the author’s argument is valid and applicable to the present. Gioia’s reasoning connects her argument and develops ideas substantially throughout the passage, and with stylistic diction added to the writing, the argument becomes connected to the reader in an emotional