The Dark Night Of The Soul By Richard Miller Summary

Richard E. Miller’s, “The Dark Night of the Soul,” he uses an example of a school shooting disaster to bring forth the dangers of overlooking the importance of reading and writing. In the midst of recent school tragedies, with violence and danger all around us, Miller’s discussion is especially relevant to composition instructors who worry about how to teach today’s students. There’s no easy way to balance writing and reading with advancing technology. With violence flooding news headlines and media, students’ lives seem to be more disturbed than ever. Miller is concerned with the students of today and how they are being taught or even what they are being taught. He suggests an upcoming change in schooling where teachers and lectures would help students to become critical thinkers, writers, readers and more profound gratitude for the written word. …show more content…
We have been learning reading, writing, and literate arts for years and years, and now Miller is questioning the very basis of these. He voices concerns such as, “Does reading really possess curative powers?” (Miller 9). “How and in what limited ways might reading and writing be made to matter in the new world that is evolving before our eyes?” (Miller 13). “Is it possible to produce writing that generates a greater sense of connection to the world and its inhabitants?” (Miller 65). “We live in the Information Age and all the information is telling us that whatever we have done, whatever we are doing, and whatever we plan to do will never have any lasting significance.” (Miller 22). These are just a few of Miller’s anxieties expressed throughout his