In this passage, “Why Literature Matters”, Dana Gioia provides statistics from various sources that show that Americans participation in the arts has steadily declined over the past quarter of a century. She notes the decline is most severe among young adults ages 18-24 and most particularly in reading literature. She argues that this decline in reading will have a negative effect on social and economic aspects of everyday life.
Dana Gioia’s main weapon in this passage is fear. Throughout the passage she peppers the reader with doom and gloom prophecies of a society devoid of reading. She asserts, in more ways than one, that this lack of reading will directly affect young people’s ability to get and hold a job. She cites to an article in Wired magazine that declares a new era afoot in the business world where business leaders seek out individuals that have “the ability to create artistic and emotional beauty, to detect patterns and opportunities, to craft a satisfying narrative.” These are skills “decidedly literary in …show more content…
Gioia argues that it has a far bigger, further reaching impact that just on the pocketbook. The big problem, she argues, is the “toll in the civic sphere.” Gioia references a 2003 study of 15 to 26 year-olds’ civic knowledge that was undertaken by the National Conference of State Legislatures. This study concluded that “young people do not understand the ideals of citizenship… and their appreciation and support of American democracy is limited.” Gioia goes on to point out that declining rates of literary reading also make young people less likely to perform charity work, visit a museum, or attend a sporting event. At the crux of Gioia’s argument is that the decline in literary reading has a far bigger impact than simply less crowded libraries. The effect is economic, social and cultural all rolled into one. She claims there is not a fabric of society not touched by this