In the article, “Why Literature Matters” by Dana Gioia, Gioia makes an argument claiming that the levels of interest young Americans have shown in art in recent years have declined and that this trend is a severe problem with broad consequences. Strategies Gioia employs to support his argument include citation of compelling polls, reports made by prominent organizations that have issued studies, and a quotation from a prominent author. Gioia’s overall purpose in writing this article appears to be to draw attention towards shortcomings in American participation in the arts. His primary audience would be the American public in general with a significant focus on millenials.
In his introduction paragraph, Gioia employs a distinct contrast with several listed positive changes in American life such as increased college attendance and increases in income, with the focus of his article: the
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By citing a quotation from author Daniel Pinks who states, that the talents individuals require for success in the 21st Century are not, “linear, logical, analytic talents,” but ones that provide, “the ability to create artistic and emotional beauty, to detect patterns and opportunities,” and “to craft a satisfying narrative,” Gioia is able to build his point with the agreement of a respected individual. He then immediately follows with a statement that business leaders like to see, “imagination, creativity, and higher order thinking” as qualities for individuals in management positions. This dual utilization of claims from two separate sources conveys to Gioia’s audience the sense that the skills built through immersion in the arts are vital to succeeding in the modern workplace which aids in logically leading his audience to the conclusion that a loss of experience with the arts may foreshadow troubling
Jonathan Gottschall in his article,'' Why fiction is good for you ,'' he begins with question in his article is fiction good for us ? as it's known we spend most of time in our life by read novels , watching films , tv shows and other . Most of these things may affect us in a positive or negative way . Jonathan in his article show us that '' fiction seems to be more effective at changing beliefs than nonfiction, which is designed to persuade through argument and evidence through studies that show us when we read nonfiction, we read with our shields up. We are critical and skeptical. But when we are absorbed in a story, we drop our intellectual guard '' ( Gottschall 3) . He also states in conclusion,'' Reading narrative fiction allows one
In Alice Walker’s story “Everyday Use,” symbolism, allegory, and myth stand out when thinking about the characters, setting, and conflict in the story. The conflict is between the mother and her two daughters (Maggie and Dee). There is also the conflict between the family’s heritage (symbolized by the quilt, bench, and butter chum) and their different ways of life. Dee chose a new African name, moved to the city, and adopted a new way of life while Maggie and her mother have stay behind. The quilt (the most important symbol) represents the family’s heritage in that it is made of scraps of clothing worn by generations of family members. The quilt has been sewn by family hands and used on family beds. It has seen history and is history. Maggie and her mother see that that history is alive but Dee thinks it is as dead as her name. Dee does not see that name as part of her heritage. By analyzing these symbols, a number of possibilities for a theme can be seen. Walker could be suggesting that to understand the African-American heritage, readers have to include the present as well as the past. However, the theme could be that poverty and a lack of sophistication and education cannot be equated with ignorance. Lastly, she could be telling her readers that dignity or self-respect rise from and are virtually connected to one’s entire heritage- not just a selected part of it.
Nilson, Allen Pace & Kenneth L. Donelson. “Stages of Literary Appreciation” in Literature for Today’s Young Adults. Longman, 2001: pp. 35-42. [PDF in Blackboard]
In “Why Literature Matters” the author, Dana Gioia, argues that literature is very important in today’s society. He talks about the decline of reading over the years and the effects it has on different companies and communities. Gioia uses many persuasive techniques, such as evidence, jingoism, and diction, to try and persuade the reader that literature is important.
Solomon, Andrew. “Reading at Risk: Lack of Interest in Literature is a Crisis.” Commentary – Columbia Daily Tribune. 8 Aug. 2004. 19 Sept. 2004. <http://www.showmenews.com/2004/Aug/20040808Comm007.asp>.
Art is something strange and even meaningless in my family tradition. I am from a family of the medical discourse community. Most of my family members have medical degrees. Therefore, they hoped that I could follow the family tradition. However, I chose to follow my dream. According to the book, East Eats West, by Andrew Lam, he mentioned ““America will tell you to look out for number one, to think for yourself […] follow your dream … take care of yourself first … you cannot make anyone else happy if you don’t love yourself” (45). I have to make myself happy before helping and satisfying other people. Therefore, I chose to continue my education in the Digital Media Art (DMA) field because I love technology and art. I believe that I will do well in this profession. Art is created for many reasons, and art can be beautiful, frightening, or provocation (Barrio). In order to explain the discourse community of Digital Media Art, I will use the interview that I had with Ms. A, a professional artist in Graphic Design, and some other research articles. I will include the background and experience, career path, and writing and communication skills of an artist. Also, I will conclude into my writing what surprised me during the interview and what I need to do to make my goal real in the
Sporre, Dennis J. The Creative Impulse: An Introduction to the Arts. 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1996. 310-378.
One of the themes which happens to be the biggest one is burning books because they conflict with each other and the ideas of society. Firemen don't fight fires, they start them when they find books. Recollections and thoughts, writings and teachings from the greatest minds in history go up in flames because the government doesn't want people to fill their heads with it and develop an individual intelligence. The government is afraid of the books because they stimulate people's minds to think for themselves and away from the main track that the general public was expected to follow. The government covered up the problems of the world that still wore on, like war, and didn't let the people see it or have it affect them.
This paper entails the struggle that fine arts are facing in the school systems today. Fine arts include music, art, drama and dance. The funding for most, if not all school systems is being threatened in the worst way. Without proper funding, these programs will become non-existent in children’s lives. Not only are the aforementioned programs responsible for most of the entertainment in today’s school systems, there are many studies that show the significant, positive impacts on students that fine arts such as drama, art, and dance have on students. Below, the struggles of state and national funding for the programs will be discussed, as well as possible solutions that can be made to keep these programs available in schools.
In this notable Ted Talk video "Do schools kill creativity?", Sir Ken Robinson discusses how public education systems demolish creativity because they believe it is essential to the academic growth and success of students. Robinson created a broad arrange of arguments to persuade the viewers to take action on this highly ignored issue, and he primarily focuses on how important creativity is. There are classes within schools that help utilize creativity, but they are not taken seriously by adults in society. Therefore, the value of creative knowledge decreases. Robinson uses an unusual combination of pathos and ethos to make an enjoyable dispute for implementing an education system that nurtures rather than eats away at creativity.
Acceptance is a lesson that some people strive for. Examples can be seen on the news with minorities fighting for the same rights as others and just wanting to be accepted. We see it in your T.V. shows and in your youtube videos and all over including literature. Accepting someone or something can be difficult but it's important we do because if we didn’t the what's the purpose of even existing together. In literature acceptance is discussed either directly or in directly through means in literature and stories such as “ What, of This Goldfish do You Wish”,“Texas V. Johnson The Majority Opinion”, “The Lottery” such as theme.
Caves, R. E. (2000). Creative industries : contracts between art and commerce / Richard E. Caves. Cambridge, Mass. ; London: Harvard University Press.
Have you ever wondered why literature has become what it is today? Why people started to write literature in the first place, and why readers where so motivated about books? Philosophy, the word itself is not as complex as its meaning, but so is literature. Philosophy is a study that seeks answers to enduring questions about existence and reality. The aim of this curiosity for more is the sole purpose to discover the nature of truth and knowledge, finding what is life and its meaning. Philosophy not only examines nature and life, but also humanity as an individual and humanity as a society. These examinations intrigues not only the writers, but also the audience as well, for the reason that philosophy arises from pure wonder, curiosity, and the desire to know and understand, which is what people look for in literature. Philosophers who marked philosophy as it is are, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. These three great philosophers had their own individual judgment, but they all had a common objective, to expand their knowledge and views through the use of literature. As philosophy grew among society and extended throughout the world, people were developing logical reasoning, which became important and influential throughout nations such as Greece and India. Philosophers such as John Locke and Voltaire were the two leading figures in the Enlightenment to provide philosophical literature. Ancient philosophers and enlightenment philosophers both provided the readers a subjective view, using as examples matters such as logic and ethics, but with many more aspects of philosophy also presented by these men of thought. Throughout the years, the inclusion of philosophy has changed literature itself with the rise of curiosity and reasoning,...
As quoted by the College Board of 2005, “Students who took four years of arts coursework outperformed their peers who had one half-year or less of arts coursework by fifty-eight points on the verbal portion and thirty-eight points on the math portion of the SAT.” Many articles on the internet claim that education of the arts is important, not paramount, but statistics are showing otherwise. The creativity students are gaining by participating in the arts does not go unnoticed, but unfortunately not all can open their minds to these striking facts. Need Ghomeshi, editor of Florida International University’s student media site (fiusm.com) believes that “more time needs to be allocated to textbook education. Unfortuantely, the continuously disappointing public education system in the United States promotes the arts while losing focus on textbook education” (Ghomeshi 2). It is in times like these that the arts need attention that they sadly, are not getting. These studies are of the utmost importance in education curriculums, and statistics are showing that participation in theatre, dance, visual arts and music are extremely beneficial for students getting ready to begin standardized testing. An arts education assists children and teens of all ages with a stronger focus and mindset in and out of the school setting. The significance
“Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become,” said C.S. Lewis, noted author. This quote, to me, is the most appropriate description of the importance of literature in our lives. Literature reminds us of stories, epics, sacred scriptures and classical works of the ancient and modern times, in which the book To Kill a Mockingbird clearly does. Literature is defined as the body of written works of a language, period or culture, produced by scholars and researchers, specialized in a given field. Why is literature important? Well, let’s see as stated in the quotation by C.S. Lewis, literature not only describes reality but also adds to it. Yes, literature is not merely a depiction of reality; it is rather a value-addition. Literary works are portrayals of the thinking patterns and social norms prevalent in society. They are an illustration of the different facets of common man's life. Literary works serve as a food for thought and a tonic for imagination and creativity. Exposing an individual to good literary works, is equivalent to providing him/her with the finest of educational opportunities. On the other hand, the lack of exposure to literary works is equal to depriving an individual from an opportunity to grow as an individual. To Kill a Mockingbird provides its readers with the ‘finest of educational opportunities’ and that is why it is an important literary work. Harper Lee’s book is a powerful literary work because of the following literary devices employed: Setting, Allegory, and point of view. However before one can dissect the devices used, one must h...