Why Fiction Is Good For You Summary

Dana Giola believes literature is a crucial part of life, especially for young adults. In her passage “Why Literature Matters” she describes that young Americans' interests have diminished for literature. She persuades her audience using ethos, logos, and cause-and-effect reasoning. Giola starts off her passage by describing the interest young Americans showed in arts which “actually diminished”(Giola 1) because of how they “taught reading comprehension”(Giola 2).

How do books affect a person’s individuality/uniqueness? The 16 personalities that are devoid of the world of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, each being boiled down to the knowledgeable, the ignorant, and the hostile. People are molded around society’s mental experience, their knowledge and personality affected by the media, or rather, the lack of books. Through semantics and comprehension, Bradbury proves to readers that Montag, Mildred, and Beatty, while all possessing versatile personalities, form opinions; they grow up or stay unaccepted mentally when exposed to books.

In Guy’s case, he becomes a fugitive and joins Granger’s elite society. Both governments are fearful of the messages books can convey to citizens and the result of this message. This idealistic view that can be imparted upon people proves a book’s uncanny ability to immerse a reader into another world full of new knowledge, beliefs, and opportunities.

In the times of Fahrenheit 451, the people who gave up books left their descendants with flat, depthless entertainment that was then taken over by propaganda. This was used to put the people into more of a mental blur with propaganda, prevent deeper thoughts, and create a second-hand thought control. In the world today there is flat, depthless entertainment on TV, but there is also very deep and meaningful forms of entertainment in other places, like books. This is because, unlike the people in Fahrenheit 451, we recognize the importance of books and reading fiction and nonfiction alike. Nonfiction books can take you back to ancient egypt or to visit ancient rome, but that doesn’t mean that fiction can’t do the same, in fact fiction can do more.

Since a novel is more enjoyable than a factual text the novel can influence the readers understanding of history. “Happy-ever-after is a fairy-tale notion, not history. I know of no woman who escaped

Literature is like a gateway into the human experience, readers can learn more and relate to novels, memoirs, short stories, etc. Authors can transport readers into different times and places that allow the reader to develop a broader understanding of the topic being displayed. Literature can help allow readers to discover the thoughts, emotions, and experiences of others. Voice and perspective can help shape one’s understanding of the human experience in literature through themes of survival, arrogance, and regret. Voice and perspective can help shape one’s understanding of the human experience in literature through survival.

“I hungered for the sharp, frightening, breathtaking, almost painful excitement that the story had given me, and I vowed that as soon as I was old enough I would buy all the novels there were and read…So profoundly responsive a chord had the tale struck in me that the threats of my mother and grandmother had no effect whatsoever,” (Wright, 40). Wright feels so captivated from the stories he is reading, that he does not care for any consequences from the real world. This early exposure to literature keeps him eager to continue learning about new stories and knowledge. Wright has this same kind of realization again when he borrows a co-worker’s library card. “I hungered for books, new ways of looking and seeing.

Novels flourish a persons imagination and present advances in their independent knowledge. Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451 displays a society deprived of novels, leading Montag to the realization of affects novels have on people. Montag fought for what he believed in, the right to read and learn from numerous novels, containing various topics ranging from innocent child books to vulgarity stricken novels. “The School Library versus the School Board: An Exploration of the Book Banning Trend of the 1980s” contains several arguments Montag would agree with, such as, “Even when a book contains language that is not appropriate for everyday use or describes unsavory ideas or feelings, the ability of the book to have a positive impact on the reader or provoke discussion or awareness is not necessarily diminished.” This quote symbolizes the positive viewpoints an “objectable book” most definitely possesses.

Additionally, it suggests that books are not just a source of entertainment but also serve an important function in society

Is Robert Penn Warren’s claim that fiction makes us feel significant in our everyday lives accurate? Warren believes that fiction can fulfill a person’s wants and desires. Robert Penn Warren’s claim that fiction makes people feel significant is accurate. NEED MORE. People who read fiction are able to gain a sense of significance by living vicariously through characters within the piece of fiction they are reading.

He uses statistics from a 2004 survey by the National Endowment for the Arts to demonstrate that reading in America has declined in recent decades. He notes that "The percentage of adults who read literature has dropped dramatically over the past two decades," and that this decline is particularly directed toward young people . By presenting this data, Gioia demonstrates that the decline of reading is a real and significant issue that must be addressed. To further strengthen his argument, Gioia uses personal anecdotes to illustrate the benefits of reading. He notes that "reading books can be a form of self-discovery," and that literature has the power to "expand our horizons and help us see the world in a new way."

In Fahrenheit 451, the fire chief says that “‘Authors, full of evil thoughts, lock up your type writers. They [do],’”(57). It is seen through real world events recently that falsehoods spread by trusted people hurt people. In the novel, books and authors were taboo.

Fiction is a forgotten gem; an untapped well of knowledge. It deals with the things that make us fundamentally human, such as conflict, passion, love, lust, jealousy, and hatred. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee highlights the truths about racism and especially stereotypes. In Lord of The Flies, William Golding focuses on the darkness that lives within all human beings. In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury writes about the mistakes society makes when depending solely on technology and not allowing fiction to even exist in people’s households.

In the article, “Why Literature Matters” by Dana Gioia, he states that the decline of interest in literature—especially from young teens—will have a negative outcome in society. Notably, he informs the readers by utilizing strong vocabulary, as well as rhetorical appeals to persuade his audience that the decline in reading will have a negative outcome. This allows readers to comprehend his views and join his side of the argument. Gioia’s word choice assists in showing the magnitude of the text by stressing the meaning and importance of his argument.

As the digital age comes upon us, more and more Americans become dissatisfied with the state of literacy in this generation. Because the Internet paves the way for shorter and shorter interactions, namely articles versus novels and six-second viral videos versus films, many people that grew up in the age of the Internet have a preference for this condensed form of entertainment. Dana Gioia of The New York Times asserts in his essay “Why Literature Matters” that the decline of reading in America is destined to have a negative impact on society as a whole. Gioia opens his essay with a bittersweet account of which trend is occurring in the twenty-first century America arts scene. He notes that as college attendance rates blossom, the interest