Reading: A Worthy Exercise
For a long period of time reading has been perceived to be a worthy exercise. It is probably one of the most valuable and wholesome activities that one can engage in. This is because it is through reading that one can is able to discover new concepts, ideas, people and places. One of the main reasons why reading is important is because reading brings a relaxation to our minds and souls. Moreso the ability to reading today is valued highly and is of much importance for economic and social advancement.
The Importance of Reading Today
Reading has constantly and at all times been a wellspring of happiness, knowledge and moral courage (Cliff Hodges). There is a lot more to learn and to know in today’s world and furthermore the need for a cognizant capability to overcome the troublesome forces. This, therefore, has led to increase in the importance of reading. In the past days, if reading was not encouraged or not cultivated, a substitute would be used in place for it in the oral tradition and in the religious sermons. During the 80s, Victorian people used to gather for some time in the evenings in order to listen to books being read out loud (Donoghue). However, in the modern day, we not only read but we also need to read a lot more and also to correspond with the events which take place near us. Dana Gioia’s Why reading Matters is one of the richest works because it offers an effective analysis of its arguments such as the importance of reading as well as the outcomes of not reading by use of vibrant examples.
Dana Gioia: Why Reading Matters
Dana Gioia on Why Reading Matters builds an argument on people’s reading behaviors. He uses reasoning, evidence, and diction in order to persuade us to agree with him on his points; that Americans are leading less and that the United States is at risk of producing a generation of people in history that is less educated than the parents, that people that read engage in constructive activities, that reading has an effect on our social behavior, and that consequences will crop up in case nothing will be done about our disregard to reading.
The Decline of Reading in America
Gioia begins his sentiments by informing us that Americans are reading less and by giving us the outcomes brought about by reading less. He says that because Americans they read less, they are likely to read less well and that people who read less well will probably not do well in their educational system and will eventually fail in their job market and economically. He also argues that 55% of individuals who cannot read beyond the basic level are more likely to end up being unemployed and may find themselves in the criminal justice system. He goes ahead and puts through that only 3% of prisoners in the United States are able to read at a competence level. He gives a reason that because people read less well, they are less likely to engage in personal positive behaviors.
The Positive Effects of Reading
Gioia further adds to his assertations that people who read are likely to engage in self-building activities. Readers will take part in exercises more and that they will play sports more than non-readers. He says that individuals who read more will take part in charity and volunteer work and will join civic organizations more than almost four times the level of those who do not read. He argues that reading arouses something inside us that does two things; it expands the sense of our own personal destiny, and that it reveals the reality of other people’s lives to us and this will create a sense of ourselves as individuals. He adds that taking part in imaginative reading that involves reading imaginative novels and follows stories that convey the lives of other people from a different country will make us understand that these people have a life that is complicated as ours.
Building a Society through Reading
Gioia ends his arguments on Why Reading Matters by competently evaluating that if we have a society in which most of its people guided by pleasure engage in reading activities that involve meditations and contemplations, we have a society that can build its imaginative capability together with its intellectual capability, compassion, and humanity.
The Benefits of Reading and the Consequences of Not Reading
The benefits of reading and the consequences of not reading are of concern to Gioia. According to him, the benefit of reading is that it enables one to excel in the educational system and will enable one to do well in the job market and therefore uplifting a person economically. People who read will also develop themselves socially by taking part in activities such as volunteer and charity work and also joining civic organizations that are of great importance. Another benefit of reading is that it makes people engage in healthy activities such as exercising and playing sports. Taking part in reading also makes the lives of other people real to us and increases our sense of our own personal destiny. In conclusion, imaginative reading enables us to understand other people and their lives. On the other hand, the consequences of not reading involve reading less well which will result in becoming uneducated which will eventually lead to not doing well in the job market and economically. Most of the people who do not read will end up unemployed and are likely to end up in prisons. This is because people who do not read are less likely to undertake activities that boost their personal positive behavior. According to Gioia, reading participation by Americans has decreased. He says that decrease has been more intense among younger adults that are of ages 18 to 24.
The Importance of Reading in Society
Entertaining this discussion on the importance of reading has various benefits to us. One of them is that it enlightens weighing various people’s sentiments on the importance of reading. This will enable us to find ones to support and to eliminate those that are not valid to us. It also helps to understand different views that people come up with when discussing such matters. Entertaining such discussions will also increase our level of understanding on different matters for example in this case we are able to conclude that reading is an essential activity that should be practiced.
The Role of Reading in Personal and Societal Development
Gioia’s assertations on Why Reading Matters reflect my real life experiences and observations that I have made. I strongly agree with Gioia’s point of view. I competently value reading together with everything that it represents. Reading and society is something that I believe in which results in positive relationships which are necessary for people to progress. We cannot have an intelligent society without reading. I once had an experience whereby in one of the job interviews that I attended, employees were recruited based on their ability to read and write. This event left most of the people unemployed. It is therefore essential for a society to have reading skills.
Conclusion: The Value of Reading
In conclusion, it is evident that reading is an essential practice as argued by Dana Gioia on his Why Writing Matters. Gioia shows us the benefits of reading, the consequences that are brought about by lack of reading as well as the rate at which people are reading in the modern day. In this case, I’ve made a lifelong reading plan for my after-college life. There are two books that fascinate me that I will definitely be reading after college. These books are High Fidelity by Nick Hornby and The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Islington. These books use the casual style of language and are written from the main character’s point of view. They have funny and short stories between characters thus keeping the story moving. Magazines will also become part of what I’ll read after college. I will read The Nation which is a weekly magazine that gives updates and analysis of the most popular and cultural news. Another magazine will be Foreign Affairs. This magazine is based on international relations and foreign policy. Among the newspapers that I’ll read are Wall Street Journal and New York Times. They are both US’ most widely distributed newspapers that are worth reading. Some websites also contain important articles. Websites such as News and Current Events and History and Trivia are very informative. News and Current Events website consists of lengthy articles that focus on population, culture, and issues on interesting stuff from the past. History and Trivia website, on the other hand, has very interesting stories that focus on strange places in the world together with ancient tales that talk about strange events, places, and people.
Works Cited
Cliff Hodges, Gabrielle. ‘’Reasons For Reading: Why Literature Matters’’. Literacy, vol 44, no. 2, 2010, pp. 60-68. Wiley-Blackwell, doi:10.1111/j.1741-4369.2010.00552.x.
Donoghue, Denis. The Practice of Reading. Yale University Press, 1998.
Gioia., and Kennedy. Literature. Longman, 2002.
Gioia, Dana. Why reading Matters. 2008.
