“Fiction, because it is not about someone who actually lived in the real world, always has the possibility to be about oneself.” The words of Orson Scott Card describe the argument Holly Parker is trying to demonstrate in “The Real-Life Benefits of Reading Fiction”, that reading fiction makes us better human beings. Throughout this article, we learn about the many benefits to our emotional and physical well-being derived from this kind of reading. Parker’s use of ethos, through demonstrating her expertise and using reliable sources, logos, through her inclusion of important facts and her analysis of evidence, and pathos, through addressing the reader's fears and using inclusive language, creates a compelling article on the benefits of reading …show more content…
She displays her expertise even before the start of the article where it is stated that she is “a lecturer at Harvard University and a practicing psychologist”(Parker). Being a lecturer at Harvard shows her expertise because, as the third most prestigious school in the country and one of the eight Ivy League schools, their process for selecting lecturers is very rigorous. Parker also has her Ph.D., which is the highest level of education one can receive in a particular field and usually indicates mastery of that subject. This impressive resume shows the reader that she has expertise in the field, making it easier to trust the information she presents and therefore strengthening the persuasiveness of her argument. Additionally, Parker develops an ethos by using reliable sources. Building trust in an audience is key to increasing credibility and supporting effective communication, and one way to build trust is by using trustworthy sources to support one’s work …show more content…
Throughout the article, Parker helps ease this fear by demonstrating the benefits that can be derived from reading fiction. For example, when she discusses how fiction “modestly improves people’s capacity to understand and mentally react to other individuals and social situations” she addresses one of the benefits of reading fiction is improved empathy (Parker). This may ease people's fears that reading fiction is a waste of time, because there are real-world benefits to spending time this way. Using this emotional response helps to support her argument because she slowly shows that the positives outweigh the negatives of reading fiction and in this way convinces people that their fear is unfounded. Another way Parker utilizes the audience’s emotions is by using inclusive language. Using inclusive language gives the reader a sense of solidarity with the author. Parker uses inclusive language to show that the reader and herself are not so different in order to persuade her audience to agree with the arguments she is
“Fiction is the truth inside the lie” (Stephen King). Figment of imagination helps improve brain connectivity and responsibilities which enables the brain to escape to a world of illusion. In a world of imagination students explore conflicts within the book. Anecdotes play a significant role in building the strategies used to deal with real world events. Ink and Ashes by Valynne E. Maetani, discusses how mistakes from the past has an impact on your life and may alter your future. Books intended to be read so that we as people can have a different mindset and perspective on things rather than just our own.
Literature is a powerful force, allowing the writer to express their opinions through their own perspective. In the source, “What I’ve Learned From Writing,” the author Shauna Singh Baldwin, portrays the idea of literature as a non-violent socially-acceptable weapon. Someone like this can influence the views and ideas of readers by conveying emotions. Personally as an athlete, I feel as though I can change the perspectives of individuals, and my interests give insight to others without any boundaries. Along with the author, I admire her courage from within, and we learn to pursue our passions and interests in what we believe and love in ways such as originality, hard work, and confidence.
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
When you read, especially fiction, you experience a broad sweep of human life. You gain access to the thoughts of others, look at history through another person’s eyes and learn from their mistakes, something that you otherwise would not be able to experience.
The paragraph above does show how the readers’ emotions are in turmoil because of the sort of double standard created when the story is t...
readers a dose of reality and human experience. People read literature and end up learning
Literature is an outlet for imagination without restrictions, a platform for expression, and a form of art that outlives its author. Most importantly, it can be a way to help one truly discover themselves. As audiences are exposed to more literature throughout their lives, they not only learn about their true potential, but are also made aware of their flaws and faults in character. Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird and Alexander Hamilton in Hamilton are both remarkable characters, but from various events that reveal their shortcomings, the audience receives the opportunity to learn from their mistakes. By appreciating literature, one not only receives a wonderful story, but is also given the chance to grow with the characters and learn lessons from the character’s experiences.
In a world dominated by technology, reading novels has become dull. Instead of immersing into books, we choose to listen to Justin Bieber’s new songs and to scroll through Instagram posts. We have come to completely neglect the simple pleasures of flipping through pages and getting to finally finish a story. Sherman Alexie and Stephan King’s essays attempt to revive this interest in books that has long been lost. They remind us of the important role that reading plays in our daily lives. “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me,” for instance, demonstrates how being literate saved the narrator from the oppressive nature of society. The author explains that even though he was capable of reading complex books at an astonishingly young
To conclude, reading and writing can end up being positive. Both Freedom Writers and The Liars’ Club showed how even if a person goes through pain, his or her life does not have to end up being awful and that writing is still valuable today. It just takes the right way of teaching the curriculum of reading and writing to make it actually be useful. Though all stories may not have a happy ending, writers have the potential to make it critically optimistic. The literary arts are relevant today and “can be made to generate a sense of possibility, a sense that a better, brighter future is out there to be secured” (Miller 437).
With every generation comes a story that captures people’s imaginations; alters their outlook on the tangible and intangible. A story that, that generation can proudly call their own. The impact of this story on millions of readers is ineluctable. This story receives universal accolade, prompting thousands and thousands of zealots. What makes said novels such a phenomenon? What causes this fervid obsession with something essentially chimerical? The answer is that these novels, unlike many in the common day, briefly fulfill our deepest conscience or sub-conscience desires. Readers become addicted to living vicariously through the characters in the novel, who complete some sort of longing they have for themselves. More often than not, this longing is the one our Creator placed in each of our hearts. The longing to discover our origins, to know what sets humans apart from all other living creatures. The longing to know our God.
A study by Raymond Mar and Keith Oatley concluded that, “The close relation between navigating social- and story-worlds has a number of implications, not the least interesting of which is the proposal that readers of predominantly narrative fiction may actually improve or maintain their social-inference abilities through reading.” This study concludes that reading literature helped the test subjects in their everyday lives, suggesting that reading literature makes us better people. A good example of this is seen in Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng, which is a novel of a family trying to understand the sudden death of Lydia, a sixteen-year-old, without friends or close family relations. Ng does a great job using emotions to enlighten readers to family issues, and the dangers that a lack of communication causes a family.
Novels can remarkably broaden our understanding of the world around us by fostering emotional connections with readers. Through compelling narratives and richly developed characters, authors can empower readers to gain a deeper appreciation for experiences beyond their own. Patrick Ness's post-modern hybrid text, A Monster Calls, serves as a profound example of how novels can challenge readers to increase their understanding of the complexity of human emotions. The plotline follows the emotional journey of Conor, a 13-year-old boy who is struggling to process his mother’s battle with terminal cancer. Throughout this experience, neither he nor the adults in his family can seem to address the inevitability of death, causing Conor to feel increasingly
Often times, literature has enough power for the reader to generate their own reality through the writer’s beliefs although most of the times the reality generated by the readers are not correct. In a TED talk called “the Danger of a Single Story,” Chimannda Adichie discussed about how literature affected her views on people, and then through life experience she had figured out that the reality she was creating was all false. She had grown up in Nigeria where at young age she was able to come across western literature. She was an inspired writer, and had realized all her inspirations came from British and American literature because most of her pieces were based of British and American literature such as having her characters...
Literature is an essential part of society in the present day and enables the communication between multiple parties in a written form. Texts can provide a vast knowledge on subjects dependent on content whereas novels are often seen as being purely for leisure and enjoyment. However it can often be seen that prose
While working as a security guard I was repeatedly harassed by a coworker. The harassment lead to a stressful work environment, and as a result I was placed on a medical leave of absence 4/19/2017- 5/15/2017. During my leave of absence, I was treated for stress related conditions. Part of my course of treatment included a heavy dose of medication. Following my medical leave, I was still receiving treatment and unable to return at that time. I then received a letter stating my employment had been terminated; however, now that my condition has improved I am able to return to