-
Essay / The Decline of Reading in Modern Society
In today's society, the wonder of reading has declined significantly from what it once was. As Mitchell Stephens says, “Our houses barely make room for reading” (Stephens 137). I completely agree with this point, because if we look at ancient times, there were personal libraries in ninety percent of homes. Currently, very few homes have a personal library. Instead, paper and authenticity have been replaced by television and technology, leaving people with neither the time nor the interest to read. This can lead some people, like Alberto Vitale, to believe that “…people who used to read a lot of books read less now” (Stephens 138). However, I do not agree with this point because although reading is no longer a priority in our society, more and more books are published and their demand is also high in the market, so that many people read books. Say no to plagiarism. . Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay “Works of fiction and non-fiction in general were designed to be read, but lately they are not serving their purpose, but rather are being used to create movie tracks. » (Étienne 138). I strongly disagree with this point simply because most people enjoy reading these books because they are more intriguing and imaginative than before. And when it comes to books becoming movies, I and many others find that the books are better than the movies made about them because you're inside the character's head instead of looking in from the outside. There is truer depth and perspective as well as captivating details that one might completely miss on screen. Another mistake Stephen talks about is thinking that because book sales have exploded, people are reading books. When many purchased books are simply placed on a shelf or coffee table as simple decorations. This is what makes the library so useful and fantastic. To quote Simon Bessie, president of the Library of Congress: “You can't say that people take books out of the library just to put them on the coffee table” (Stephens 139). And I completely agree with this point because since you have to return the library books, you would refer them to read or do research, that's why we have a library in schools to do our school work. When you walk into a library, you can always be assured that people are learning and filling their minds with new information. But as Stephens says, “reading problems are not difficult to explain” (Stephens 141). I agree with this statement because with the way technology and innovation have exploded over the last century, people have many more resources to care for and meet their needs. Unlike “a hundred years ago, when there was no circus in town, people seeking entertainment had three alternatives: satisfy their biological needs, talk, or read” (Stephens 141). Unlike today, where people have unlimited possibilities as to what they can do and where they can go. Books used to be the thing that took us somewhere else in our minds, but in today's society you can literally transport yourself to other places in a matter of hours or be immersed in a world through a movie. Unfortunately, reading “is no longer something we want to do” (Stephens.