Greg Power Assignment 1C Summary and Response Section HA McGough September 18, !

!1" Comment #$%$ &hite has been dead 'or o(er ) years, but he remains one o' the most we** +nown chi*dren,s authors in the wor*d 'or his boo+s Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little$ Howe(er, during his *i'etime &hite was a*so a great thin+er and a writer who wrote wor+s with great *iterary (a*ue$ -ne e.amp*e o' a more comp*e. *iterary piece is &hite,s short wor+/ 0Comment$1 A*though this piece is *ess than a page *ong, it spurs a (ariety o' thoughts and can ta+e hours to e(en remote*y begin to understand the comp*e.ity o' its deeper meaning$ 2he wor+ 0Comment1 te**s o' a wor*d in which reading is (ery scarce3 4 thin+ it 'aci*itates great insight and is (ery app*icab*e to today,s wor*d$ 4n 156!, #$%$ &hite wrote the essay 0Comment1 to te** about the 'uture o' reading$ He begins his essay by discussing how peop*e current*y (iew reading in the dawn o' the techno*ogy age$ He te**s how some be*ie(e that within )! years on*y one out o' twenty peop*e wi** be ab*e to read3 &hite goes 'arther to say that i' on*y one in one hundred and 'i'ty mi**ion cou*d read, he wou*d be the most important person$ 2he theoretica* 07ast Reader1 wou*d be to humans 0as the 8ueen bee to the co*ony o' bees,1 and the other humans wou*d ser(e his e(ery desire 9:!;$ 4 thin+ &hite raises numerous interesting points in his short essay$ &e ta+e reading as a (ery common thing, so it is di''icu*t to picture a wor*d where reading is an in're8uent*y seen s+i**$ He shows how much he (a*ues reading by sub<ecting it to this test o' scarcity3 he cou*d ha(e used something such as wa*+ing or <umping, but he p*aced reading as the (ita* human s+i** that was potentia**y at ris+$ Reading is a (ery important s+i** 'or our society, no doubt, but 4 do thin+ that our popu*ation cou*d 'unction without written *anguage and that i' there were a minute number o' peop*e who were ab*e to read, they wou*d not be p*aced automatica**y atop society$ &hite certain*y creates one way o' *oo+ing at a 'uture that has changed, but 4 do not thin+ his (iew is entire*y correct 'or the situation he de(e*ops$ %y *oo+ing at a 'uture where reading is near*y e.tinct, #$%$ &hite shows how specia* that ta*ent rea**y is$ &hen e(eryone in the wor*d can read, it is the most commonp*ace o' a** abi*ities3 i' (ery 'ew peop*e cou*d read, peop*e wou*d sure*y (a*ue it more than they do now$ Perhaps &hite goes too 'ar in his ana*ysis o' the i**iterate 'uture, but perhaps he is not so 'ar 'rom the truth at a**$ 2he *oss o' reading, as hypothesi=ed in the short essay 0Comment,1 has not happened yet, but that does not mean that reading is sa'e 'ore(er$ 2he human race needs to (a*ue reading and rea*i=e its importance on society be'ore something happens and reading is *ost 'ore(er$ &or+s Cited 0#$%$ &hite$1 Wikipedia. &i+imedia >oundation, 1 Sep$ !1"$ &eb$ 1: Sep$ !1"$ &hite, #$%$ 0Comment$1 Con(ergences/ 2hemes, 2e.ts, and 4mages 'or Composition$ #d$ Robert Atwan$ %oston/ %ed'ord ? St$ Martin,s, !!5$ :!$