Michael Londergan September 15, 2013 English 250HA---McGough

Comment There are many different outlooks upon the future; some people believe the world is headed in the right direction, while others may have the opinion that it is on track to ruin itself. E.B. White, an editor for The New Yorker who lived from 1899 to 1985, believed in the latter. His fear and skepticism of the future is evident in the excerpt titled Comment in the Convergences textbook. Though written in 1940, the purpose of this renowned authors piece remains similar to the original publication found in Whites book The Second Tree from the Corner by emphasizing the importance of reading is still very applicable in the context of today. The 1940s was a decade filled with war and advancement in technology. This time period was also when E.B. White wrote this article, originally named The Future of Reading, which was published in The New Yorker in 1940. In his article, however, White seems to focus his thoughts upon technology. Also, since he was writing for such a popular magazine his audience for his articles was for educated people of America. He wanted to get his skepticism of the future across to every single person he could reach. Many advancements were made throughout this time period which resulted in the enormous popularity of television and the radio; as White calls it, these audio-visual days (Atwan 60). As technological advances continued to surface, White began to worry more and more about the future extinction of people who could actually read. Also, as the author of popular childrens books such as Charlottes Web, Stuart Little, and The Trumpet of the Swan, it only makes sense that this man should be concerned about the young people he is writing for and their future in society. Next, his purpose of this article was more of a warning than anything else to the American people. He argued for the importance of reading in society and the possible demand of readers in a future where, only five per cent of the people will be reading (Atwan). Whites focus upon how few people will be able to read fifty years after writing this article seems to become greater and greater as his argument continues. His emphasis is displayed as he continues to write that this Last Reader would be served as if a queen bee by its colony. The authors worry for the extinction of readers is quite evident throughout his entire piece. His reasoning is very applicable to the context of the time period of technological advances he lived in. In conclusion, Whites purpose to highlight the importance of reading for the present and future to his audience of the general public in the time period of the 1940s was accomplished. Over the years, technology has developed at a ridiculously rapid rate and still continues to. Since the 1940s, room-filling computers have shrunk to laptops and heavy phones with antennas are now handheld and have touch screens. There is no doubt that the world continues to exist in an audio-visual era. Whites article is still effective in todays context (even though the fifty years have already passed) because it calls attention to the future. Since the future will never technically be reached, it can continue to be applicable in years to come.

Michael Londergan September 15, 2013 English 250HA---McGough

Regarding the publishing of the piece now, it is placed right before the beginning of an English textbook which helps to outline the importance to keep teaching the art of reading in schools and colleges. This is so the devastating future which White discusses in his article will never become reality. Also, since this excerpt is now in a college textbook, the audience of the piece has changed. Now, its focus is upon any student, teacher, or person who is to read this book. Furthermore, the author writes about the university as an institution because it is founded on the basis of education where established practices and customs, such as reading, should be commonly known. This excerpt is a warning to these students in this institution in fear of a loss in literacy. Finally, even though the audience and context of this piece have changed as it was placed in a textbook, Whites original purpose to emphasize the importance of reading in the future remains the same and is accomplished as portrayed to citizens of the past as well as students of the present. There are some works of art that are referred to as ageless. This is the case with the excerpt Comment by E.B. White. The author warns of a world with a select few who know how to read due to technology. Whatever the year, reading has always been an important aspect of learning no matter the amount of technological advances that have taken place. However, in todays future, if reading is to be forgotten, the likely outcome will be one similar to that which is described in E.B. Whites article. Since its publication in a textbook, the context and audience of the original have changed, without a doubt. However, even if the article was written over sixty years ago, its message is still applicable in todays society.

Michael Londergan September 15, 2013 English 250HA---McGough Work Cited

Atwan, Robert. "The Mona Lisa." Convergences: Themes, Texts, and Images for Composition. 3rd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009. 156-57. Print.