I wrote this essay to practice for my upcoming English Comp CLEP. Any feedback on what I should pay attention to during the actual test is greatly appreciated! This is the essay:
Scholars have noted with disapproval the decline in interest and rise in apathy towards the literature of earlier periods. They are right to feel that way. In the time since the classical, medieval, and renaissance eras, there has been a decline in the quality of literary content. Also, a major moral shift has occurred since those early times, and with the rise of technology, the media has inundated our society, robbing it of any semblance of the attention span it once had.
Ever since the "golden ages" of literature, there have been moral and political upheavals. With every generation, greater distance has been placed between the values of the old authors, and those of modern readers. To read old books now, readers deal with not only archaic language barriers, but also with ethnocentric feelings rising out of culture differences. One almost needs to study the context of The Taming of the Shrew in order to understand the moral principle of wifely obedience to husbands indigenous to Shakespeare's time.
Partly due to the universal decline in attention span, modern literature has conformed to this shortened, abbreviated style. The popular books of this age have lost the richness and color so carefully sculpted in older works. Even in the short space of time between The Lord of the Rings and Eragon; diction, style and clarity have declined rapidly. This is a phenomenon that amplifies the greater the distance of time, and is ever more apparent as time progresses.
Another difficulty contributing to this trend of indifference is technological advancement. While good in some ways for education, television and the internet have practically eliminated the individual attention span. Most people would rather watch a two hour movie than spend the time necessary to read the title's book. Technology has inadvertently fostered a live-for-the-moment attitude in children, which carries over, in most cases, to their adult life.
So it is without reluctance that I agree with the disgruntled scholars of past literature. There is much to be learned from the old works that is worth the conquering of ethnocentrism and the effort invested in understanding them. An attention span is worth cultivating, and time spent reading the "classics" is time well spent.
Scholars have noted with disapproval the decline in interest and rise in apathy towards the literature of earlier periods. They are right to feel that way. In the time since the classical, medieval, and renaissance eras, there has been a decline in the quality of literary content. Also, a major moral shift has occurred since those early times, and with the rise of technology, the media has inundated our society, robbing it of any semblance of the attention span it once had.
Ever since the "golden ages" of literature, there have been moral and political upheavals. With every generation, greater distance has been placed between the values of the old authors, and those of modern readers. To read old books now, readers deal with not only archaic language barriers, but also with ethnocentric feelings rising out of culture differences. One almost needs to study the context of The Taming of the Shrew in order to understand the moral principle of wifely obedience to husbands indigenous to Shakespeare's time.
Partly due to the universal decline in attention span, modern literature has conformed to this shortened, abbreviated style. The popular books of this age have lost the richness and color so carefully sculpted in older works. Even in the short space of time between The Lord of the Rings and Eragon; diction, style and clarity have declined rapidly. This is a phenomenon that amplifies the greater the distance of time, and is ever more apparent as time progresses.
Another difficulty contributing to this trend of indifference is technological advancement. While good in some ways for education, television and the internet have practically eliminated the individual attention span. Most people would rather watch a two hour movie than spend the time necessary to read the title's book. Technology has inadvertently fostered a live-for-the-moment attitude in children, which carries over, in most cases, to their adult life.
So it is without reluctance that I agree with the disgruntled scholars of past literature. There is much to be learned from the old works that is worth the conquering of ethnocentrism and the effort invested in understanding them. An attention span is worth cultivating, and time spent reading the "classics" is time well spent.
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