Vegetables, or Candy?

     While children are constantly asked by their elders to eat their vegetables, they would rather snack on sugary candy. Although it is drilled into their heads that eating vegetables can greatly improve their overall health, youth neglect the benefits and continue to crave tasty treats. A similar phenomenon is occurring with this generation's college students. However, the area of concern is not necessarily the eating habits exhibited by these adolescents, but their reading habits. Recent studies have found that college students are choosing to read easier, dramatic, romantic and thrilling tales such as Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" series. In the past, students dared themselves to explore challenging literary works that were advanced on a scholastic and intellectual level. Books written by authors such as Richard Brautigan and Germaine Greers served as academic'vegetables,' acting as a source of strength and providing means of building up one's level of knowledge. In the article "On Campus, Vampires are Besting the Beats," the author discusses this generation's trends in reading habits exhibited by college students. The author's purpose is to draw attention to and highlight certain aspects of this new approach college students are taking towards literary works. The author also wishes to motivate students to begin choosing books that are challenging and that make them think.
     According to the article and conducted research, the number of copies of romantic, modern, simpler books such as "Twilight" being purchased by college students greatly exceeds the number of challenging, poetic books being acquired. In paragraph 4 of the article, the author states, "Here we have a generation of young adults...yet they're choosing books like 13-year-old girls." Students are more inclined to read books that are 'treats' for the mind; ones that have a sole purpose of entertaining, and do not provide benefits regarding scholastic 'health' and 'strength.' Professor Eric Williamson declares that "students do not have any shame about reading inferior texts" (para.8). The level of amusement and enjoyment found in easier books seems to give students' minds a 'break.'The author wishes to acknowledge these arising issues and to raise awareness amongst students, professors, authors, etc.
     In the article, the author presents information regarding a lack of knowledgeable books that provide commentary on today's political ambitions in order to encourage writers to publish more advanced works. In paragraph 12, professional Mike Connery says, "I don't think that there is a fiction writer out there who speaks to this generation's political ambitions." There is an absence of fictional texts that presents a challenge to readers, and college students certainly aren't gaining any further knowledge from their literary choices. According to Connery, "People don't necessarily read their politics nowadays..." Our youth gain a majority of their knowledge from technological sources such as the Internet. This shows authors that showing an interest and improving the level of intellect associated with books can put an end to this age of obtaining information from technology alone.
     We are all taught from a very young age that the benefits of eating right outweigh the harm caused by candy and other sweets. However, we still find children spoiling their appetite by raiding the cookie jar. Although scholastic and intellectually advanced books strengthen a student's mind and challenge them to think more, students have developed an evident tendency to read simple books that only entertain. According to the author, this is due to a shortage of books that address political ambitions. In the last paragraph, the author states, "As young people shift...away from exploring their political activism in books, the blood drains from their shelves" (paragraph 13). The author's purpose in writing this article is to address the escalating issue that plagues our colleges, and to motivate authors to begin publishing more challenging works. The author is attempting to successfully call attention to this problem, and to raise awareness in college students as well.