Why Students Should Read Classics

Nicoleta Balint

11th grade A

In today’s digital age, despite the ubiquity of technology making all books available at our

fingertips, the frequency of youngsters’ reading habits has plummeted sharply. According to

the US National Assessment of Educational Progress, the share of 17-year-olds who read for

leisure has dropped from 27% in 2012 to 12% in 2024. Similarly, in the UK, the National

Literacy Trust found that only 18% of children and young adults aged 8-18 read in their free

time in 2024. At the same time, young people consume an exorbitant amount of media, with

teenagers spending over seven hours a day on screens outside academic work. Reading a

classic can seem like a lost art in this environment of constant distraction and

overconsumption. Nonetheless, it is precisely due to this unsettling reality that students need

classic literature more than ever. Such enduring works challenge us to not only slow down

but also to mull over complex ideas, skills increasingly scarce in this fast-paced age. 

On the one hand, classics offer “food for thought” in the truest sense. They compel readers to

question and reflect on ideas, rather than going with the flow. When a student wrestles with

Dostoievski’s “Crime and Punishment” or the societal critiques in Austen’s “Sense and

Sensibility”, they are not just reading words on a page. They are witnessing the utmost

conversations about human nature, freedom, and justice. Such encounters train the mind to

think critically, empathize with others, and resist the passive absorption of information that

defines our age. 

Furthermore, the timeless themes addressed in classic literature, such as love, hope,

corruption, and power, resonate with readers across generations, as they continue to define

our world. For instance, the works of Orwell and Shakespeare still warn us of the dangers of

political manipulation and concealment of truth. Only by grappling with the past can students

acquire the tools to navigate the present. 

On the other hand, it would be misguided to pretend that classics are perfect or sufficient on

their own, as many were written in the context of exclusion and reflect outdated views on

gender, race, and class. Books such as “Gone with the Wind” by Margaret Mitchell and “The

Adventures of Tom Sawyer” by Mark Twain display casual racism in the daily lives of the

main characters, which may seem unfathomable to us nowadays, but it used to be the norm at

the time of their writing, and therefore are part of our history. While such writings should not

be dismissed, they must be read critically, in dialogue with modern values, to broaden

perspectives of the past.  

To conclude with, all students should read classics as starting points for discussion. Given the

benefits listed above and innumerable others, do not hesitate to pick up the classic novel that

has been gathering dust in your bookcase since time immemorial. However, to truly engage

with human history, I strongly believe that we must read widely, classic and contemporary

works alike, so that our education demonstrates both where we come from and where we are

going.