Jamie Smith Assignment 4

A liberal arts education is something I have always valued for many reasons. I believe it is necessary to have diversity in education, and I believe cross-discipline projects will be a part of any job and we should therefore include a variety of subjects in our learning. 

Literature, specifically, will contribute to life because literature is communication, and communication is one of the most essential skills in our world. Learning how to analyze literature not only enhances analytic and communication skills, but it is one of the only subjects that actually promotes creative thinking in today’s schools. Literature is open to multitudes of interpretations, and the study of it encourages students to form unique opinions and defend them. This is a skill that will help me throughout my life, no matter what I end up doing.

Finally, literature opens up access to other cultures. Understanding and sympathizing with other cultures is essential in today’s globally interconnected world, and literature is one of the few ways to fully enter the mind of someone with a background and belief system fundamentally different from your own. I believe sympathizing and understanding other cultures is a valuable skill, especially because I want to go into foreign service.

The study of literature will round out my education and life by allowing me to communicate and interact with people from different times and cultures, and I appreciate a liberal arts education for that reason.