Stories — whispered from the frail lips of elders with wispy white hair, inked onto yellowed paper under the dim lights of candles and melting wax, engraved on slabs of stone, and woven with colored threads into images — evoke a profound sense of nostalgia. These stories, within braids of fables and the battles of the forgotten, are not just collections of generations of voices, but a living testament to our cultural heritage, replicated, stolen, and repurposed from the voices around the narrator.
Stories, as unique collections of voices, are not mere retellings of history; they are the very formula and backbone of our lives today, offering a distinct perspective that only humanities and literary studies can provide. They have the power to transform our understanding of the world, inspiring us and enlightening us in ways that no other discipline can.
The ability to replicate and understand a voice is a dying skill.
Writing, as defined by The Oxford English Dictionary, is described as an action: “to make letters, numbers, etc., on a surface, esp. using a pen, pencil, or similar implement, and related senses.” However, writing and literary studies are unique in that they can be appreciated as an action but are the most exuberant when the concept behind these studies is understood. To understand the idea, one must recognize the beginning: the undeniable presence of history, books, and texts considered archives of irreplaceable information connecting people by bestowing knowledge and containing perspectives and sacred rituals comparable to the importance of gods. The Library of Alexandria from Hellenistic and Roman Egypt and the Hanlin Library of the Tang Dynasty in modern-day China were regarded as some of the “World’s Greatest Libraries.” Unfortunately, these libraries burnt down, and if “you burn a country’s past, you torch its future,” as Robert Darton noted in The Washington Post. These libraries were vaults of cultural accumulation, containing hundreds of thousands of books collected over decades; with these texts gone, the history and identity of peoples are lost. The burning of Hanlin Library was intentional, with “kerosene put on the trees to spread the flames” (Canberra, A.C.T.) with the speculated reason for “cultural erasure” — a term used to describe the deliberate destruction or suppression of a culture’s traditions, language, and identity. This shows the power behind literature holding the foundations of entire societies — and it is a vulnerable target to cause cultural erasure.
For instance, the shift from the Vulgate Bible to the English Bible shows how the evolution of the book influenced English society. The persecution of religious figures who could read the Bible allowed a more accessible switch from Catholicism to Protestantism. The foundation of societal morals, beliefs, and practices has always been intertwined with the popularized literature of the time.
Contrary to the perception of a dwindling value, the relevance of studies involving literature and humanities in the modern world is undeniable. It is crucial to understand why this fundamental value is often overlooked.
The decline in the perceived value of humanities is often pinned on the fact that humans now have the technology: the ability to access any text or archive of data — new and endless streams of information — practically a digital encyclopedia. This technological advancement has shifted focus towards more practical and immediately applicable fields, such as S.T.E.M. However, the reason delves deeper: the lack of perceived monetary benefit of engaging in literary studies and the passive indolence of humans as a race.
Most students, when picking a major, will choose a S.T.E.M. focus; 2021 was the ninth straight year, according to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, when the number of students graduating with a major in the humanities has fallen. Academic fields such as anthropology, sociology, and philosophy are also shrinking. However, nursing, criminology, and public administration are still growing. The number of computer science and engineering majors has exploded. In fact, according to a survey regarding college majors from a random selection of around 95 high school students, 76.4% reported they would most likely pursue a STEM major. These students, explaining their choice, stated (in summary) that they enjoy problem-solving, discovery, and, simultaneously, gaining financial benefit and stability. One instance of this was through the perspective of a prospective computer science major, stating their interest was “partially because they are high-paying jobs.” Sadly, it has been proven that the decline in interest in the humanities is inherently a result of expectations of low payment — the ideology of “hard work, little reward.”
Some people might not recognize that humanities study is necessary to pursue the “monetary” success many S.T.E.M.majors yearn for. Linda Gregerson, a poet and the Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, highlighted a specific example. Gregerson, also a professor of English and creative writing, discussed a student taking a course studying English literature. While pursuing her medical career, Gregerson’s student expressed that she realized the need for humanities to coordinate and communicate effectively with future patients. Gregerson elaborated that humanities are not just reading but “the ability to recognize and understand multiple perspectives…and to exercise forms of empathy and emotion that many are [unfortunately] unacquainted with.” Gregerson and her students point out that the actual literary works are the readers’ experience. By understanding literature, the reader can purge the typical “death by judgment” and discover the limitless within one another’s perspective.
But why is this perspective necessary?
Humans, a rather cunning species, harbor intricate thought processes and opinions unique to the person. As Jadyn Sinclair ’25 noted, when I interviewed her regarding her interest in science, she said she feels as if science allows her to “learn about the past, present, and future of all aspects of our world…from an extreme micro to an extreme macro level.” However, understanding the types of literature is necessary to gain a comprehensive understanding of change in data and the long-term evolution of one’s hypothesis. Specifically, humanities classrooms have become a space for inquiring minds pursuing S.T.E.M. fields as colleges and schools to “integrate humanities with S.T.E.M. fields through interdisciplinary collaboration and program creation.” The Bronx High School of Science, for the upcoming 2024-2025 academic year, has implemented a new Advanced Placement English Literature class focused on “science, medicine, and literature.”
Without studying the humanities, we are left with pure conversation and personal experience — lacking exposure to varying opinions, arguments, and experiences that would allow us a panoramic view of the world. Studying the humanities enables one to move “beyond the search for the immediate and pragmatic” by opening one up to the examination of the entirety. In other words, the imagination is interlinked with the real world.
Though my advocation towards the appeal of humanities may appear biased, it is only after learning the true power humanities have to help one grapple towards understanding complex moral issues around and within oneself. Humanities and liberal arts studies don’t require definable skill sets but an understanding of a broader concept. The unappreciated importance of these studies is the human characteristics of empathy and reflection they contain. Critical thinking within the binds of humanities stretches beyond problem-solving — forcing the reader to question not theories or calculations — but their own morals.
It is only after learning the true power humanities have to help one grapple towards understanding complex moral issues around and within oneself. Humanities and liberal arts studies don’t require definable skill sets but an understanding of a broader concept. The unappreciated importance of these studies is the human characteristics of empathy and reflection they contain. Critical thinking within the binds of humanities stretches beyond problem-solving — forcing the reader to question not theories or calculations — but their own morals.