English and Humanity by Audrey

English and Humanity by Audrey - December 2023 Scholarship Essay

What makes us human?
This is a difficult question that people have struggled with for as long as humanity has existed. However, I think it has an elegant solution: art makes us human. Humans, throughout history, have used art in all forms to express our emotions and carry on the legacies of humans of the past. All throughout time, art, in the form of storytelling, has been used to keep legends and ideas alive through the generations. From the first campfire story to the modern movie, stories have always been important. That’s why I believe my major-- one that focuses on analyzing literature and keeping this beautiful art form alive and well understood, as well as producing literature of my own-- is important to society. While not as traditionally essential as majors in the medical and technical field, an English major is still incredibly important to society, even in ways that people don’t realize.
The specific English major that I’m pursuing focuses on learning how to be a writer. Although this isn’t my primary career choice right out of college-- that would be a fool’s errand-- I do hope to become a writer someday. Writing is a fantastic way to make your voice heard and spread messages that are important to you. While this isn’t my only goal in writing, I hope that my works can someday make the world a better place. Some people are more open to considering certain ideas if it’s presented to them through media, and I hope that I can influence at least one person to be kinder to others and to the world around them with my literature. It’s also noble to provide entertainment, even if it doesn’t seem like it at first blush. Everybody needs entertainment, no matter who they are, and the world would be a dark and dreary place without it.
It’s easy to look down on art and the majors that teach it while also benefiting from art. Without the art of writing, nobody would be able to enjoy the media that we all know and love. Not only would books disappear, but movies and television as well, along with things that you might not even think about writing being necessary for, such as music, sports broadcasts, advertisements, and live performances. The people who produce this art don’t gain that skill out of thin air, they have to learn how to be skillful writers and understand the art, often with the use of an English major. As much as some people like to discredit art, it’s what makes the world a better and more enjoyable place to live in.
Another societal benefit of an English major is the analysis of literature. Literature tells us so much about the world depending on who wrote it and when. Even fiction has the capacity to reveal so much about humanity and history that can’t be gleaned from anywhere else. It’s important to understand these things about our history because understanding history means understanding what mistakes not to make. Everybody has heard the famous line that anybody who does not know history is doomed to repeat it. The analysis of literature helps one understand history and society through the eyes of people who truly lived in it and gain an insight into what it was like and what shouldn’t be brought into the modern day. Literature is and always has been an important vessel for seeing the world through the eyes of people who’ve truly lived it, and it should be treated with the weight that it deserves.
In conclusion, though it can be argued that some majors are more important than others, my major definitely brings good into the world where it wouldn’t exist elsewhere. It’s needed to bring people morale and entertainment, help them feel understood and heard, and to understand history and how people in the past lived and felt. Art will always be incredibly instrumental in learning about and connecting with humanity, and adding the ability to write only gives those with this major more of a capacity to connect with others and put art into this world that shines light on places where there is none. The English major has a special notch in society that would cause huge ripples if ever removed, and it’s absolutely needed and beloved, whether the general public realizes it or not.