I found the piece “The Humanities Make Us Human” to be very intriguing. The author, Edith Stockton, explores a variety of topics related to the lack of interest in the humanities among youth. She writes, “Why have art and literature and philosophical questions that could change and shape our cultural lives lost meaning to us? Created out of expression, rebellion, and pioneering, classical works are timeless – or so we thought.” This statement is eye-opening and sad at the same time. Classic works of literature have powerful backgrounds. They were created, as Edith says, out of expression and rebellion. They can change our lives, and yet we toss them aside in favor of less serious, less challenging works of art.

The fact that today’s youth has little understanding of classical art or literature makes me question what society is being molded into. Rather than reading Shakespeare, teens read fashion magazines and pine over their favorite celebs. English teachers giving their students assignments to read classic texts hear groans and exasperated sighs. Furthermore, “artistry” has been dragged down to a level of showering pictures with colorful filters for “likes” on social media. What does this say about us? These things don’t make us human. The humanities make us human, and our grasp on them is weakening with every moment.

Edith’s piece opened my eyes to how the definition of “classics” is changing along with our society. We can’t let go of what makes us human.