The Humanities are crucial for a formed society

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Should English degree be more recognized as a versatile and important degree for a formed society? I think that an English degree is incredibly versatile and in a very useful degree in many ways since it is so transferable. It is also very helpful for everyday life and that as a society we should value much more. As Mandy Pipher stated in her article Devaluing a humanities education ultimately devalues humanity itself “These skills are fundamental, not only to the development of an individual human mind and to our capacity for forming deep and varied relationships with one another, but also to the continued functioning of a democratic society.” Pipher said this quote to show the value of an English degree contrasted to what people tend to think.  She is reenforcing he previous statement and showing how people under appreciate these degrees even though they are one of the most versatile and valuable degree out there. Today English degrees are way more valuable than people think. Everybody needs to be able to tell fake news from real news and if as a society we can get better at that then the media will continue to control what we see and how we think. In the video the dead poets society: Why we (don’t) study the humanities the narrator and video creator Margarita G states “Studying beautiful texts simply for one own personal growth and enjoyment”. She makes this statement while talking about how literature is portrayed in the world, she says that its being seen from a negative and positive viewpoint. People today seem to think that only if you enjoy reading, you’ll be good at English but there are so many aspects where different people are good at English you might not like reading but you might love writing or even just getting a better general knowledge that can help you in the real world. English can help people and so many ways, English is something anyone can shine in. These two quotes together show the balance and contrast of how the English degree is perceived from an inside and outside point of view. Some people see it as something that’s “a youthful self-indulgence” which Pipher stated that it was how people around her has perceived the degree it be since she came from a socio-cultural environment. People who only think of an English degree as directly translating into becoming a writer often think this way. In reality it’s so much more than a youthful self-indulgence it’s honestly one of the most important areas of study that people go into, it helps separate reality from fantasy. When you look into what the best areas to go into in university it’ll often say engineering and other science-based majors and they aren’t wrong but often people forget how valuable and important English majors are. It’s an incredibly important major not just in the versatility of the degree but also in the crucially for a formed and intelligent society.