Assignment 4 Sam Flomenhoft

Liberal Arts education, specifically literature helps enhance my life by helping me exercise my mind. It allows me to read things critically and attempt to determine the deeper meaning behind the surface story. Reading is scientifically proven to help prevent Alzheimer's and keep people sharp.
The study of the humanities in general helps make me more well-rounded. It gives me the knowledge base and opportunity to study in almost any field. The widened window allows me to have more job opportunities in the future, as well as make me aware of myself in the world and the universe. When I learn chemistry, I learn how matter, the stuff I'm made of, works. When I learn history, it helps better my understanding of the place I hold throughout time, and how humans arrived at the point we are today.
Finally, I think David Foster Wallace described how the liberal arts add to character the best in his 2005 Kenyon Commencement Speech, "This is Water". The liberal arts helps give you the ability to choose how to think, and to be more aware of how the world is working. So for example, when you're in rush hour traffic, and you just want to go home, you don't just assume everyone else is an obstacle, preventing you from getting home, but rather they too are frustrated with the traffic. Being more aware gives you more empathy and feel less self-centered.