Final Exam: A Synthesis of Texts to Define Humanity

The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Stranger, Gilgamesh, Siddhartha, “Hamlet”. What could ever bring so many landmark works of literature together in one place? Only Levin’s Humanities Honors, of course. Throughout this class, we have covered many topics - some of strong interest to me, some not. The Humanities course has taught me many things over the last four plus months, but the same question has been at the root of everything we have done, and that question is what is it to be a human being? Now that the class is about to be over, the end goal may seem quite obvious; but early on, the aforementioned question was hardly in any of our minds. That being said, it is important to look back and review our journey to where we are now, and to finally discover the purpose behind some of the more important material we covered.

The first unit in Humanities, the Introductory Unit, was designed to focus on left and right brain skills and ideas, metaphors, cognitive affective ways of knowing, symbolism, written and oral language, storytelling, and time, and it was highlighted by texts from authors such as Shlain, Armstrong, and Bowker. One of the first things we focused on in this class was the idea that there are two separate sides of the brain, and that each side specializes more in certain areas than the other. Although we did several activities to go along with this subject, the most iconic one was the Shlain reading. Shlain highlighted the idea that people who are more right brained tend to be more creative and emotion driven, while those who are considered more left brained tend to attack problems in a more logic based manner; left brains tend to excel in math and science as opposed to art. Shlain also mentioned that gender can play a role in which side of our brains we rely on more heavily, with women tending to focus more on the right, while men are most commonly left brainers. The packet written by Karen Armstrong took a step away from our brains, focusing primarily on the interpretation of myths throughout the ages. While myths have for years been essential to different human belief systems, Armstrong showed how they have evolved - both from a content perspective as well as an interpretive one. Bowker also referenced myths in his works, but was much less focused on them, covering a far broader spectrum than Armstrong, from symbolism to ritual. Bowker described the evolution of various traditions throughout human history, and even provided a brief background for the transformation of music from its roots in ritual to where it is today. The introductory unit showed the tradition-based side of being a human, highlighting how our early fight for survival lead to our social nature and need for community today.

The first full unit we tackled in Humanities was focused on Humans, Nature, and Sacred Space, and was highlighted by texts from authors such as Werner Herzog, Gary Snyder, Montaigne, and William Shakespeare. One of the best things we did this whole semester was without a doubt the viewing of Werner Herzog’s (rather opinionated) documentary about the life of wildman Timothy Treadwell, titled Grizzly Man. Since Herzog and Treadwell have such contrasting opinions on people's’ involvement in nature, this film was perfect for showing the general human attitude when it comes to the world around us. Gary Snyder’s poem “Toward Climax” showed a very different perspective on human involvement in nature, chronicling people’s increasing defilement of the natural world over time. By writing it the way he did, Snyder left a lot open to interpretation, but the general message was clear: The climactic point in mankind’s relationship with nature has come and gone. We also read Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” during this unit, although it was quite strongly connected with Montaigne’s “Of Cannibals” which we looked into just prior to reading the play. Both texts focused on the differences in opinion between various groups of people in regards to being human, the variance coming in that Shakespeare’s work was much more fictitious, as the plot was driven by magic. This unit was probably my favorite, as I found much of the material quite interesting - and at worst relaxing, as I wrote poetry for the unit project. The content of “Unit One” showed us what it means to be human in regards to interacting with both ourselves, one another, and our surroundings.

The next unit in the Humanities saga focused on Love, Beauty, and Art, and was highlighted by texts from authors such as Oscar Wilde and Nigel Spivey.  One of the focal points of this unit was the idea that different people can have varying definitions of what is and is not art, and also what that art might be made to represent. In the film The Shape of Things, we further investigated this theory, as we witnessed a unique form of art that to its creator was a thing of beauty, but to nearly everyone else was nothing more than a cruel experiment. The aforementioned theory was also looked at in depth through Oscar Wilde’s book, The Picture of Dorian Gray. In Wilde’s work, we saw just how manipulative humans can be, and also how important it is to be aware of one’s opinions as an individual and to hold true to them. All three aspects of this unit were actually visible in Dorian Gray; the portrait providing art and beauty, the relationships among the characters demonstrating love (or lack there of). Art was again brought to the forefront in Nigel Spivey’s How Art Made the World. Spivey discussed the evolution of art through human history, from its roots to where it is today. He also touched upon the influence of art on the beauty standard, and how that has evolved along with the rest of the art spectrum. As a whole, this unit showed the ways in which humans experience art, beauty, and love, both emotionally and physically, and also drew connections among the three. We learned through this that to be human is a different experience than any other creature could ever imagine, and that ability to experience and appreciate these aspects of life is what makes us unique as a species.

The next unit was focused on Law and Ethics, and was highlighted by text from Camus, as well as several sets of holy guidelines. Camus’ The Stranger was a rather odd story, one where the protagonist went through life with no apparent emotion, at least not the proper one at the proper time. The book related to law and ethics in that the main character had no well defined set of ethics (or so it seemed), and also had a rather confusing experience during his trial for murder, a case which wound up hinges largely on the court’s evaluation of his character as a human being. We also watched the movie Crimes and Misdemeanors, a story which follows several individuals’ lives as they experience important moral (ethical) and legal decisions. This film emphasized the effects that a potentially harmful decision can have on one’s conscious, as several of the characters seemed to nearly drive themselves mad over opportunities they either took (or did not take) and wished they had (or had not). Finally, we took a look as a class at the 10 Commandments and the Buddhist precepts. After comparing and contrasting them, we found that many holy codes are really quite similar when put into the context of their respective belief systems. We also investigated the potential of the divine or the afterlife as potential threats to keep societal structure in order. This unit taught us that to be human is to not only understand and appreciate the ethical codes laid down by those around us, but to also create our own based on our personal life experiences. We also must contribute fairly to society and help to maintain law and order.

The final and most recent Humanities unit wrapped up the saga with a focus on the Inner Journey and the Meaning of Human Reality. This last unit was highlighted by texts from Hesse and (who else) Shakespeare. In Shakespeare’s Danish play Hamlet, the idea of human reality was a focal point, as the conflicted protagonist searched for both meaning and understanding in an atmosphere where he seemed to hardly belong. These same key elements were visible in The Epic of Gilgamesh, a story about a man who seems to vanquish every challenge thrown his way (even by the gods), but feels empty as to what his purpose may be in life. Gilgamesh also struggles through the inner journey, eventually maturing himself enough to accept his own mortality. Hesse’s Siddhartha chronicles the inner journey of one individual as he searches for a path to enlightenment, and in doing so, learns things about himself he never expected to discover. This unit showed us that to be human, one must experience an inner journey and in doing so discover himself in new ways. One must also find a definite reality to live in, and must not allow it to become confused with imaginative realms, or else risk losing one’s mind.  

While we have covered a vast amount of material throughout the humanities curriculum, it can all be combined to answer the same critical question: What is it to be human? We have seen that while being an individual is extremely important to defining oneself, we also must rely on others as humans are meant to work together and be social. We discovered that humans are unique in our ability to experience things both emotionally and physically (and to synthesize these reactions), and that only people can then put these experiences into a system of beliefs as to what is good and bad, right and wrong. Finally, we found that only humans have a system of laws to sort the actions of our species, and that we are the only creatures who can truly define our realities and go on an inner journey to better understand our places in these surroundings. To be human is to be unique, and Humanities has taught me that, if nothing else.