Northrop Frye Role Of The Humanities Summary

Role of the Humanities

Northrop Frye states, “A society like ours does not have very much interest in literacy” (3), and maybe he’s right, but does that mean our society is unable to think? I strongly disagree with that assumption and it is an assumption because he has no facts to prove it, but I have facts to prove why he is wrong. Frye says that people need to learn humanities, so they can know how to think. People, who have developed better verbal skills than others, do not have very many job opportunities according to Frye. Also, just because someone has improper wording on paper, does not mean that is how he thought about it in his brain/mind. Lastly, thinking is in your personal mind, you don’t have to put it into words out loud, some people might think through images. Everyone is able to think, it’s under their personal control, and it is not something to be taught.
I can personally say there are tons of people who may not know anything about the humanities, who are likelier to get a job quicker than someone who does. Frye says “the humanities graduate who has developed good verbal skills, whose mind has been framed to flexible and adjustable, will find many options open to him” (2). But who is to say that someone cannot have an open mind without learning the humanities. Knowing how to read and write “properly” isn’t an interest to some jobs, so maybe the only people who should learn it are the ones who need