Assignment - NHR Response

While reading the The New Humanities Reader, one of my favorite topics that was brought up was the blending of many different specializations into a piece of writing. However, I believe that the linking of specializations should not just be limited to a piece of writing, rather, it should be extended to people’s lives. The common practice of people specializing in one field without connecting to seemingly unrelated fields is a very modern concept. Prior to the modernization of education, many scholarly giants throughout the history of mankind specialized in many different fields where they transformed their education into master pieces. Take for example, Muhammad ibn Musa Al-Khwarizmi, who specialized in mathematics, astronomy, geography, and cartography. This legend is the one whom the basis of algebra and trigonometry is attributed to. The connections he made between these specializations were one of the primary factors behind his success. This concept of a “shared horizon” is one that somehow needs to be integrated back into society. It would be spectacular if during my soon-to-begin calculus classes, we can have one or two days dedicated to the study of the history of mathematics.

Furthermore, The New Humanities Reader, advocates the importance of reading non-fiction and voicing an opinion about it. Throughout High School, writing essays was mainly based on reading a fictional novel and writing an essay that explores a main theme within the plot. While this has its benefits, it is vital for students like me to explore non-fiction in order for them to relate to everyday life.

The main goal of The New Humanities Reader is “to use writing as a way of thinking new thoughts”. When someone writes, thoughts and ideas develop. The world that we know today developed based on writing. Without a way to properly record and analyze events and discoveries, the world will not be as advanced as it is today.

Despite these important ideas and goals that are pushed forth by this expository class, based on my past experiences in English classes and many negative statements that I heard about the Rutgers Expository classes, I would not want to take this class. However, I need to take it as it is a requirement for my major as an Engineer. The only reason that might stop me from taking this class is fear of its difficulty. I must remind myself, however, that in order for me to achieve some type of success, I must tread on thorny roads that will hurt. As the great Islamic scholar, al-Hasan al-Lu’lu’ once said, “Forty years of my life have passed in which I never awoke or went to sleep except that a book was resting on my chest.” It may have been his effort to trod on thorny roads that made him so great.