Summary of “don't Ignore the Arts”

In “Don’t Ignore the Arts,” Harold M. Williams believes that the arts are the way for people all over the world to communicate with each other and past generations. So without them it would be very difficult to understand other cultures. Also it would be even more difficult to understand our own.

Although the arts may be overlooked they are one of the main ways people communicate with each other. They are one of the best ways people can express themselves so that others will understand them better. Through the arts they can express their feelings and imagination, along with what they are thinking at the time, which in the end will allow them to become closer to others.

History shows that art has been around since the beginning of time. It was a way for people to interact with others in times past, but also the arts are what connect the past time with ours. Williams refers to it as the “universal language.” This universal language is still used today throughout the world and over many years people have found new and exciting ways to reveal different forms of art. Some of these different forms include televisions and computers. The possibilities of the types of art that can be shown on these are endless, also sound is considered an art by some, and of course it is one of the art types used today.

Communicating with other cultures and people can be a challenge without arts. This is because not everyone speaks the same. Although each part of the world has different languages, people can still communicate through different types of art, whether it be through pictures,

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videos, or sound. So the arts can help us come together with other cultures very different from our own.

With the advances that arts can make in peoples lives, why do students across the nation choose not to take classes associated with them? Studies show that classes like art, dancing and

music are the least taken in schools. “Courses in the arts were the last to come and the first to go,” says Williams. Maybe the answer to this question lies with what people get in return from taking these classes. If people are highly educated in the arts, the jobs available for them may be few. One of the best jobs for these highly educated people is teaching but that is done for little pay. So in the long run people see it as having no value, therefore, it is not taken seriously.

Although the arts may not be the best subject to be educated in, when it comes to finding jobs, it is very good for everyday life. If taught correctly it can “empower children,” along with teaching them to make better judgments and understanding people better. Studies have shown that children have higher test scores all around if they are educated in arts, also in many cases it improves their writing skills and vocabulary. They learn how to “express themselves