Elizabeth Samet, an English professor, gave a surprisingly relevant presentation to the group. Her theme was that preparation, a core process for any military organization, can be hazardous. So what is wrong with preparation? And what does the study of literature have to do with this topic?

Samet asserted that excessive attention to preparation can lead to tunnel vision. Few would dispute that, although I will assert in reply that the process and practice of preparation is a skill that enhances adaptability.

What does literature have to do with this? Samet explained that her students at West Point who study literature learn about coping with differing sets of "facts" and differing cultural views. Ambiguity and interpretation are a key part of literature, which her upper-level students learn to deal with. Thus, she asserts, the study of literature is a good way to learn adaptability.

Finally, the wars of this decade have reacquainted everyone with the primacy of the human journey. Samet explained that the study of literature prepared her West Point cadets for "the journeys out and back" that both they and their soldiers would take.

-Robert Haddick