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To truly be human, one must be able to analyze, interpret, and communicate. In Shlain's Alphabet Versus Goddess, he discusses the major differences between the right and left brain, and how this affects the way humans process information. The right brain expresses a state of feeling and being while the left brain is concerned with doing and the willingness to do. The right brain interprets information in the form of emotion, without any effort to translate into words. An example Shlain uses is that of human facial expression; the brain reads the expression and understands it on a deep, emotional level, but it does not translate the feelings into words like "happy" or "sad" without the help of the left brain. This way of thinking and interpreting is uniquely human. David Abram also discusses the brains way of processing information in The Spell of the Sensuous, but with more of an emphasis on the evolution of language. When humans started communicating through pictures (the first step on the way to a fully developed written language), the began the shift away from human gestures and voices and started focusing on these man made images. When the rebus came along, however, the drawn picture or character was no longer meant to simply represent a material thing, it was meant to invoke a specific sound of the human voice. This communication process is uniquely human. Native American oral tradition is an example of the importance of spoken language and its power though history. It has lasted hundreds of years, and some of the stories still exist.

In the Tempest, the relationship humans have with nature plays a major role. Right from the start of the play, a powerful storm leaves a ship and its crew at the mercy of nature. Prospero is a God like figure throughout the show, and he uses the power of nature to control people. In another instance, Prospero is the reason a group of people get lost on the woods of the island. He uses the power of nature to create a confusing maze of trees. According to this show, being human means being at the mercy of nature. Much like the storm in in the Tempest, the flood in Genesis shows how powerless humans are against nature. God uses the power of nature to control the evil that is spreading among humans. Another example of how the God from the Bible uses the power of nature is the 10 plagues. God uses disease, light depravation, and hail storms to punish the people of Egypt. This shows that humans are at the mercy of nature. In Shakespeare's Sonnet 130, he uses nature imagery to pain a vivid picture. He depicts the contrast between a maiden he loves and beautiful aspect of nature (the sun, flowers, and snow). He does this to show that even though his maiden isn't perfect, he loves her all the same. This shows natures powerful influence on humans. Shakespeare uses this power in his poems to make them more effective.

In Dorian Gray, Dorian is a model of youth and beauty. He make people around him envious of his outward appearance. He eventually becomes corrupt by Lord Henry, but it seems to have no affect on his beauty. It does however, have an effect on his inward beauty (as shown by his decaying portrait). This goes to show that being a beautiful human means being beautiful on the inside. In the movie the Shape of Things, Evelyn makes Adam her project much like Henry makes Dorian. Evelyn turns Adam into what society views as beautiful in order to make an artistic statement about beauty and society. This shows that society's view of beauty is skewed, and to be truly beautiful, on must find beauty within ones self. In Shakespeare's Sonnet 116, he treats love as an eternal force that is the reality of everyones life. Even if people are lost in life, the can still be saves by the power of love. This shows that to be human means to find love.

In the movie Crimes and Misdemeanors the protagonist is in a difficult moral situation. He has trouble with the thought of ethics and God. After he has an old girlfriend killed to make his life easier, he feels as though he will be punished by a higher power because there is a moral structure to the universe. This movie shows that there is a moral and ethical structure to the universe.  The Bible dictates many moral standards, specifically in the 10 commandments. According to this, there is a very strict and moral code to the universe: abide by these rules and you will be rewarded, if you do not, you will be punished. In the Stranger, Meursault kills a man. This is against the moral standards of the universe and he is therefore punished. The punishment isn't standard punishment, but he is punished with the hard life he is given and the consequences of the murder.

Hamlet is a prime example of the inner journey. Unlike many standard "heroic" journeys, Hamlet's is in his mind. He must get revenge and discover if there is as true meaning to life in order to feel at peace. Moyre's description of the inner journey is through story; he says everyone finds truth through storytelling.