the importance of history
At school, the majority of students take classes like physics, chem, and biology, all science classes. Instead, I take classes like U.S. history, world history, economics, and human geography. I often repeatedly debate the reason for my choice in taking these classes. Questioned as to why I would find a history of all things interesting, the significant of our past has become more clear to me.
The importance of history is obvious: learning from your past mistakes. But it's so much more than that. Learning about those who came before us means remembering the injustices which this world previously held.
Stating perfectly, Sontag captures the true essence of remembering the past, "To make peace is to forget." When we think about the past atrocities in our history, many of them continue to this day. We must continue the remember the hardships that millions of people endured in the past.
To learn about the people which created the world we lived in, to think about each decision which altered the course of our own present-day lives, these thoughts make history such a crucial part of our life.
To relate history back to Maus, the importance of remembering history is evident. Holocaust memorials scatter the world in memory of the millions of people who passed away. The history carries on with these memorials, as they preserve the events that occurred.
It is important for us to use history as a way to preserve the memories and injustices which occurred in the past. And just as Sontag tells us, "Don't forget."
The importance of history is obvious: learning from your past mistakes. But it's so much more than that. Learning about those who came before us means remembering the injustices which this world previously held.Stating perfectly, Sontag captures the true essence of remembering the past, "To make peace is to forget." When we think about the past atrocities in our history, many of them continue to this day. We must continue the remember the hardships that millions of people endured in the past.
To learn about the people which created the world we lived in, to think about each decision which altered the course of our own present-day lives, these thoughts make history such a crucial part of our life.
To relate history back to Maus, the importance of remembering history is evident. Holocaust memorials scatter the world in memory of the millions of people who passed away. The history carries on with these memorials, as they preserve the events that occurred.
It is important for us to use history as a way to preserve the memories and injustices which occurred in the past. And just as Sontag tells us, "Don't forget."
ahhh i love this post so much. This is why I enjoy history classes as well and find them so interesting! History teaches so much about human nature and crucial decisions - how you can fail or succeed in so many different contexts. especially in our modern culture I feel like we forget those who came before us. We all say that the current political state is shocking, but compared to past presidential candidates (no shade) we see that's it not necessarily groundbreaking news that politics is a very dirty industry. What shocks me most is people's resistance to history, of not learning the lessons of times past. I wonder what historical figures would say if they looked at our current state - would they approve, disapprove, or somewhere in between?
ReplyDeleteAs much as I hate history classes, I do understand their importance. Trying to ignore history really just makes a person or a country look bad for trying to cover up their mistakes. I went on field trip to a plantation once, and there was an African American girl in my class that complained about going there, because it wasn't a good part of her ancestor's history. My teacher responded saying that it is a part of history that has to be remembered so it isn't repeated. That teacher was the first one that truly made me realize the importance of history. If no one ever learns the devastating reality of it, it would be likely to happen again. But now when someone has an idea that didn't work in the past, someone can say "Oh they already tried that in 1939 and it started a war" so that hopefully they won't try it again.
ReplyDeleteI likes how you tied your love for history into your blog. The hook was great tying in with your claim of the blog. I also liked how you mentioned Maus in the blog. I also liked how you gave history more meaning and purpose than just learning form past mistakes.
ReplyDeleteLmao I still haven't taken like a single history class in school yet. But I see how history really is important. History is more about the human nature and how civilization works; it is not merely the past. Learning about how past humans interacted with each other, and what things they held as most important is vital to move forward in our future. Remembering history is really crucial because it is not just one person's single past, it is the collective past of the many, and it really puts into perspective your place in the world.
ReplyDeleteI agree that remembering history is important because that is how we learn what to never repeat. The memorials all serve as a reminder of the past and force us to keep in mind what happened. There is so much that we can gain my analyzing history. A lot of history entails the advancements society made as well as the mistakes.
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