Reliable Historical Sources History is the study of the past, of what had really happened and who
were involved. To study history itself, it is essential that the
source from which the information were taken is factual as well as
reliable. It is not acceptable if it contains errors and flaws or
mixing the truth with some fictions. This essay will investigate and
evaluate a piece of historical evidence, the Hollywood movie The
Patriot starred by Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger in order to determine
whether or not it is reliable and could be used to determine the
events that really had happened during the American fight for
Revolution.
A way to determine the reliability of The Patriot as an accurate
historical source is by knowing whether it is a primary or a secondary
source of information. A primary source of historical information came
from a person who was directly involved during the period of time or a
document written during that period, such as diaries or the
Declaration of Independence. In this case, this movie is considered as
a secondary source. Some of the advantages of a primary source is that
it brings the researcher as close as possible to what actually
happened in the history and it is almost one hundred percent true. It
helps to know what the people involved think and their individual
viewpoints on certain events. However, the problem with primary source
is that want it or not, historians will have to believe what was
written on the source, since there will be not eyewitness three
hundred years after the event. This is quite challenging...
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... and mix the facts with fiction. There were a few events that really
did exist, but almost all parts of the movie are joined with made-up
events to add the spice in the action. However, the filmmakers did try
to make the movie as close as it was to the real events of the
American Revolution, basing the characters on real-life people and
bringing the scenes to life by breathtaking special effects and
costumes. What was lacking was probably only the essence of the
reliability of its facts and the truthfulness of all the events found
inside the movie. Therefore, although providing a fantastic movie with
great acting and special effects, it is concluded that The Patriot is
not an accurate historical source and could not be used as a reliable
documentation on the history of the Revolutionary War for Independence
of America.
What is history? Many believe that history is what is read in textbooks, or what is seen on the news. If Susan Griffin were asked that question, she would probably argue that history is much more than that. It is about the minds and souls of the people who went through the historical event, not simply what happened. In her essay, Griffin incorporates stories of people from totally different backgrounds, and upbringings, including herself, all to describe their account of one time period. Each person’s history is somehow connected with the next person’s, and each story contr...
First, the historian must refer to primary sources, must describe how he selected his sources and how they are useful, and must quote, refer to, or interpret sources responsibly (representing their context, content, and importance as accurately and fairly as possible) and precisely (using them to clearly support his specific arguments, not haphazardly or too generally). This satisfies the reader by relating (at least one version) of what really happened, and showing how the author justifies his analysis in light of historical fact.
This is done so the character development is clearly shown, the duration of the film can be limited and so the film can be kept interesting and engaging for the audience. The plot in the film is changed slightly from the novel it is based on to show the development of characters. Some settings are excluded or changed to limit the time of the movie. The character’s characteristics are slightly altered so the movie is kept interesting and engaging for the audience. By modifying these aspects of the film the producer is able to keep the audience engaged whilst showing character
The study of past events have been a common practice of mankind since the verbal telling of stories by our ancestors. William Cronon, in his article “Why the Past Matters,” asserts that the remembrance of the past “keeps us in place.” Our individual memories and experiences shape how we act in our daily lives. In addition to influencing us at an individual level, our collective history binds us together as a society. Without knowing where we have been or what we have experienced, it is nearly impossible to judge progress or know which courses of action to pursue. The goal of the historian is to analyze and explain past events, of which they rarely have firsthand memory of, and apply the gained knowledge to make connections with current and future events.
...o thought to restraint. The tried to show us what happened exactly has the soldiers saw it. The opening scene on D Day was very gruesome. It was extremely hard to watch the violent death of all those men. In the early movies they had to try to convey the same emotions with our all the filming technologies that were available for the last one.
From the start, the movie is adapted from the novel and therefore it could not cover everything, some actions or acts in the novel are too dense such that it is not of any importance to angle them in the movie. It is very realistic to everyone that the movie cannot cover every single paragraph in the novel even the memorable ones. Some materials are left out in the film, and others were changed.
A beginning group of historians to take a closer look at is the empiricists. The empiricists have a very strictly factual and logical view on history and how to examine it. They believe that past is both “observable and verifiable” and that through adherence to three strict principles, the past can be represented objectively and accurately. (Green, Troup 3) The three aforementioned principles can be summed up as: meticulously examining historical evidence and verifying the evidence with references, making sure the research is completely impartial and free of biases and prejudices, and using an inductive, or observational, method of reasoning. (Green, Troup 3) The empiricists seek to find universal historical truths through objective research and sticking to the facts.
John Lewis Gaddis, in his book, The Landscape of History, generates a strong argument for the historical method by bringing together the multiple standpoints in viewing history and the sciences. The issue of objective truth in history is addressed throughout Gaddis’s work. In general, historians learn to select the various events that they believe to be valid. Historians must face the fact that there is an “accurate” interpretation of the past ceases to exist because interpretation itself is based on the experience of the historian, in which people cannot observe directly (Gaddis 10). Historians can only view the past in a limited perspective, which generates subjectivity and bias, and claiming a piece of history to be “objective” is simplistic. Seeing the world in a multidimensiona...
the film, to create a re-make that is worth going to see. The use of
History and time are considered to be cultural formations since a History cannot be detached from the culture in which it is produced and received. It is through culture that a historical sense is achieved and in fact, each culture experiences History in a different way leading us to the current perception of History as not being one, but many histories depending on the cultural groups involved. Historians have fought throughout the centuries on whether such thing as “objective History” can exist but in the end, even materialist historians will admit that the reality of History is so complicated and contradictory that no single version could possibly represent the truth; consequently different interpretations are inevitable.
History. What is history? History is not just a complete story from the perspective of a man nor women. But it is a replica that tells the story of our communities, cities, countries, and the world. History by definition is the account of change over a period of time. For centuries, people have altered the environment in order to meet their needs. The effect of these changes have brought upon both positive and negative effects on the environment, societies, and regions. Some include the development of irrigation in ancient Egypt, the construction of chinampas by the Aztecs, and the mining of coal in Great Britain. Throughout time, many of the ancient civilizations have gone through inconvenient setbacks while trying to complete their goal. Nevertheless,
The authors of After the Fact The Art of Historical Detection, make the assertion that history is not an account of what happened in the past because what happened in the past is only the raw material: "History is not some inert body of knowledge `out there' in the past, but a continual act of construction whose end product is being reshaped and made anew every time someone ventures into the archives" (Davidson and Lytle IX). Davidson and Lytle mean that the interpretation of history changes based on the methods of investigation used by the historian. Interpretations also change based on how long "after the fact" we choose to go back and investigate. Current beliefs, social trends, and a person's racial background can't help but play an influential role in how we perceive a past event.
What is history? History is the analysis and interpretation of the past. History allows us to study both continuity and change over time. It helps to explain how we have changed throughout time. Part of history is using pieces of evidence to interpret and revisit the past. Examples of evidence include written documents, photographs, buildings, paintings, and artifacts. Is history important? When looking at what the definition of history entails, it is clear to see history is in fact, important.
History is a series of important past events that connect with something. History is what makes people make better decisions. There are many definitions of history and everyone has their own.
I define history as important events that have happened in the past, and the ones that are presently happening. At some time or another everything will be considered history. History tells a story, whether it’s written, painted, carved, or sung; a collection of events that someone explains to you that is usually important.