Why Does History Matter?
History encapsulates our everyday lives. History is not just about places, dates and individuals, but also about characters and perspectives. As Penelope J. Corfield writes 'When asked 'Why History? ' the answer is that History is inescapable '. Stephen Fry adds 'It is thrilling, absorbing, fascinating, delightful and infuriating, that it is life...It is the story of us had we been born a little earlier ' . History is then a story of us all and where we have come from, by studying it we effectively illuminate our past and bring it to life within our contemporary setting. History is rooted deeply in our culture, on both a national level and at a local, communal level. These histories are displayed in a variety of manners, ranging from lavish museums and old townhouses to
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History tests your analytical and reasoning skills, your ability to pierce through agendas and see what lies between the lines. These techniques allow those who study history to construct well-rounded arguments. Through the study of History we can view past experiences through the lens of our contemporary, modern way of life. An example of the historiography in practice is the perception of our ancestors and the differences between them and us. Tosh speaks of the 'otherness of the past ' and challenges the popular idea that characters of the past were 'just like us '. In Chapter 2 Tosh talks of ancient Athens 'where ideas which are the foundation of modern philosophy took shape in a society underpinned by slavery '. Stephen Fry compounds this when he writes 'Great and good men and women stirred sugar into their coffee knowing that it had been picked by slaves. Kind, good ancestors of all of us never questioned hangings, burnings, tortures, inequality, suffering and injustice that today revolt
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...
History allows us to find how we fit into our homes, communities, and nations. It also gives us a common ideal; to know from where we came and from there, know where we are going. As individuals, we can also use history to understand the heart, value, and belief that caused our nation to become strong. It brings a people together, keeping them strong.
History is a powerful form of context. History is one thing that almost every reader can grasp and have a great understanding of. Also, history is one thing that will always stay current. ...
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.
History is the study of the past. It is the combination of many different interpretations divided over different languages, cultures, and individuals. It is “fragments of knowledge that we put together” (Bishop). With that said, I believe that new information will disturb the already unstable model of the historical past. This is demonstrated through history’s influence on our emotion and sense perception.
History is the investigation of occasions that have just gone through the stream of time (“1941,” 1). History specialists decipher occasions and after that procedure them into an account that tells circumstances and end results [2] . History can't be viewed in general, on the grounds that there is such a great amount of data to deal with. In this way, a student of history must pick and pick what to see at with a specific end goal to better comprehend history.
History is the story and knowledge of the past. There are individuals that are interested by history and wish to study it by learning more. It is very informative to know what has happened in the past for self-knowledge. An individual cannot be naïve to the past including but not limited to how literature came to. One can understand literature more when they understand the time period the author wrote during and the way they wrote. There are several time periods different authors have been through with each period having specific beliefs. Romanticism is the time period that interests me the most; it was a time during the eighteenth century and focused on nature along with the individual’s expression of imagination and emotion.
The impact of history and culture on an individual's life is tremendous. History plays a large role in forming an individual because it helps them develop morals, ideals, and goals in life. It begins the process of finding an identity. The past is never forgotten because it leaves marks on ones life as a scar does to ones body. It may go unseen physically, but the emotional effects it produces last a lifetime, and can continue on for generations to come.
“Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.” This famous quote from Edmund Burke is one that many of us are familiar with. In spite of this, many people disregard history, branding it as unimportant or irrelevant to modern-day situations. However, history is actually a quite important subject with a myriad of lessons to be learned for anybody to apply now and in the future. Additionally, history gives us much needed information about our past, keeping us from forgetting why our nations became the way they are. It allows us to draw parallels between modern events and past events to collect our best judgment and gives us the important knowledge of the origin of our modern world, giving extra credibility
Millions of people have gone great lengths to record every part of the past. We may not know much about the future but we have more than enough information about the past. The knowledge about our past has helped us in many ways. Historians, teachers, doctors, students, lawyers and many more have relied on history books and researches on significant events in history to prove their point. The question why history matters has been asked many times. It has been asked by students, teachers and parents sometimes. Some people may see this question as ridiculously easy but I see it as one of the hardest ones yet asked. Does History matter? This question can’t be answered in one sentence. Try asking people why history is important and the answer is usually “It’s to learn from our mistakes”. It’s not right to summarize over 4 billion years of history in one sentence. This question can be easily answered in numerous ways. I would side with the numerous historians who say history holds huge significance. History is older than any object or human being we have ever come across. History has proved itself significance with the help of human beings. We, the people have used history and made it one the most significant thing in present. History holds itself significant because it has helped us understand human behaviors, change in societies, mistakes influential figures have made in past, the past events occurrence and many other reasons. The most important reason is that history protects us by preparing us for the incoming. This essay would analyze the importance of history today by using the past events for evidence.
Though our history may bring back horrible memories of the ?grimmest dimensions of human nature? (Limerick 472), it is necessary to have a good historical background. History gives us the ability to improve future outputs, satisfy our unending need for knowledge, and understand how many policies and regulations have come to be. Without history mankind would be very primitive and ununified. Our complete molding of the world today is almost completely dependent on the fact that we study our history. Without history present day humans would be nothing more than cavemen.
History is a story told over time. It is a way of recreating the past so it can be studied in the present and re-interpreted for future generations. Since humans are the sole beneficiaries of history, it is important for us to know what the purpose of history is and how historians include their own perspective concerning historical events. The purpose and perspective of history is vital in order for individuals to realise how it would be almost impossible for us to live out our lives effectively if we had no knowledge of the past. Also, in order to gain a sound knowledge of the past, we have to understand the political, social and cultural aspects of the times we are studying.
History is the bridge that connects the past with the present. Without history, we have no future. The past gives value to our present. David C. McCullough stated, “History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. History is who we are and why we are the way we are”. I agree with McCullough, history gives us a purpose. History allows us to investigate and interpret the past in order to see how we developed and where we came from. We can get an idea of what has influenced our past and present, and also what will shape our future. We can see what previous generations did and whether or not t...
It is important to study history because it teaches us about not only our own culture but about cultures all around the world. Learning about other cultures and how they look a the world and what their opinion on certain things are , helps us learn better ways of avoiding conflicts. History is just a way of getting us to understand human life and helping us embrace new ways of making a healthier lifestyle. Studying history is very important to all of our society because it answers every question. History is everywhere so why not learn about
History is everywhere today. I don’t think some people really realize how broad the word history really is. Basically when someone hears the word history they automatically think of some sort of culture like the ancient Egyptians, or some important date like December 7, 1941, the attack on Pearl Harbor, when the United States officially entered the Second World War. But people don’t really realize there are so many other types of history. World leaders are making history with wars, conflicts, and new laws; movies are making history by selling outrageous numbers of tickets, athletes are making history by setting records everyday, and students are making history by graduating college. Every part of what you do is some type of history