How History Shapes Us and How We Shape History - Research Paper Example

How History Shapes Us and How We Shape History History is an illustration of an individual’s identity. The way people deal with history can tell a lot about them. History can go a step further to tell the future of an individual. We can decide which aspects to stress and focus on and which to forget. This can be achieved through connecting different events and interpreting them. Our interpretation of events defines us when our views contradict the views of other people. In this essay, I analyze the way people deal with history at different regions. I also compare the way in which individuals choose to remember the darker periods of history and the conclusions that are reached. Words have always had a great influence on people in the past. However, the trend is changing as time passes by. Mario Vargas Llosa has made the observation that many people nowadays are lacking the motivation and passion to read. On many occasions, gentlemen approach his book store to buy books for their wives and kids. These men claim that they cannot afford enough time to read since they are engrossed in their day to day activities. What has changed? Where did the compassion go? Men have got many obligations and responsibilities in life. They claim that they would not spend time burying their faces deep in to books. Statistics show that literature is becoming a female thing. More women are interested in reading than men. Some explain that middle class women can be able to read more because they work for fewer hours than men. It’s a pity for the men who are unaware of the pleasure that they are missing. A society in which the works of literature are hidden is full of vices. One of the key factors influencing the peoples’ interest in literature and reading habits is science and technology (Llosa, Mario). Science and technology can fail to play an integrating role. There is infinite richness of knowledge which has led to specialization. Literature will always be the common denominator of all experiences. Literature has enabled individuals from all walks of life to transcend history. Literature has always protected people against prejudice, racism and political sectarianism. Literature has always acted as weapon in the fights against discrimination, fear as well as exploitation. Therefore, without literature, history is as good as dead (Llosa, Mario).. Still on the subject of literature, William Faulkner’s speech reveals more. He feels that the award was given to him as a result of his hard work in the field of literature. He dedicates the award to writers like him be it men or women. He strongly believes in the strength in a man’s soul. According to him, man is immortal because he has a soul and a spirit that is capable of making sacrifices, showing compassion as well as vindicating endurance. He considers it a privilege to be a writer. He says that tragedy is the root cause of physical fear. However, a writer has to be ready to learn that there should be no room for fear (William Faulkner - Banquet Speech). Jim whipple remembers the past with warm memories. However, not all memories were sweet. The death of the last living American soldier of world war one made him think about the history that he had lived through. He defines history as everything that happens from the day before to our past. The contents of every day newspapers will one day be written in history books. Jim had fought in the Vietnam War. Looking at historical books, he notices that historians usually put the spin on the topics they write about. For every ten observers in a historical event, there can be ten different versions of what had really happened. Some students consider history as an image that is made up of thick text books. For the others, history is an interesting puzzle that has a cultural significance. It is very important for one to remember his or her past. If one does not remember the past, he might commit the same mistakes again and again. A knowledge about the past leads to the understanding of the societies that have undergone a series of changes to their present state. However some of the claims given by the historians are just mere guesses. History is subjected to constant changes. For example it has always been said that Christopher Columbus had discovered a new world. However, it is evident that there were some people who lived in that island therefore; it was not really him that discovered the island. The past gives information about our ideas, lives and expectations (Shepherdstownchronicle.com). Rachael is a rape victim. She was raped some twenty four years ago. During the hearing of her case, she was not able to strand in court listening as the judges asked questions. According to her, the judges were asking irrelevant questions. She can describe the scenes as if they had just happened some few minutes ago. The rape had a great impact on her whole life. Sometimes, she blames herself for what happened to her. She felt unloved. She felt as if she attracted men who did not love her at all. This made her feel empty. The other impact was that she started longing for acknowledgement. She had gone through tough times and somebody out there had to acknowledge the fact that she had survived. However, the deep wounds in her are in need of social care and intervention (Rabe.org,.). According to Rachael, the court did not consider the fact that it was very hard for a rape victim to sit in court and listen to the ordeals being repeated to her. The lack of care among the judges is well known. They have no shred of tenderness. Courts consider rape as a personal problem. No wonder they fail to provide resources to address the problem. Victims of rape are always in pain. They do not have a clear definition of love or care. Rachael feels a lack of interdependence and acknowledgement. Her personal history has influenced her. She had divorced her husband for twenty years but the court was not telling her ex – husband to stop the atrocities. She had spent close to 250,000 dollars on the case. Rachel says that trauma cannot be healed. The scars will always remain and the wounds would open up occasionally. Rachael’s attitude has been shaped by history. Her way of viewing things is greatly influenced. Just one tragedy in her past changed her whole life and she was transformed into another person. She was given a new identity (Rabe.org). The life story of another person can affect the life of another, especially when the person is closely related to another. The company you keep can have a profound influence on you. The life of Orhan Pamuk was greatly influenced by the life story of his own father. His father gave him a briefcase that was full of his writings. He wanted him to read these long after his death. Orhan was a writer with 25 years of experience. He failed to open the briefcase out of fear that his own father could be a better writer than him. Pamuk thought that a writer was supposed to lock himself up in a room as he poured out his thoughts on a piece of paper. Contrary to this, his father opted to mix with friends and live a happy life and he would still write. Pamuk’s father made him realize that he was not alone. He was in the company of the words of the writers who came before him. However, the encouragement that surrounded Pamuk did not support him. The citizens of his country were not good readers. Moreover, writers in his county were very few. Without his father, Pamuk would not become what he had become. It was the encouragements from his father that kept him going (Orhan Pamuk - Nobel Lecture). Jackson is homeless. He was married before and he had kids. He had also been attending college in the past but he dropped out after two semesters. He now wanders the streets with his regular crew. He is an Indian but lives in America. He is a living proof of the horrible terror that results from colonialism. He is scared of history and its ways. He was no job. Therefore, he survives by buying lottery tickets and trying out his lick. To calm his thoughts, he depends on smoking cigars. He also drinks a lot and lives a promiscuous life. Jackson engages in fights at the bar and lives with wounds on his face. He spends all his nights sleeping outside in the dirt even the police know him by name. From the story of Jackson, it is clear that he had never experienced the love of his parents. He only talks about his grandmother and grandfather. The death of his grandparents did not auger well with him. That is the probable reason for his life style. He lives the life of a “don’t care” (Alexie, S) Adolph Hitler is perhaps one of the most infamous leaders today. He is remembered for changing the course of history for the planet as a whole. But how did history shape him. Like every other child, Hitler had dreams and ambitions. He also loved his family and parents so much. However, nature was not kind to him. His father and brother had died while he was just a mere boy. At the age of eighteen, his mother had been diagnosed with cancer. He carried the responsibility of caring for his mother. at the same time, he was pursuing his dream of becoming a well know artist. However, he failed in his exams. The Jewish doctor could not be able to save his mother’s life. His mother died and Hitler was all alone. That was when his love for the Jews dwindled. He went back to school at Vienna. He faced much trouble and desired so much to live a good life. His desire made him to cultivate a political ambition (Historyplace.com). He later entered politics. He is now well known for having caused one of the greatest wars in history. He killed so many Jews to avenge the death of his mother. He was consumed by greed and wanted to rule the whole world. He is a good example of a person whose life course was greatly influenced by history and at the same time, he shaped the history of the whole world. Sad to say, his impact was not taken positively (Historyplace.com). Wangari Mathai is a Kenyan born woman. She is known as the first African woman to receive the Nobel peace prize. She was well educated and she received scholarships to study in the U.S. she first experienced injustice when she was denied a job position due to her gender. That single act made her to start the hard fight for women rights. She started a grassroots movement in 1977 that aimed at countering deforestation. She had deep insight and knew too well that deforestation was threatening the means of subsistence of the agricultural population at large. Her campaign sought to encourage women to plant many trees in the local environment. She started the green belt movement and contributed to the planting of more than thirty million trees. Her mobilization was not limited to in her vision to work towards attaining sustainable development. She viewed tree planting with the eyes of democracy and solidarity. She shaped the history of her country Kenya. Her story will be told to forth coming generations (Nobelprize.org,). Such stories are a clear proof that people are shaped by history and they do shape their history at the same time. References Alexie, Sherman. What You Pawn I Will Redeem - The New Yorker. The New Yorker. N.p., 2015. Web. 18 Mar. 2015. This is the tale of Jackson he is Indian by origin but lives in America. He is homeless and is addicted to drugs. Historyplace.com,. The History Place - Rise of Hitler: Hitler Named Leader of Nazi Party. N.p., 2015. Web. 18 Mar. 2015. This is the story of a normal soldier who raised ranks and became the president of Germany. The story explains how Hitler was shaped by his past events. Llosa, Mario. Why Literature?. The New Republic. N.p., 2001. Web. 18 Mar. 2015. Llosa Mario discusses how people have lost a love for litrature Nobelprize.org,. Wangari Maathai - Facts. N.p., 2015. Web. 18 Mar. 2015. This is the story of a Kenyan woman who fought for the rights of fellow women. She even got herself the Nobel peace prize for her effort to achieve peace "Orhan Pamuk - Nobel Lecture: My Father´s Suitcase". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2013. Web. 1 Jun 2014. http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/2006/pamuk-lecture_en.htl Orhan feared opening his father’s briefcase. He later noted that he succeeded because of his father’s support. Rabe.org,. How History Shapes Us | Rachels Musings. N.p., 2012. Web. 18 Mar. 2015. In this story, Rachael recounts the ordeals that happened in the past. She is a rape victim. She suffered emotionally and she still lives with the scars of the past Shepherdstownchronicle.com,. How Ever-Changing History Shapes Us - News, Opinion, Resources | Shepherdstown Chronicle. N.p., 2015. Web. 18 Mar. 2015. In this story, Jim recounts the wars he fought in the past and how they shaped him. He further accuses authors of their failure to record truths. "William Faulkner - Banquet Speech". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2013. Web. 1 Jun 2014. http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1949/faulkner-speech.html In his speech, Faulkner discusses the inner strength and motivation in writers and poets Read More