...A Different History SUJATA BHATT Great Pan is not dead; he simply emigrated to India. Here, the gods roam freely, Disguised as snakes or monkeys; every tree is sacred and it is a sin to be rude to a book. It is a sin to shove a book aside with your foot, a sin to slam books down hard on a table, a sin to toss one carelessly across a room. You must learn how to turn the pages gently without disturbing Sarasvati, without offending the tree from whose wood the paper was made. Which language has not been the oppressor’s tongue? Which language truly meant to murder someone? And how does it happen that after the torture, after the soul has been cropped with a long scythe swooping out of the conqueror’s face – the unborn grandchildren grow to love that strange language. ...
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...Elizabeth Brewster and Sujata Bhatt both suggest the significance of place in helping to shape a person’s identity in their poems but they do it in different ways. Brewster suggests that places change our identity when she writes “People are made of places”. This shows that every different place we visit we take the memories and experiences that we had there and keep them in our minds and hearts forever. Whereas Bhatt suggests that when we go to a new place we forget who we previously were and change ourselves so that we fit in with the new culture that we are living in. We know this from when she says “And how does it happen/ that after the torture”. This shows the struggle to keep your cultural heritage when you move places. In “A Different History” Bhatt suggests that not only does places change who we are but that we change the places that we go to. She writes “he simply emigrated/ to India” which shows us that you can still be the same person that you were before you moved but now you can get the opportunity to learn new ideas and views on things. In contrast to this Brewster suggests that in some places you will not fit in as it is not the sort of place that you are used to and love to live in. We know this from when she describes the city smell as “smog”. This shows that she feels claustrophobic in the city whereas in her homeland she is used to the “acres of pine woods” which is a metaphor for space to breathe and relax. Elizabeth Brewster writes “Where I come from...
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...“This Time is Different: Comparing Al-Qaeda’s Unique Place in the History of Terrorism with the Freedom Fighters of the Irish Republican Army” Al Qaeda and the Irish Republican Army are two of the most complex and famous terrorist organizations in modern history. While both groups share some principles with one another, and undoubtedly have committed and continue to commit horrible acts, the world’s perception of each is undoubtedly different from the other. There is an apparent contradiction in Karl Heinzen’s famous quote: “If to kill is always a crime, then it is forbidden equally to all; if it is not a crime, then it is permitted equally to all.”[1] This difference in public perception is a result of several key tenets of each organization’s strategy and structure. The IRA fights to protect and support the liberties of the Irish people, while Al Qaeda relies upon the religious doctrine of a radical Islamic minority to carry out jihad against Western infidels. Al Qaeda, while claiming to represent the entire Muslim world, has never had a real home or a consistent base to draw upon; inversely, a large proportion of the Irish people are steadfast in their support for the cause. Al Qaeda’s indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians has resulted in a falling out with a large percentage of its former supporters. Finally, the IRA had a distinct, tangible, and realistic goal of expelling the British from Ireland, while Al Qaeda seeks to establish a new caliphate based...
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...Alternate History, History and Historical Elements in “Flight” Flight the novel by Sherman Alexie itself is a travel through time. Although the novelist makes references to historical events in the book, this work cannot be called as historical fiction. Rather it falls into the category of Alternate history. It belongs to the genre where the author alters events that really happened in the past and sets his plot in the resulting changes. In the case of Flight, the novel can be called speculative fiction with a heavy dose of history and historical elements. In this narrative of Zits’ story, the author makes the protagonist jump into different historical identities. Zits does this as he travels through time and revisits history. Zits understanding of violence changes as he travels through these different...
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...Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States, there is a much greater understanding of what Columbus actually did. History needs to be through different viewpoints or the true history of life isn’t told; learners can’t perish to one view on history. Nations and communities have different viewpoints for example. Nations view history as Columbus viewed it while communities view history as the oppressed viewed it. While the views are associated with two different history writing styles in the chapter that Zinn provides, different views are essential when it comes to learning history. National collective memory is associated massively to the leader’s perspective, for example Columbus’s viewpoint; communal collective memory is linked heavily to the oppressed perspective such as the experiences of the Arawaks. The first chapter titled Columbus, The Indians, and Human Progress Zinn analyzed the untold history of what Columbus actually did back in 1492. Zinn provides us two different types of history writing. One type is the history of Columbus in Columbus’s own point of view. This is the type that students briefly learned about in high school modern history courses and of historians. Some historians basically sympathize with Columbus’s perspective. He was a hero for finding new land and supposedly bringing gold back to the King and Queen. Many students didn’t know there were other viewpoints so they believed in that one view. Zinn states, “When we read the history books given to children...
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...Women Throughout American History Throughout history women have created a diverse culture for our nation. Before women took a stance for themselves, history had not evolved, women were greatly disregarded and neglected. Women today have done so much for society and our nation that it is odd to think all of their contributions to American history at one point did not matter. The supremacy of the white male had taken over for a while, but there are different cultures as well as a different gender that has helped and document todays history. Okihiro is a woman that has shown that looking through history from a different point of view can change the outlook that women have set history apart for themselves, and are centered around history. Women...
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...alternate history of what would’ve happened on the day October 14 1942 if Charles Lindbergh had won the presidency instead of Roosevelt in 1940. In this part of the book Philip Roth shows the beginnings of the ultimate result of the Lindbergh presidency. Charles Lindberg was an overt anti-Semite and a nativist (both in the book and in reality) and from the time he came to power he had started working closely with the third Reich, and the government had started a campaign to inspire anti-Semitic and pro Hitler inclinations in the general American public. In this part of the story we see that history had spiraled out to become...
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...History of the Olympics It is very hard to try and see anything negative about the history of the Olympics. I personally have not seen the negative things in it. I really tried my hardest in to trying to find something that might be able to help with the negative part of the history of Olympics but I couldn’t find anything. Especially towards teaching I honestly read and researched nothing but positive things when it came to the Olympic history and my profession. So unfortunately I will only be writing about why the history of the Olympics is positive and beneficial to teaching physical education. The history of the Olympics has helped me realize just how important it is towards physical education. Of course now of days I think that people just watch for mere entertainment. But when the Olympics first began in 1796 a lot of people didn’t now a lot about it. As it got around the event began to evolve more and more. The Olympics really helped bring a lot of people and things together. It allowed for people all over the world to be able to not only show case there talent to the world but it was also a gate opener to new sports. As the Olympics evolved a lot of different sports began to evolve also. Which is great for my profession because it gave my profession a breath of fresh air? It allowed physical education teachers a chance to talk about different sports and for students to play, learn and experience different things. The games and...
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...Reflection Paper Your name Institutional Affiliations History has been in existence since the formation of the earth and existence of mankind. The life and form of human beings have evolved over the years. While all human beings have same origin historically, evolution and development of human life and their living conditions led to inequality among different groups of people and different parts of the world. As a result, there are many pieces of literature including books, journals, among others, which explain different historical events (Diamond, 1999). However, some historical books or articles do not address historical issues fully especially historical factors that led to high development in some areas while leaving others highly underdeveloped. However, Guns, germs and steel: The fates of human societies, a book written by Jared diamond is totally different and unique historical book in contrast to other historical books. This is because in his book Gun, germs and steel: The fates of human societies, Jared examined all historical events that happened in the last 13,000 years. However, unlike other historical books, Jared applied different methods and materials including scientific ones so as to ensure that he covers all necessary information and that every reader understands him properly. Another unique feature of this book is that unlike others, which focus on specific place, people or event, this book is focused on...
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...channels have always done terrible things in the name of profit, but yesterday I learned of a horrible new product that flew under the radar when it was released a few months ago. Just seeing it made my blood boil, and I hope you’ll agree that it symbolizes pretty much everything wrong with American education and popular history in the twenty-first century. That product? The Young Investigator’s Guide to Ancient Aliens: Based on the Hit Television Series, a book tie-in to the Ancient Aliens TV series, which carries the History Channel’s official endorsement and authorship and was released by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Macmillan, one of America’s largest book publishers. The volume is aimed at readers aged 8 to 12, though after skimming the book I’d think it’s perhaps a bit too ambitious for an 8 year old. (I wonder if grades 8-12 was what was meant instead.) Picture Although the book was released in July, it received no reviews on Amazon as of this writing and no mainstream media coverage that I could find. That is perhaps a good thing because the book itself is more horrifying than you’d imagine. As the book description explains: Spanning history, from the earliest of human civilizations to the modern period, this book exposes evidence of the presence of extraterrestrials in some of our most triumphant and devastating moments. And lest you think the existence of this book is an idle danger: According to the Toronto Public Library’s website, they purchased an astonishing...
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...idea of how the war began with the major nations and leaders involved. This book should not be used as a primary source because it is not as long and informative as others, but it is a good source to read in the early stages of the research. It is also slightly biased towards the US because it often talks about all the great organizations and pacts they established. It is important to read multiple sources because history is something that can be biased, so reading the work of different historians is important in finding what is true, what is biased, and what is...
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...family and kinship arrangements, or other indices of social differentiation, to fully appreciate the complex history of Asia.’ The area known to us as Asia sits on the eastern side of the landmass of Eurasia and is the largest continent, encompassing a staggering 17 million square miles. Asia is home to a variety of cultures, religions, governments and mindsets, giving it a wide base for a complex history involving largely different groups of people. These different groups, or ethnicities, all formed their own histories over time, which when combined together give Asia more than one past, they arise into an intricate and comprehensive history fashioned by a diversity of experiences. Therefore, there is no ‘single’ Asian past; we must delve into each single experience to gain insight into the prolific and wide ranging history that gathers under the one banner of ‘Asia’. Each country within Asia has its own geographic links to other nations and cultures. These links were expanded on by exploration, trade routes and missionary ventures. These vital networks allowed cultural influences to travel from country to country, resulting in each nation in Asia receiving different influences from the next. In turn, this led to widespread variety amongst individual countries. These networks were invaluable to allow the able interaction of cultures, and formed the groundwork for a history of communication. Each society within Asia was built on and shaped by the foundations of its own class...
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...A People’s History Versus A Patriot’s History Public consensus, similar to politics, varies greatly when it comes to American history, especially as it pertains to the classroom. Views about the content and historical interpretation included in history texts have reached a heightened polarization in recent years. This can be seen in the vast differences between the diatribes of Howard Zinn’s, A People’s History of the United States, and Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen’s, A Patriot’s History of the United States. While both books, prescribed by this introductory course into American History, cover many of the same topics, they clearly paint different pictures. I feel that any text seeking to represent a responsible survey of a subject, should strive to include a full range of views on a particular issue. There is no question that this requirement is fulfilled by the inclusion of both books. However, if one book would need to be selected over the other, my choice would be Schweikart and Allen’s. This is simply because I believe their book offers more facts and details surrounding the historical events in question. In an age where political perspective is often spoon-fed to us by dueling cablenews networks and political talk-radio shows, it is no wonder that our nation’s history is a hot topic for debate. A common perspective in conservative circles is that liberals seek to use the educational system to indoctrinate the nation’s youth. Although, a current issue in rebuttal...
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...even the history itself on how mankind was demolished? History, without us knowing, is being made every second that we are living. Unlike before, events now can be recorded in a blink of an eye. The development of technology allows individuals to update many events, some brilliant, some abysmal, with just a click of a button. It is exceptional to document many affairs going on in the world, but is it alright to have large historical data for future generations to access and scrutinize every little action we made through our time? A large historical records can lead to results to different effects and serious consequences. Not...
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...War is a harsh reality that the world has had to live with from the beginning of time. It has remained constant through out history and has given human beings an outlet to fight for what they believe in. There are three main areas of emphasis that are talked about frequently in the conversations about war and the history it has created. The first is the definition of war itself and what it actually means to the general public, historian community and to veterans themselves. The second is the costs and benefits that are accompanied with war. You have to also consider the sacrifices and negative impacts that war has had on the world since the beginning of time. Third is the history and recollection of what has happened in the past due to war and if the stories, information, and facts can actually be trusted or if they are just a perception of what happened on those many battlefields through out history. War has always been a constant through out history and will continue to be one far into the future due to the fact that it creates innovation, causes sacrifice and creates history that will shape the world we live in for as long as anyone could imagine. It is hard to define what war is in a single sentence and I also believe that it can be given many different meanings depending on what context you are looking at it in and whom you may ask for a definition. The definition provided in the course material is: war is the legal condition that defines the nature of conflict between...
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