 #2 (permalink) Sun Aug 08, 2010 14:08 pm GRE test : Does the study of history overemphasize "the famous few" |
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As speaker asserts of two aspects, history study too emphasis on individuals and majority also not insignificant whose suppose to be emphasis in history study. As my consideration, I trend to agree with the latter instead of the former. Firstly, individuals in history study as a representative role to be studied, does not mean emphasis them. Secondly, groups of people did a essential role in history.
As most of people thought, did history paid too much attention on key individual; and forgotten our masses, moreover, even claim that history study should turn to them more. In fact, however, individuals only plays as a representation role to be studied by historian; remember historian Schlesinger mentions that most of history is a study of relatively mass movements. Some of the historian did study at groups’ actions, average’s norms, beliefs, values, mores and practices dominate the course of history and guide it like creek of fluid flowing in a riverbed. Take the notable event happened in enlightenment times, the France Revolution into account, how can the French masses act without angry and ebullient at the process, do not deny there have famous thinkers in that epoch such as Montesquieu, Rousseau, their provided the great ideas to prepare the mind of ordinary people. It is what individuals had done were too outstanding, so they come into history and to be one of the representative role naturally. In other words, key individual were attract people focus on them.
Further more, individual in history did catalyzed and influenced the step that human society move forward, either function of accelerated or decelerated. Most of time time, they created the history like a helmsman. Abraham Lincon, Mahatma Gandhi, both of them did shaped the pattern and directed the aspect of social changes and political reforms in history. Moreover, historians can not get enough materials to inquire into average people; as common knowledge informs us, when try to do some research, we need pick a representative point as a cornerstone to open the gate of research. History study need many incarnation and style to develop their job, as a result they pick the famous key individuals as object. Finally, positive famous individual as a human icon always mentions people to do more contribute for human history as them.
On the other hand, at times distinct ordinary peoples also notable, they play a indispensable role, as the famous Pyramid and Great Wall, these ancient massive spectacular structure built by ordinary people at a raw ancient times. Huge structure erect at this planet mentions people do not forget the power of the masses for thousands years. Thus, majority played such a essential role could not and never be swept by any historian.
In conclusion, as I have mentioned very early, if we considered masses people are essential in history, then I would like to claim key individuals are crucial in history; both of them are important, each side just one of the strand twisted in a rope-called it history. So, historian still doing study as usual, and do no necessary believed that the most of maker of significant events and trends be forgotten by history.
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Sorry Poise, but you are nowhere near well enough equipped to be tackling these types of topics.You are obviously very intelligent, but your command of sentence content and structure are both very poor. I am at a loss in figuring out why you are doing GRE, as it is well beyond your present abilities.
Kitos.
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 Kitosdad
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