...Analyse the way in which history and memory generate compelling and unexpected insights. – Jake Cronin The interaction between history and memory is a complex and dialectic process through which perceptions of the past are negotiated, reinforced or challenged. Despite official history’s dependency on validating its claims through documented evidence, it must be acknowledged that it is not objective and remains vulnerable to distortion of those with political power or hegemony. Similarly, the subjective nature of memory allows for official history to be vulnerable to the bias of personal experience and differing perspectives. Furthermore, although official history and subjective memory both provide adequate insights into the past, it is through the consideration and combination of the two that compelling and unexpected insights into the past are generated. Paul Keating’s ‘The Redfern Address’ offers a reasonable challenge to the dominant historical narrative surrounding the European colonisation of Australia and their acts of social injustice in regards to Indigenous Australians. Similarly, Shaun Tan’s ‘Memorial’ explores Australia’s wartime history through the medium of a community’s personal experiences, perspectives and memories converging to form history, and illuminates the way in which history is dictated by those with political power. Through the dialectic interplay of history and meaning, compelling and unanticipated comprehensions of the past are generated and are...
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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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...The primary purpose of historical narratives is to report as accurately as possible what happened at each particular place and time in history. But each of the writers in this unit (De Vaca, Bradford, and Equiano) went beyond merely reporting the facts; they had other, more personal reasons for writing what they did. Each of them had a personal agenda. Equiano’s personal agenda in The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano was to shame his white audience into abolishing the slave trade by describing the horrible events that took place on the ship. While he did state facts about the ship, Equiano described personal experiences to persuade the audience more. For example, Equiano describes the smell of the hold as being “…so intolerably loathsome, that it was dangerous to...
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...The central argument of Ronald Takaki’s book is that Americans view history through a filter called the Master Narrative of American History. Takaki states that “ this powerful and popular but inaccurate story, our county was settled by European immigrants, and Americans are white” (Takaki, 4). The Master Narrative is a small minded representation of what America is and who they are which leads to generalized thoughts that people have on a day to day basis. “ Through this filter, interpretations of ourselves and the world have been constructed, leaving many of us feeling left out of history and America itself (Takaki, 5)”. Ronald Takaki delivers his argument by including personal experiences and secondary sources while analyzing different ethnic...
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...African American Women Under Slavery This paper discusses the experiences of African American Women under slavery during the Slave Trade, their exploitation, the secrecy, the variety of tasks and positions of slave women, slave and ex-slave narratives, and significant contributions to history. Also, this paper presents the hardships African American women faced and the challenges they overcame to become equal with men in today’s society. Slavery was a destructive experience for African Americans especially women. Black women suffered doubly during the slave era. Slave Trade For most women who endured it, the experience of the Slave Trade was one of being outnumbered by men. Roughly one African woman was carried across the Atlantic for every two men. The captains of slave ships were usually instructed to buy as high a proportion of men as they could, because men could be sold for more in the Americas. Women thus arrived in the American colonies as a minority. For some reason, women did not stay a minority. Slave records found that most plantations, even during the period of the slave trade, there were relatively equal numbers of men and women. Slaveholders showed little interest in women as mothers. Their willingness to pay more for men than women, despite the fact than children born to enslaved women would also be the slaveowners’ property and would thus increase their wealth. Women who did have children, therefore, always struggled with the impossible conflict...
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...Introduction How exciting it is to open the bible to the book of Exodus and read the narrative of the fulfillment of God’s promise in the rescue of the Israelites from captivity in Egypt—the call of Moses, the plagues, and the dramatic manifestation of God on Mt. Sinai. Though the book of Exodus is most famous for the revelation of the Ten Commandments contained in Chapter 20, it remains vague in terms of where the biblical account actually occurred, and yet we cannot begin to fully understand the Old Testament if we look at it as merely a piece of great literature, or as some have suggested nothing more than interesting legend, or the elaboration of superior ideals. … The Book of Exodus is a narrative of the sacred history of Israel from the sojourn in Egypt to the completion of the Tabernacle in the wilderness. The term Exodus comes from the Greek terminology and literally means “going out,” an appropriate title for the book that narrates how under the leadership of Moses, the Israelites escaped from Egyptian persecution and began their journey back to the Promised Land. To be certain, all human history is the scope of God’s sovereignty. God became especially involved in the lives of a relatively unknown people, culminating a historical event that changed biblical history and altered the course of their lives and culture. When we seek to understand the meaning of our individual life events, we don’t actually begin with birth or infancy, even though a biographical account...
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...read, the stories I ingested became more varied. They were no longer solely fictional, nor were they so polarized. These taught me about history, people, imagination, morality, and the world outside of me. Stories also served as my primary method of connecting with people. Listening to their stories, sometimes telling my own, and talking about other stories is what allowed me to form deep connections with people extraordinarily different from my self. My interest in learning was fostered by stories, however...
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... 2. What do they say is the aim of a good interpretation? What is not the aim? The aim of good interpretation is not uniqueness; one is not trying to discover what no one else has ever seen before. 3. According to Fee and Stuart, what is the antidote to bad interpretation? Is not no interpretation but good interpretation, based on commonsense guidlelines. 4. They define “The Bible” in part as… The Bible is not a series of… propositions and imperatives; it is not simply a collection of “sayings from chairman God,” as though he looked down on us from heaven and said: “hey you down there, learn these truths. Number 1, there is no God but One, and I am he. Number 2, I am the Creator of all things, including humankind” – and so on, all the way through proposition number 7,777 and imperative number 7777. 5. Know the kinds of “communication” mentioned that God uses to convey his Word. Narrative history, genealogies, chronicles, laws of all kinds, poetry of all kinds, proverbs, prophetic oracles, riddles, drama, biographical sketches, parables, letters, sermons, and apocalypses. 6. “To interpret properly the “then and there” of the biblical texts, you must…” not only know some general rules that apply to all the words of the Bible, but you also need to learn the special rules that apply to each of these literary forms (genres). 7. Know and be able to discuss the two types of ‘context’ mentioned in the reading. Why are these items important? Historical...
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...STUDIES IN PROFESSIONAL LIFE AND WORK Mike Hayler University of Brighton, UK Autoethnography, Self-Narrative and Teacher Education examines the professional life and work of teacher educators. In adopting an autoethnographic and life-history approach, Mike Hayler develops a theoretically informed discussion of how the professional identity of teacher educators is both formed and represented by narratives of experience. The book draws upon analytic autoethnography and life-history methods to explore the ways in which teacher educators construct and develop their conceptions and practice by engaging with memory through narrative, in order to negotiate some of the ambivalences and uncertainties of their work. The author’s own story of learning, embedded within the text, was shared with other teacher-educators, who following interviews wrote self-narratives around themes which emerged from discussion. The focus for analysis develops from how professional identity and pedagogy are influenced by changing perceptions and self-narratives of life and work experiences, and how this may influence professional culture, content and practice in this area. Autoethnography, Self-Narrative and Teacher Education Autoethnography, Self-Narrative and Teacher Education STUDIES IN PROFESSIONAL LIFE AND WORK The book includes an evaluation of how using this approach has allowed the author to investigate both the subject and method of the research with implications for ...
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...connotation Connotation refers to the emotional associations and overtones related to a word. For example, a person who is underweight might be described as slight, or scrawny. "Slight" has a fairly positive emotional connotation, while "scrawny" has a negative connotation. paradox A paradox is a statement that first appears to be contradictory but actually states a truth. "History teaches us that we learn nothing from history informational text Informational text is non-fiction text that conveys or explains information. The text can appear in a wide variety of forms, such as a non-fiction narrative, charts or graphs, articles, or reports. propaganda Propaganda refers to a message designed to promote an institution, a cause, or a person through persuasive techniques. Advertisement strategies are called "commercial propaganda." denotation "Denotation" refers to the literal dictionary definition of a word. expert testimony Expert testimony is information about a particular issue, product, or idea given by people qualified to comment based on their authority on the subject statistical evidence Statistical evidence refers to statistics or numerical data that support an observation. persuasive technique Persuasive techniques refer to a variety of emotional appeals, or a sequence of logical reasoning that is used to influence an audience analogy Analogy is the relationship between certain aspects of one thing that are comparable to something else, even though there...
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...A mother leaves her daughter a map, but no legend to later unlock its true meaning. A relevant figure in this instance is Danielle Geller, a renowned writer of personal essays and memoirs who wrote “Heirloom.” Geller focuses on the idea that artifacts, especially heirlooms, can hold the weight of family traditions, memories, and even one's identity. In “Heirloom,” she explores how these objects represent connections to the past, even when those connections are filled with loss, pain, and complications. Geller’s essay analyzes how these heirlooms assist her in understanding and coming to terms with her own identity as she sorts through the remnants of her mother’s life following her passing. Pathos is evident throughout the essay as Geller deeply explores her emotional connection to her mother’s belongings and the memories they evoke. Geller sets the stage by describing a specific scenario in which she goes through her mother’s possessions, especially the family photos. Those images act as pathways between Geller and her mother’s past, helping her gain a better understanding of it. There are Already Vue moments where she can piece together a puzzle. Geller also mentions her resignation, knowing she would never be able to meet her mother’s parents—her grandparents—who have all unfortunately passed away. They are now merely pictures of family members whose names she will never know; a chronicle with no storyline. This emphasizes that heirlooms have the ability to inspire a connection...
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...“Between the World and Me” is a book by Ta-Nehisi Coates about the history of Americans taking advantage of the fact that they have created a system of oppression and discrimination against black people. The narrative is expressed in the form of a letter addressed to his son, through a collection of stories and experiences, from the author’s perspective as someone who lives under the repressive system. Coates’ principal message to the audience is that despite the fact that American society is set up in opposition to the success of black people, black people must not stop struggling to continue to fight for equality. The first takeaway I got from this book is that it has a largely negative focus on the relationship between “Americans who believe that they are white,” and black people. From my personal perspective, while it is important to understand the negative, Coates failed to provide the audience with a balance. There are some positive instances in the relationship between white and black people, in...
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...7 BARTIMAEUS (Mark 10:46-52) The story of Bartimaeus is an experience of the healing power of faith that leads to discipleship. It begins in identification with the humiliation of a blind beggar sitting in the dust. It ends with his sight restored as he follows Jesus on the way up to Jerusalem. In a unique way, this story concretizes the power of the faith of persons who are oppressed by physical or mental handicaps, patriarchal social structures, racial discrimination, and economic systems over which they have no control. It is an invitation to allow our own personal and communal humiliation to be seen in the context of Bartimaeus's faith in Jesus as the Christ. The Story And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great multitude, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" And many rebuked him, telling him to shut up. But he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" And Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." And they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take heart; rise, he is calling you." And throwing off his mantle he sprang up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" And the blind man said to him, "Master, let me receive my sight." And Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight...
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...focus of our interest is modernist literature which is a subdivision of modernism and begins during the early stages of the 20th century, being seen in opposition to the traditional values promoted until the first World War. Many branches develop during this period (psychology, philosophy, political institutions etc.) and the realism of the earlier times is now rejected and replaced by the idea that everything is relative. Things take a new shift and the absolute truths vanish, leaving room for multiple interpretations and personalized opinions which are presented now, in writing. But how can one define something that has no clear conclusion? An element of this sort cannot have a finality, therefore, it is understood according to one’s personal background and experience. Modernist literature will always raise serious issues concerning the purpose and form of literature, questioning its former aspects. What are the reasons for writing a novel and what should a novel consist of? For example, the notion of “novel” becomes ambiguous in the mind of Virginia Woolf, who declared after writing “Mrs. Dalloway” that “I’m glad to be quit this time of writing a novel, and hope never to be accused of it again.” Next to Virginia Woolf which is believed to be one of the greatest modern authors, the faithful readers come across names like James Joyce, D.H. Lawrence, Henry James, Ernest Hemingway, or as in the case of the Romanian literature: Camil Petrescu, George Calinescu etc. These are...
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...Many victims of injustice were frightened to publicize their personal experience to other individuals of fear they may not appreciate their narrative. Some victims would prefer to maintain their privacy to protect themselves, a family member or protection from embarrassment. My opinion would be it is better for the victim to share their journey. For example, in the past slaves were victims of injustice as they share their journey upon individuals they give us wisdom and knowledge of their history. The narrative written by a slave expresses the thoughts and events they had to endure during their lifetime. Just like in the reading of The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, written by himself explains obstacles...
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