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几天没好好练笔, 这篇严重超时.
:L留下连接, 会尽力回拍的.
Issue 48 Topic "The study of history places too much emphasis on individuals. The most significant events and trends in history were made possible not by the famous few, but by groups of people whose identities have long been forgotten."
When we look at history books, it seems that the human history constitutes of merely the dramatic figures and their stories: from ancient philosophers, to political leaders of world powers; from renowned scientists to creative artists. However, some people argue that our history is propelled by the groups of people we are not familiar with rather than the elite few that have been memorized through the years. Despite the fact that the power of people has indeed placed the history on its rolls, it is not very practical for historians to identify every person involved in the historical events. And more importantly, in some cases, it is actually the ‘famous few’ that helped to make the history.
First of all, the power of people cannot be neglected or overlooked. The masses, although difficult to confirm their exact identities, have contributed greatly to the progress of the society. Without the people, there might not have been splendid architectures like the pyramids in Egypt and the Great Wall in China. More than once, people in one nation fought to overthrow the oppressive regimes and elected the democratic governments they desire for. Currently, there are several thousand Non-Governmental Organizations that are playing an active role in shaping our world. The makeups of such organizations are mostly common people. These are all testimonies of how great the power of people can be.
However, this is does not indicate that historians have to the take note down of all their names. It is not viable, or even impossible to achieve such a goal as the work involved is too tedious and overwhelming. Often, historians have no choice but to select some symbols and keep record of them instead of the whole multitude. These symbols are not necessarily persons. For example, Hiroshima and Nagasaki are often related to the first use of atomic bomb in wartime. Nowadays, very few people remember the names of the hundreds of thousands of victims in the explosions and the aftermath, the names of the dozens of fight pilots who dropped the bombs; or even the Commander who planned and ordered the assault. This time, historians chose the names of the two cities. Thus, they become the symbols and reminder of that very human catastrophe. Historians sometimes do not emphasize much on common people because they have some practical concerns.
In some cases, the study of history focuses on some individuals because they indeed have played important roles and what they did have far-reaching influences. First, political leaders and statesmen do possess the power to alter the course of our history. If Hitler, the insane paranoia, had had not legitimized racial discrimination and authorized the slaughter of Jews, there would not have been the Holocaust in human history. Without the enormous efforts made by the then Secretary of State Kissinger in the 1970s, the normalization of US-Sino relationship might have been postponed for years. Second, discoveries and breakthroughs in scientific and artistic fields, often made by individuals rather than groups of people, lead to new trends or transformations. For instance, Clark and James Watson, who discovered the double-helix structure of DNA, are considered as the founder of molecular biology and the pioneers in genetics. Adam Smiths, whose works the Wealth of Nations is still regarded the must-read in economics, first introduced math and critical analysis to economic life. He would be forever remembered for his innovative way of thinking and great contributions to modern economics. These individuals assumed more responsibilities, obtained more power to influence the world, and consequently deserve more place in the human history.
Therefore, when we appreciate the power of the people, we should not deny the leading role some pioneers and individuals have played. Both of them are the vital parts of a complete human history and help to make our society stride. Historians sometimes place more emphasis on individuals because to record every single person in our history is too much work that goes beyond their capacities. |
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