issue 48 高频求拍 谢谢了!

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The study of history places too much emphasis onindividual. The most significant events and trends in history were madepossible not by the famous few, but by groups of people whose identities havelong been forgotten.


Though Iagree that the groups of the nameless played a significant role in humanhistory, the emphasis put on the few individuals in the study of history isdesirable.


Admittedly,in the long run, society as a whole and varies groups in society determine the roughpicture of human history. For instance, the pursuit of freedom and happiness ofthe masses in the recent centuries conducted the general path of humanprogress, and the French Revolution, the Civil War of America and theestablishment of UN are all its milestones. Besides, since the masses are themajor part of society, their well-being deserves to be paid attention to by thehistorians.


However,several reasons force us to put the famous few in limelight. To begin with,individuals did have crucial effects in history, especially when we consider ashorter period. Without Abraham Lincoln, the slavery in America would beabolished never the less; however, it might happen several decades later andthousands of Negro slaves would be “seared in the flames of witheringinjustice” for several more decades. In history, the famous few like Lincoln orToujou Hideki, with their charity or cruelty, their wisdom or arrogance, significantlyimpacted the process of history. After all, the claim that the masses determinethe history makes sense mainly in the scope of philosophy, not history, becauseit is too rough.


Moreover,history is not a discipline simply explaining why history events happened, buta discipline with certain social values. For one thing, history has aestheticvalue, which embodies mainly in the study of the famous few. The legends ofthose outstanding heroes in history have the power to touch people’s heart andhave become not only the subject of history study, but also the natural subjectof literature and art. For another thing, history, especially the fates of thefamous few has educational function. The achievements and failures of thefamous few shape our ethical concepts and values, remind us to make rightdecisions and guide us out of dilemmas, giving us wisdom to lead our life.


Finally, whenit comes to the study of the groups of faceless people, one of the best ways isto study several typical individuals of the groups. Groups of people who haveshaped human history were usually unconscious and no special records were made;their social identities and backgrounds varied, which may disguise their innermotives responsible for their roles in history. Because of the above reasons,it is difficult to study them in a large scope. Instead, by reconstructingdetailed images of some representatives of the large groups, who thus becamethe famous few partly by chance, historians successfully show what was crucialin history events and trends.


In sum, theforgotten majority of people shaped the human history in the long run, whilethe effects of the famous individuals were crucial in certain periods, which ismore suitable for history studies. In addition, social values of history mainlyembody in the part concerning the famous few. Besides, in a history scope, thefew individuals represent the thoughts and actions of the masses well. In myopinion, history study should pay more attention to the famous few, though thegroups of the nameless should be concerned too.