【Flyer杀G作文组】第十七次作业7月25日Issue221-By afufu1124

afufu1124UID: 2786856

TOPIC: ISSUE221 - "The chief benefit of the study of history is to break down the illusion that people in one period of time are significantly different from people who lived at any other time in history."
WORDS: 510          TIME: 00:45:00          DATE: 2010-7-25 11:07:56
There is much controversy over the issue of the chief benefit of study of history. Some people claim that the study of history tells us that people living in different time certainly should be different in many aspects of lives, while others advocate that we share the same inner emotions and feelings as human beings,according to the study of history. Athough I find the former statement with its merits, on balance, I would argue that we share more similarities than differences.

Undoubtedly, the study of history impresses us by illustrating the distinct clothes style, usage of language and obsolete automation, if any.  Apparently, whenever we talk about ancient people and their lives, the first image come into our mind is the long tail dress or complex collar. Although some of us appreciate their dressing style, very few people would dare to wear those clothes and walk on the street, since it is unacceptable in comtemporary society. As for the usage of language, students in China even need to study the ancient language so as to unders the articles that our ancient authors created hundreds of years age. Perhaps the last thing people living in present would enjoy is the life without advanced automation.

However, even though we are significantly different from people living in the ancient time, we still share much more similarities than difference. People live in present days still enjoy the arts, literature, buildings that created, written, built in past. Outside we are different, inside we still share the same emotion and reponses to our experiences, however different in ways we live: we still feel the happiness when we receive messages from lovers, no matter by e-mail or letters; we still travel around to see the world, no matter by plane or on foot; we still enjoy making friends, no matter through the SNS or meeting in person. All these little facts construct our daily lives, which is not different from the people living in other time except for the means we use.

Besides, the study of history even help us to solve problems that possess some similarities to the events happened in the past. History will always meet at some points of life. At present, we are confronted with the environmental problems resulted from cutting down trees and destroying forrests, quite the same to what the citizens living in Maya once faced. Their painful experience taught us that we should act as soon as possible before our civilization disappear as Maya civilization. Also, the ending of Qin Dinesty illustrates that the power from people can even suppress governor, and that government should treat its citizens with respect. All this events happen in the other periods teach us a lesson on how to deal with problems and pay attention to the portencial ones.

In sum, although we are different from people living in other time in terms of our dressing, language and technology, we still share the same emotions and even thoughts towards life and, moreover, we can learn from the lessons ancestor proved by their own experience.