Issue48 【Persistence 小组】第17次作业

iamstoicUID: 2294314

48"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."

According to the speaker, the study of history should emphasize groups of people instead of individuals because it is the former, not the latter, that made possible the most significant events and trends in history. Although I agree that masses of common people who have been overlooked after death did contribute greatly to several notable proceedings in history, there are individuals without whom our lives would remain stagnant and stop moving forward. Thus, the speaker overstates the comparative importance of groups of people whose identities have been forgotten.

I agree with the statement in so far as there were certain groups of people who have been render innominate participated in some memorable events that were put in the time capsule. For instance, the fall of the Roman Empire was initiated by a few hundred ordinary citizens. Although this event was of considerable importance in Roman history: marking the beginning of the Western civilization, the group of ordinary citizens who took this glory action did not leave their names in the history.

Aside from that, however, I would contend that there were individuals who are so great and famous that we must attach great weight to them. When it comes to the field of politics, one of the greatest leaders in American history must be the thirty second president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, who let the United States undergo two great calamities--the Great Depression and the World War II. When it comes to the field of industry, James Watt’s contribution to industrialization in the world is also recognizable for his great invention: the steam engine. When it comes to the field of medicine, the British bacteriologist, Alexander Fleming, discovered penicillin which is widely used to treat many bacterial diseases. When it comes to the field of arts, Picasso, one of the most famous painters, is among the great artists who help people to see their lives more clearly through their works of art. Although the groups of people who once helped these famous people may have positive effects on these major events and trends in history, it is the celebrated few in history that are outstanding among their contemporaries in the same arena and led to great breakthrough in human's history.

In the final analysis, the speaker’s claim overstates the importance of groups of common people and understates the value of the famous few, at least to some extent. With regard to the historic events that requires teamwork, the groups of people are superior than the individual in the path to victory. However, it is the famous few that pioneer a new route to the future. On balance, the historical events and trends which are full of meaning, whether made by famous few or by groups of people, should be studied emphatically.


[ 本帖最后由 iamstoic 于 2007-2-21 23:34 编辑 ]

vinnieUID: 2104933

Issue48 【Persistence 小组】第17次作业
48"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."

According to the speaker, the study of history should emphasize groups of people instead of individuals because it is the former, not the latter（指代不清呀）, that made possible the most significant events and trends in history. Although I agree that masses of common people who have been overlooked after death did contribute greatly to several notable proceedings in history, there are（were） individuals without whom our lives would remain stagnant and stop moving forward. Thus, the speaker overstates the comparative importance of groups of people whose identities have been forgotten.

I agree with the statement in so far as there were certain groups of people who have been render in nominate participated in some memorable events that were put in the time capsule. For instance, the fall of the Roman Empire was initiated by a few hundred ordinary citizens. Although this event was of considerable importance in Roman history: marking the beginning of the Western civilization, the group of ordinary citizens who took this glory action did not leave their names in the history.

Aside from that, however, I would contend that there were individuals who are so great and famous that we must attach great weight to them. When it comes to the field of politics, one of the greatest leaders in American history must be the thirty second president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, who let the United States undergo two great calamities--the Great Depression and the World War II. When it comes to the field of industry, James Watt’s contribution to industrialization in the world is also recognizable for his great invention: the steam engine. When it comes to the field of medicine, the British bacteriologist, Alexander Fleming, discovered penicillin which is widely used to treat many bacterial diseases. When it comes to the field of arts, Picasso, one of the most famous painters, is among the great artists who help people to see their lives more clearly through their works of art. Although the groups of people who once helped these famous people may have positive effects on these major events and trends in history, it is the celebrated few in history that are outstanding among their contemporaries in the same arena and led to great breakthrough in human's history.(我觉得应该着重强调为什么要写名人，因为名人比较有代表性)

In the final analysis, the speaker’s claim overstates the importance of groups of common people and understates the value of the famous few, at least to some extent. With regard to the historic events that require teamwork, the groups of people are superior than the individual in the path to victory. However, it is the famous few that pioneer a new route to the future. On balance, the historical events and trends which are full of meaning, whether made by famous few or by groups of people, should be studied emphatically
这篇写的还不错，主要是论证了个人的相当的作用，胡侃下，我个人觉得在历史上确实群众的作用比个人大的多。毛主席有句名言好象也这么说的，我觉得研究名人是因为他门更具有代表性，通过研究他们就可以掌握当时的events and trends，而普通群众难度太大，而且缺乏性格魅力