Issue48 [Jet小组] 第十次作业

滴滴雨儿UID: 2392741

题目：ISSUE48 - "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."
字数：542          用时：0:45:00          日期：2008-2-23

The speaker contends that the study of history places too much emphasis on individuals because the most important historical events and trends were made by groups of people who have long been forgotten, rather than the famous few. As a matter of fact, history is not as black and white as the speaker perceives. Historical events and trends could not be made without the famous few, nor do groups of people whereas the study of history places much emphasis on individuals have its own sense.

Admittedly, groups of people play a significant role in the stage of history. A case in point is in the architectural field; the Great Wall, which is one of the world ancient wonders, was built by millions of Chinese people. We may never know their names, but through the work they leave us, we can still identify the qualities they had: cleverness, diligence, and more important, teamwork.

However, no matter how many people a certain historical event involved, it might not succeed as it did in the history if there were no key individuals took part in. These key individuals, as the speaker call them "the famous few", has certain abilities which are necessary for a historical event to occur. Charisma, one of the most important characters one should hold, can make other groups of people work together to a determined goal such us overturn a corrupted government, fight with enemies to protect their homeland, or to build a brand new society. Judgment, another important quality one should have for a key individual, guarantees the event trends to a direction he or she wants. And besides, the bravery. Significant events in history are those usually obey the regulation or laws set by the authorities at that time. To lead such an event requires great bravery that no dare to dangers it may occur. For example, Chengsheng and Wuguang, leaders of the most meaningful farmer war against the royal family in Chinese history, were the first farmers who claimed that it was not fate that decide who could be the leader of a country and at last be killed in the fight. We remember their stories and emphasize what they did in the history because they had the quality that a key individual requires and what's more, without them, these historical events might never occur.

Such as history, it cannot appear as accurate as things happened in real. It is recorded by a particular group of people, usually historians, who inevitably put their own opinions in. No matter written or drawn materials, obviously they contain the author's feeling and often were transcribed in some ways. Stories and sagas which are oral spread are more understandable in this sense. Still in the case of Chengsheng and Wuguang, certainly there were thousands of other farmers who had been involved in this fight and of course there should be thousands of names recorded in the history. But such as common sense, that cannot happen.

To sum up, it is not because who, the famous few or groups of people, made possible contribution to the significant events or trends in history, but the nature or history made it certain that individuals can be emphasized much more easily and historically than groups of people.