What is History?
History is knowledge of the past. It does not mean remembering dates and years and the countries that were participated in World War. Even listening to stories from your grandfather of his times is history. Anything that tells you what man has did in the past is history.
Why should we learn History?
Why do students refer previous year's question papers before writing an exam? Why do film makers watch films made earlier before making one by themselves? Why should we learn History?
The answer for all these questions is the same. We want to know what has happened in the past, because it teaches us lessons and helps us move in a better direction. We will not make the same mistake that our forefathers made. Otherwise we will end up committing the same mistake and there will be no development. Therefore, learning history is a part of human development.
History is essential for everyone at every time. Trying to understand the present without a proper knowledge of the past is equivalent to trying to build a tenth floor of a building without constructing its ground floor. Our understanding , like the building will be baseless and hence without perspective.
One important factor as E.H.Carr notes in his text "What is History?", while reading history is to know the background of the person who writes it and his interests. Different people can narrate the same incident in different ways. Two kids fighting with each other will defend their stand very cleverly.Therefore, it becomes essential for the reader to know a little more about the author so that we understand why an author is saying what he is saying.
This can lead one to think that there can be no true accounts of the past. But, we have to remember that it is our responsbility to analyse different perspectives and come to a logical understanding.
So, enjoy reading history! And the best book I would suggest, to begin with, is What Is History by E.H.Carr.
History is knowledge of the past. It does not mean remembering dates and years and the countries that were participated in World War. Even listening to stories from your grandfather of his times is history. Anything that tells you what man has did in the past is history.
Why should we learn History?
Why do students refer previous year's question papers before writing an exam? Why do film makers watch films made earlier before making one by themselves? Why should we learn History?
The answer for all these questions is the same. We want to know what has happened in the past, because it teaches us lessons and helps us move in a better direction. We will not make the same mistake that our forefathers made. Otherwise we will end up committing the same mistake and there will be no development. Therefore, learning history is a part of human development.
History is essential for everyone at every time. Trying to understand the present without a proper knowledge of the past is equivalent to trying to build a tenth floor of a building without constructing its ground floor. Our understanding , like the building will be baseless and hence without perspective.
One important factor as E.H.Carr notes in his text "What is History?", while reading history is to know the background of the person who writes it and his interests. Different people can narrate the same incident in different ways. Two kids fighting with each other will defend their stand very cleverly.Therefore, it becomes essential for the reader to know a little more about the author so that we understand why an author is saying what he is saying.
This can lead one to think that there can be no true accounts of the past. But, we have to remember that it is our responsbility to analyse different perspectives and come to a logical understanding.
So, enjoy reading history! And the best book I would suggest, to begin with, is What Is History by E.H.Carr.
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