Saturday, November 21, 2015
History is Righted by the Losers
The common saying is that "history is written by the winners," which generally means that those that have power can leave their legacy in a much more favorable view. Oftentimes, this legacy comes from books from a single perspective. Reading this year has definitely shown how different perspectives can really change the outlook on a person or country. For example, many Chinese people honor Mao and believe he was a great leader, while those in the Western world know (from books like Balzac and The Little Chinese Seamstress as well as news reports) that while he was at best morally grey, he was an incompetent leader responsible for millions of deaths due to famine and the ridiculous 'cultural revolution.' I'm sure tales from the people without power, the so called 'losers,' will continue to right the falsehoods that the winners have written.
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I enjoy how you provide a hopeful outlook, viewing history as something that can eventually give the "losers" a voice, rather than something that is set in stone by the "winners."
ReplyDeleteI like your use of examples with Chairman Mao. It gave me a better understanding of what you were trying to write. I agree with the fact that power plays a huge role in deciding who writes history. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteI like your point of view with this topic. You were really able to convey the way power decides history.
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