Why History?

We seem to have an extraordinary obsession with history in the UK. We as a nation have an insatiable penchant for historical pulp fiction novels and costume-dramas on TV. Companies such as the National Trust and English Heritage turn over hundreds of millions of pounds each year and own large tracts of land all over the country. Whether or not this phenomenon is apparent in Europe or elsewhere abroad I am not sure, but certainly the British seem to enjoy examining the past.
Some historians are critical of this amateur love for history, and are aggrieved at the way in which the ‘dumbing down’ of history depreciates its true value. This is undoubtedly true for those who see history as a purely academic subject or who wish to keep history locked away in dusty libraries and archive rooms in museums. And, indeed, this method of studying history in an academic and ‘true’ way, following outlined precepts and principles should not be derided. Exclusive and inflexible it may be, but it nevertheless produces the main of our academic history, which is the base of all historical knowledge.
However, history is not an exclusive and academic subject, for which one must go to university in order to study it simply because it is not important that students of the discipline follow rigid guidelines of learning, unlike students of mathematics or psychology. Whilst basic skills must be understood to comprehend history, such as chronology and basing assertions of fact rather than fancy, much of the learning comes from experiencing rather than reading or being taught history. Thankfully educational institutions were the first to recognise this, although not without facing much hostility, and many history courses are becoming more and more interactive and personalised, with emphasis placed upon individual learning rather than theory teaching.
As well as a change in attitude towards conventional historical study i.e. degrees and PhDs there has been a there has been a massive rise in the number of genealogy and ancestry courses and literature available either on-line or as local groups. Many newsagents stock up to as many as 10 different history or genealogy related magazines (although this figure is put to shame by the number of magazines available featuring cars or even angling!).
The reasons for this national obsession are manifold. Firstly, as a European nation we have a lot of historical evidence to examine and study. Unlike American and African nations, what Europeans left behind has lasted and is well documented. Only Asian civilisations have achieved the same or even better levels of historical remains. Buildings, cities and writings that survive are of immense value to historians, and make the job or writing or studying history so much easier. The fact that African and North American nations tended to be migratory, and also that many African and American civilisations were simply wiped out or made subservient to white Imperialists in the 17^th, 18^th and 19^th centuries has meant that little documented evidence of their cultures and customs remains.
Secondly, British history is a fascinating and, for the most part, glorious tale of a nation that has many clearly visible ways of how the past has shaped its present and future. Henry VIII’s break with Rome, Charles I’s execution, William of Orange’s ‘Glorious Revolution’, the Act o0f the Union between England and Scotland and Cook’s claiming of Australia for Britain are all examples of how British history has direct implications upon British nationhood today, and how our future as a country will pan out. Very few countries have the ability to look at the past with such clarity and assess each piece of history with such accuracy.
Finally, British history is interesting. Undoubtedly the French have a fascinating historical story to tell, but the variety and vibrancy of British history must surely steal the show. Events such as 1066 and William the Conqueror, the Wars of the Roses, the Civil War and the British Empire have such a multiplicity of stories and characters that make the events seem so much more worthwhile to study. This may appear to be a narrow-minded viewpoint, and there will be many who disagree. Indeed, studying history would be worthless without an examination of the American War of Independence, the French Revolution, Communist Russia and Nazi Germany, as these are undeniably key points on which much of the world’s history hinges. Nevertheless, I still maintain that Britain is fortunate to have such a wide ranging and varied history as make any study of it seem so much more worthwhile, and this is surely why so many people seem to have an affinity and fascination with our history.

This essay is designed to show how De Bernieres masterfully creates the setting of the island of Cephallonia in the book Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. The Greek islands have never been better described by an outsider, in my opinion, than by De Bernieres. He encapsulates island life brilliantly, with all its quirks and peculiarities.
The first impression De Bernieres gives of Cephallonia is mixed, although the majority of the reader’s feelings for the island are swayed largely towards the positive. De Bernieres does this by not describing the island, rather the inhabitants of the island.
Our first encounter with Dr Iannis and the description of his daily work suggests that at the present time all is well with the island, and that it is a peaceful idyll where little of significance occurs and the island and villages have become timeless. We are given this impression mostly through the description of the doctor’s rounds, which include a ‘relatively easy calving, lanced one abscess…’. Even the dosing of ‘one lady of easy virtue with Slavarsan’ suggests that although the inhabitants have their illicit practices, this does not rise beyond a certain rustic sense of immorality, rather than a mass indulgence.
The timelessness comes from the sense that the villagers are seemingly unaware of the world beyond their own lives, and only the doctor appears to have received any proper education or knowledge. Nevertheless, these people are not portrayed as ignorant, rather they are simply unconcerned with the outside world and choose to devote their energies to what matters most to them and their lives.
This image of sleepiness and agelessness is further compounded by the doctor’s histories. Although they are describing the history of the island and how it has been ravaged by one administration and ruler to the next, the whimsical nature of religion etc., there is still a sense that the island has not been affected by this mistreatment or randomness, in that life still continues to sustain itself. This image is further expanded through the doctor’s capricious and sweeping way of detailing events, suggesting that although historically significant, they have little import upon the lives of the Cephallonians.
Finally, we arrive at a sense of agelessness and sleepiness through the way in which the De Bernieres switches from the magnificent to the mundane in a matter of sentences, choosing to mesh the two together rather than treat them separately.
For example, we are given the history of Cephallonia through the eyes and words of the doctor, and De Bernieres uses excessive and complex language and themes, such as ‘It is completely virgin. It produces overwhelming clarity of focus, it has heroic strength and brilliance.’ in order to describe the light of Cephallonia. The following paragraph contains a description of the doctor urinating on the plants and the goat eating the doctor’s work.
This intermeshing suggests that, whilst Cephallonia has its place and importance in history, and contains many brilliant and amazing qualities, it is, nevertheless, a place where ordinary people go about their live and urinate on the plants.

Attitudes to Climate Change - A Drip-Feed Approach?

The question posed by many environmentalists today is what it will take for us, as a human race, to be jolted out of our complacency towards the environment and what will be required before we are prepared to make sacrifices for the planet. There is certainly a large enough scientific consensus that climate change is not only occurring, but is a problem, if not a threat. Yet, we now seem to be stuck in a rut as to what the best policy is towards reducing carbon-emissions. In fact, some even argue that we need not reduce our emissions provided we can offset that pollution by planting trees to absorb carbon etc. although the people who hold this opinion tend to be in the minority.
Campaigners such as Al Gore, with his documentary 'An Inconvenient Truth' and others are certainly contributing to a changing of attitudes towards climate change. Unfortunately these documentaries and campaigns, however effective or informative they are, are still failing to provide the dramatic changes to spending and consumption patterns that are needed to tackle this problem. Raising awareness is obviously a key to this issue, but as of yet it seems to be doing precious little to alter our lifestyles.
So what do we need to do? What needs to happen in order to produce the dramatic turnaround that we are told so often that we need. One obvious of guaranteeing success would be a policy of tax-rises for CO2 emitting products, with tax-breaks for low-emissions or carbon-neutral products such as cars or generating power. The biggest factor in any individuals calculations is the relative costs involved, and price is a massive factor in any transaction. Look at the lengths many superstores go to to ensure that their products are cheaper than others, and the success of value-stores over those that cannot offer either quality or price. As Henry Ford said in his famous maxim:
'There is one rule for the industrialist; make the best quality of goods possible, at the lowest cost possible, paying the highest wages possible.'
In fact, cost seems to be the most highly regarded of these three principles; the others being largely disregarded by some firms.
If so much emphasis is put upon costs, therefore, it would seem obvious that one way to tackle CO2 emissions would be to implement policies of charging the polluters for the damage they cause, and rewarding those who lower or annul their emissions. Nevertheless, this policy seems to be a political hot-potato, particularly in the UK. Politicians are extremely reluctant to promote any policies that present any tax-rises, regardless of the benefits that this would accrue to the global community, presumably because of the considerable risk of alienating a substantial portion of the electorate. Furthermore, any minute legislation or guidelines that would begin to change habits towards consumption in this country, such as proposals for large reductions in the numbers of cars on the roads in 2030, for example, would also be avoided like the plague, presumably for the same reasons.
Therefore, politicians must gain the political will to step in, or the public must gain the motivation to act of their own accord. Given the present ease of buying cars, appliances, personal computers and the ability to travel relatively cheaply, it seems unlikely that the majority are prepared to give up these practices. The luxury of being able to spend in such an extravagant way has become so ingrained in our culture that not only do we enjoy living such lifestyles, we get withdrawal symptoms every time these privileges are denied to us. Think of the pandemonium that would occur if we found suddenly that only one car was allowed per household.
Consequently, because we have little political or personal will to act on such matters, it does seem to be the case that a gradual acceptance of the damage we are doing to our planet, and a drip-feed of documentaries, books and reports is perhaps the most effective way of communicating to the majority the best ways that we can tackle the problems that threaten our planet, rather than attempting to convince the world into committing themselves to decisive action, despite the fact that that could be what is most needed in order to save our world.

James Baldwin the essayist and social commentator wrote that: 'People are trapped in history,
and history is trapped in them.'
This statement is undoubtedly true, as any perusal of the plethora of historical books or
films will show. I am inspired to study history to understand why history is 'trapped inside
us' and to know why we need history, at least on an amateur level. Furthermore, history is
enormously relevant for analysing the present and projecting the future, and is also the
subject most likely to raise debate or controversy. I also want to broaden my knowledge of the
past, particularly political history, in order to understand why and how things are the way
they are, and how we can hope to understand the future in that historical context.
Consequently, I would very much like to study HistoryPolitics at University
Aside from doing an A-Level in History, I am also entering the AEA for History, for which I am
required to do a significant amount of reading, particularly regarding historiography and the
interpretation of history. This additional reading has enabled me to broaden my understanding
of historical events and the study of history as an academic subject.
This autumn I shall be entering the Great Debate, a competition organised by the Historical
Association. The subject this year is the most important scientific achievement since 1906,
for which I have chosen to argue for Rutherford's splitting of the atom in 1907. This event
will enable me to deploy my historical knowledge in a new of method, using appropriate
presentational techniques.
I am a subscriber to the History Today magazine, which I find very useful in providing
academic articles on a variety of historical topics that I would not otherwise read. I also
read the BBC History, which is less scholarly, but presented in a much more accessible and
interactive fashion. I also take an active interest in local history, assisting at the local
museum in a number of capacities, such as cataloguing old photographs, creating displays etc.
In addition I am interested in current affairs and read Prospect magazine, which styles itself
the magazine of 'Politics, Essays and Argument'. This magazine is fascinating and provides an
unusual mix of current affairs and debate about a wide range of topics. This magazine provides
a much more detailed picture of debates, with many different and conflicting points of view
considered, which serves to broaden my understanding on these topics
I am also a keen reader of fiction, although my favourite fictional authors tend to be
historical novelists! Thomas Hardy and Charles Dickens are my favourite authors, not least
because they are outstanding storytellers, but also because of their trenchant and insightful
assessment of the ongoing social upheaval. A more contemporary author I enjoy is Sebastian
Faulks, who has an excellent talent for telling history through the eyes of ordinary people.
My extra curricular activities involve completing my Gold Duke of Edinburgh and taking part in
practice walks. Fortunately I have always been a good hiker. During the summer of 2006 myself
and my family completed the Tour de Mont Blanc, a 120-mile round hike in the Alps over 7 days.
I also do a lot of walking on nearby Dartmoor. I also keep fit by rowing in the local gig club
every week and take part in the fitness training sessions.
A significant amount of my time is spent on a project established by the Kenyan Government
called Digital Village, which aims to set up computer schools and Internet access to all
villages in Kenya. As part of this project myself and a team of people are travelling to Kenya
in October and working in a handful of villages setting up computers and providing basic ICT
lessons. Hopefully we will be able to expand this project in the future. At the moment I am
raising awareness and funds for this project and am keen to maintain my involvement with this
project.