History, the Concatenation of Human Experiences :: European Europe History

History, the Concatenation of Human ExperiencesIn June 1961, I left Berlin, Germany, with my p arnts, my sister, and my Swedish cousin enroute to Sweden for what was to be two weeks of Norse fun. The Russian soldiers who processed us through the checkpoints were impeccably dressed in jodhpurs and the shiniest black riding boots I had ever seen. It was obvious they had been carefully selected for this job, which entailed a kempt measure of public relations the Communists displayed only their best. The soldiers were non only good looking and efficient, processing our papers quickly on that day they were noticeably relaxed, with existent smiles on their faces. A week earlier than planned, my family returned to Berlin, driving through the same checkpoints. This time the atmosphere was tense. There were no smiles. Passports and other papers were scrutinized slowly, creating long delays, very much to our discomfort. What had caused the change? An event that will be taught in history classes for hundreds of years. An event that even a thousand years from now will be at least a footnote in the history books. The East Germans had erected a wall, dividing one of the worlds most famous cities in two. Barbara Tuchman would arguecorrectly, I thinkthat it is too soon to write the history of the Berlin Crisis. This contemporary generation, born and raised in the tensions of the Cold War, will record the facts and write the narrative, but we are too close to have a good perspective on it (Tuchman 27-28). For the interpretation of those facts, we will have to wait for the generation now being born, a generation which will have few, if any, emotional attachments to the event and therefore be better able to analyze it with some objectivityor ignorance, as Edward H. Carr would withdraw it (9). This is how history is written. It is a processa recording of facts and later an interpreting of those facts to relate them to the future generations. The question, of course, is what history our descendants will write. Human beings are by nature egocentric. In the West we assume future historians will see the crisis as we do. The wall was not constructed for noble reasons it was a manifestation of the evil empire, was it not?

Comparing the Wise Men of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and SHE :: comparison compare contrast essays

The Wise Men of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and SHE I have heard it said that a smart someone learns from his own mistakes but a wise person learns from the mistakes of others. In the two books, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and SHE, we have two characters that emerge as wise men. In Jekyll, it is the character of Utterson, the stoic but curious lawyer, and in SHE it is the character of Holly, the stoic but curious academic. It is interesting to note that neither character chooses this destiny of wise man, but rather has it thrust upon him through fate and curious circumstances. It is because of their high moral character that they are selected to jump witness to extraordinary events. The question is, how far are we willing to go to push the boundary of knowledge when do we stop being smart and start being wise? Curiosity begets the quest for knowledge and curiosity is essential to these characters, If he be Mr. Hyde, I shall be Mr. Seek(Jekyll, pg 8), Utterson thinks to himself as he begins his journey. In order to become wise though, it is important to avoid being consumed by that which you seek. Instead, it is crucial to bear witness to that which either limits us or somehow gives us a greater understanding of ourselves. Holly at first is skeptical. Anyway, I believe the whole social occasion is the most unmitigated rubbish. I know that there are curious things and forces in nature which we rarely meet with, and, when we do meet them, cannot understand. But until I see it with my own eyes, which I am not likely to, I never will believe that there is any means of avoiding death(SHE, pg 46-47). I wonder if Utterson would not have responded similarly had he known what depths he was about to plumb. Nevertheless, Holly takes up the quest in the name of duty and adventure or maybe it is just plain curiosity. These two characters share a common purpose in that they have both been entrusted with something valuable yet perplexing. For Utterson, it is Jekylls will and for Holly it is the knocker given to him by Vincey as well as the responsibility for his only son Leo. This idea of trust is important because the wise must be of a certain moral character as well as educational background to accept knowledge that will extend the bounds of reason without debasing that which they learn.