Name
: Ikbal Jamaludin
Class
: PBI B/4
Subject
: Writing and Composition 4
History is
not always Flat
"Since the beginning, what I
teach is understood also by the history of my life. I should try to always be
honest with different views, but I want more than just teach the 'objectivity',
and I want my students to leave the class not only just get better information,
but more ready to destroy the silence, more prepared to speak, better prepared
to act against unfairness anywhere they find it. This, of course, is a recipe
for overcome the problems. " 1
-Auto-Biography Howard Zinn-
"Nothing is won or lost,
because there is always one truth"
-Sir Arthur Conan Doyle-1
Introduction
In history of humanity, history
is written by winner, because history can
changed the human of thinking. Howard
Zinn, shows about meaning
of writing is winner. Zinn, American
political scientist and historian at Boston University. Zinn is legendary historian, radical political action and
also author of many books. Zinn during his lifetime, Zinn can changed American thinking about Columbus, although many people contra with Zinn. American people thought
Zinn
is crazy author and just sensation seeking. Then Zinn is political activists since the beginning has
been opposition to American involvement in Vietnam. Howard Zinn, in one of his article
entitled, “Speaking truth to power with
book”.2 Notion Howard Zinn that ‘books changed my life’ when he
saw the book student was reading, “The
Color Purple by Alice Walker” and she thinks the book changed her life
after read it. So, Zinn thinking a book changes somebody’s life. It is going to
have an effect on the world fast or slow by changing reader’s consciousness,
with explained new ideas who never thinking readers earlier. Zinn has a way of
presenting facts to readers in a way that shocks, but the beauty of his writing
is the fact, Zinn
writes what he does because it needs to be said. Zinn was taking an ideological
choice in the writing of history, that he emphasizes the facts that he likes
and skips the others.3
Summary
Howard Zinn books, “A People’s History of the United States” (1999).4
The book’s is hard slap that a civilization which looks glorious and great but
it’s constructed of inhumanity. When his book, “A People’s History of the United States” came out, he began to get
mail contra many historian and societies about the first chapter. Zinn wrote
Christopher Columbus in the
opposite
prespective with
the common. Zinn
explained that Christopher Columbus is not discoverer American. Zinn telling Christopher Columbus is the great a
murderer, a torturer, a kidnapper, a mutilator of native people, a hypocrite, a
greedy man looking for gold, willing to kill people, and mutilate people, doing
genocide. American people believes that Christopher Columbus
discovered American.
It was shocking has dramatically changed what American people used to believe
about Christopher Columbus.
Notions between Morison and Howard
Zinn about Christopher Columbus are different. Morrison although Columbus a
brutal who have committed genocide on Indian Arawaks, but he still praises the
greatness of Columbus. Morrison ignores the small fact Columbus brutality.
However, Zinn who looks a different version, he looking from the notion of the
Arawaks were lost. Zinn told that the discoverer of the Americas is the Arawaks
ethnics (as seen first Arawaks ethnics living there).
Main Body (Critique)
In the book, “A People’s History of the United States” does not explain the real
sources; because Howard Zinn did not write footnotes and references are clear.
Howard Zinn just explained notion about Columbus by ideology himself. It is
very dangerous, if the reader only easy to believe what is written by Howard
Zinn. It depends on the reader's thoughts, because writing has always had a big
influence in the way of thinking and acting person. Each reader background
knowledge and styles vary in the understanding and interpretation of the text.
Readers can easily be believed or believe what is written by the authors of
understanding of a text. The reader must carefully choose kiblat the ones made
by writer. Basically there is nothing wrong book, but not only correct over
100%.
In the words of Morrison, any unique
tensions in the writing of history would support an interest political,
economic, history, and others. He even called Columbus have committed genocide
on the Indians, but the facts listed on one page later he is buried in hundreds
of other pages that praises the greatness of the mariners. Choice to be telling
a heroism and unaware action on tension of facts mass murder that happened on
Indian ethnics is just ideological choice. Morison said calmly as if that
really was a mass murder on the Indians, but that little fact is not balanced
to the service and heroism of Columbus. Sense is then reproduced in the
classroom teaching of history, and the student handbook. There are also
interesting when readers can actually throw a similar critique on Zinn. His
interpretation easy, if Morison looks at the history of the winning Columbus
thus making it always praising the greatness of Columbus, then the biggest
mistake can make Zinn is view Columbus was not the hero but the real killer.
Well, history is not always statist. History will be always
written repeat. History will be changed if many found the facts which great to
crush history early. For example, problematic who is discovered American. The
book as one of tools sharing information also will be continually updated as
changes are created history. Under these conditions, Howard Zinn got a lot of
opposition from pro-Columbus, Howard Zinn that "lost" in the truth
road on past events, may be Considered imagination, while the people who stand
in "false" and believe false road as the truth road. It will say Zinn
was wrong and they are right because what they say is in line with the agreed
alignment of the world. (Fixed Claimed as the hero Columbus, the Discoverer)5
Conclusion
People making of history is associated with the practice of
literacy, because just the
people who can make history and distort history. Howard Zinn is the person familiar with the
situation and condition of even the facts that exist in American history
because Zinn
is the historian of the University Boston, America. Through Zinn writings, he was able to transform
a generation of consciousness writing. Whatever that, Zinn always kept Howard
Zinn. He is inspirational writer and activism who to destroy the silence, more
prepared to speak, better prepared to act against unfairness anywhere they find
it.
Reference
1
Hart, Michael H. 1989. Seratus
Tokoh yang Paling Berpengaruh dalam Sejarah. Jakarta: PT. Dunia
Pustaka Jaya
2 Vesperi D. Maria, Waterston Alisse
(2009_). Anthropology off The Shelf:
Anthropologists On Writing.
3 Howard Zinn. Speaking Truth to Power with Books
4 Zinn, Howard. 1999. A People’s History of the
United States: 1942-Present.
5
Risnawati, Devi. 2013. Artikel kecerdikan membutuhkan kejujuran. ______.
Slideshare.net
diunduh pada tanggal 23 Maret 2014 Pukul 16.27 WIB
0 comments:
Post a Comment