History and Memory

1063 Words5 Pages
Compare how the texts you have studied emphasis the complexities evident in the relationship between history + memory. Historical study of the past has always been concerned with factual evidence. It is a source-based analysis of previous events. Many modern historians have challenged the idea of history being a universal way to learn about the past. Liev Schreiber, director of ‘Everything Is Illuminated’ and Mark Baker, author of ‘The Fiftieth Gate’, have challenged the idea of historical facts being the only way to tell the stories of history. Both have merged memory with history to tell a story of survivors in the Holocaust. Baker represents History whilst his parents represent memory. He uses history and the memory of his parents (expression- can you say he uses memory?) by confirming some of his parent’s memories with historical facts as well as questioning memories that are in conflict with historical records. Schreiber also presents this idea using the motif of collecting objects as a way of remembering the past with evidence that is connected to memories or people. Baker has used (conventional historical methods?) to create a memory of his own and what may have occurred to a person during the Holocaust. Creating a memory is just like a puzzle. Where a person has forgotten aspects of an event it can be filled with a piece of knowledge that has been discovered on a collector’s journey. After the Jews were put through the gas chambers and killed all of their memories of what happened died with them. The only way people are able to find out what happened in gas chambers is by discovering the stories of people who were there and creating a memory from their own personal experiences. (this is a bit general- be specific- where are the facts coming from?) There are many complexities that occur when combining history and memory to tell a story or

More about History and Memory

Open Document