Histroy and Memory Speech- the 50th Gate and Everything Is Illuminated

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HISTORY AND MEMORY SPEECH The relationship between history and memory is a complex one, further complicated by biased opinions and selective recollection. Because of this neither history nor memory alone is sufficient in understanding the past. The relationship and comparison between the two allows us to find a more accurate representation of past events. Mark bakers novel the fiftieth gate represents how memory and history do not have a singular or absolute truth. This is done through the exploration of his parents’ lives during the holocaust. Leib Schreiber’s film everything is illuminated also has the same context, highlighting how the suppression of memory and the biased nature of history need each other to find a semblance of truth. The fiftieth gate is expressed mostly as a narrative with mark baker as the voice of authority. The novel is interspersed with fictional recreations of the past, based primarily on his parent’s recollections and the accounts of other survivors. These often fragmented memories emphasise both the complex relationship between history and memory, as well as bakers division within himself as both a historian and son. This division is further emphasised by the use of poetry, letters, quotes, interviews and songs to vindicate his words. Through the text the relationship between Baker and his parents becomes strained due to Baker’s probing of the past. This conflict is particularly frequent with his mother Genia. One of the major clashes with his mother while bringing out her story was when he claimed ‘I don’t believe you’ while asking her to prove her story of staying with a Christian family in Poland for two years. This involved her reciting the Lord’s Prayer in polish, which she painstakingly memorized in darkness and could remember to this day. This is one of many problems that Mark has with his mother’s recollections, another

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