Junwon+Block+A+2011

JunWon's World History Works 2011 - 2012

(November 21, 2011) French Revolution Ant Farm Block A JunWon Park

(November 16, 2011) Revolution Quotes

(November 14, 2011) Public Relations Poster

(November 7, 2011) Despotic Rulers

(November 5, 2011)

JunWon Park A The Enlightenment

(October 24, 2011)

JunWon Park A From Absolutism to Revolution

(October 11, 2011)

JunWon Park A Age of Exploration

(October 10, 2011)

On page 60, Chinese foreign policy is described quite different from that of later European countries as they preferred to use trade, influence, and bribery rather than conflicts and colonizations. This description makes sense referring back to how China encouraged Malacca and Japan to bribe them, and opened up trade with them. The European foreign policy the text is mentioning seems to be referring to how the Great Britain was colonizing all the way up to New Zealand, and Spain was colonizing the continent of America with mostly simple military powers. China rather chose deal with other countries with their power in trade.

Zhu Di's effort to make Beijing the world's intellectual capital is shown at the project of collecting all existing literature in the new capital of Beijing. The record says the project resulted four thousand volumes of encyclopedia that include fifty million characters which is simply stunning when compared to six books that the English king owned.

The grand canal starts at Beijing. It passes through Tianjin where it is a very important industrial city in modern history. It meets Yangzhou where the river branches to Nanjing, the old capital. The grand canal also connects Beijing to Shanghai, the great trade post, all the way up to Hangzhou. Connection of all these cities not only boosted the trade, but was also essential in the construction of Beijing as the food supply for the construction workers was transported by the grand canal.

Description of Zheng He's Armada:
 * Each capital ships were 480 feet long, 180 feet wide, and had thousand masts.
 * Armada composed of leviathan flagships, merchant junks, squadrons of warships.
 * Eight hundred vessels
 * Treasure ship with sixteen internal watertight compartments that could afford two of them to be flooded without sinking.
 * Compare to: Vnetican biggest galleys were 150 feet long and 20 feet wide.

The evidence that Zhu Di truly wasn't seeing his rule clear is that he was suffering from many disasters that would blind anyone. First of all, Zhu Di was suffering from a severe disease that led to numerous strokes. Secondly, Zhu Di had to send his most beloved concubine away from the fire. Lastly, the thunderbolt strike and the fire made Zhu Di think he has lost the blessing of the god which kept disturbing his mind. With such a disturbed mind, he wouldn't have been able to make wise political choices, which would have led people to believe he was not a worthy ruler anymore.

The old emperor experienced many things. He experienced a rebellion in Annam and Vietnam. Further the rebellions succeeded and Vietnam was not a colony anymore. Mandarins also tried to put Zhu Gaozhi, Zhu Di's son, as the emperor as quick as they could to make him enforce policies that Zhu Di didn't try to do.

Zhu Gaozhi's edict on stopping all voyages of treasure ships had a significant effect on the history of the world. Zhu Gaozhi has gave up China's sole hegemony on the sea himself. This has allowed the European countries to gain the power on the sea, and opened up the age of exploration which acted like the shift of power from China to the Europe. Since China didn't influence the sea, European countries quickly developed science related to ship-building, and competitively began exploring and colonizing on the sea.

(October 6, 2011)

Holy Roman Emperor: The holy roman emperor would have to first start sailing at the bay touching the North Sea. The reason he will not take the Mediterranean Sea is because there will be lots of pirates if he chose to go past the Mediterranean Sea. He will then pass the English Channel, and sail following the coast of Africa around the Southern part of Africa. When he reaches the Indian Ocean after sailing around the Africa, he will then sail to the Bay of Bengal. Perhaps he could take some rest since the journey until there was a long one, and India was a good trade post. Then he will sail through the Strait of Malacca where he is most likely to face pirates. After he passes through the Strait of Malacca and around Malaysia, he will be able to reach China straight.

Emperor of Byzantium: Emperor of Byzantium will start at the Constantinople and start sailing toward the Mediterranean Sea. Following the African coast will help him find his way easily until he reaches the Kingdom of Granada. When he reaches there, the rest of the journey will be the same as the Holy Roman Emperor's.

Doge of Venice: The Doge of Venice will sail along the present day Italy's east coast until he can follow the same way he follows the Emperor of Byzantium.

King of England: He would pass through the English channel, and follow the route the Holy Roman Emperor took.

King of France: The king of France would first start sailing at the Southern bay of the France. He will follow the coast of the kingdom of Aragon until he reaches the kingdom of Granada where he will follow the route that the Emperor of Byzantium followed.

King of Castille: The king of Castille will use the route that the King of Byzantium used after he passed the kingdom of Granada.

King of Portugal: The king of Portugal would use the same route that the king of Castille used.

Looking at the comparison between the Yuan dynasty and the Ming dynasty, I can generalize that the Ming dynasty is smaller than the Yuan dynasty in the size of the nation. More specifically, Ming dynasty doesn't have the western part and the northern part of the region that the Yuan dynasty owned.

Looking at the European map, I can conclude that the new capital would be 15,000,000 square kilometers and would house 12,500,000 people.

I can see the old city of Beijing that Zhu Di built in the modern China. Tian An Men is in the center of the old city within the modern cit, and roads called Youanmen Binhe Lu, Guang Anmen Binhe Lu, and Andingmen Dongdajie are surrounding. The entire old city seems to be a tourist attraction in the modern city. There are temples and mosques at the edges of the old city boundaries, and there are numerous hotels and restaurants. Also I can find Palace Museum, China Art Gallery, and Tian An Men that I have been to when I went to BeiJing as a tourist.

When I measured 6400 km straight from the Yalu river westward, the line reached the Caspian Sea.

The silk road went through India, Tibet, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Persia, Irqa, Syria, Turkey, and Greece.

(October 5, 2011)

Hongwu emperor's words and actions are based on the philosophical assumption that says the government officials should be just. Confucianisms concepts include zhengming which means an unjust ruler maybe dethroned. Hongwu does not refer to all people, but to the ones in charge.
 * 1. On what philosophical assumptions are the Hongwu emperor's words and actions based?**

+In deed, the philosophical assumptions were legalism that states law holds the paramount importance.

Though it will have some impact, I do not think it is the most efficient way to solve the problem. The reason is because there were punishments for corrupt government officials since the old dynasties, but the old dynasties faced government corruption regardless of the amount of the punishments.
 * 2. Do you think that his actions will solve the problems he refers to? Why or why not?**

The first approach was focused on restricting the corruption of officials by enforcing punishments to them, but the second approach is more focused on showing an example the emperor himself. We can even more simply say that the first approach focused on the officials who are receiving the edict, and the second approach focused on the emperor who is giving the edict.
 * 1. Does the emperor's approach to solving the problem of evil behavior in this excerpt differ from that in the first? If so, how?**

Hongwu's words are based on the Buddhism philosophical assumptions that all desires are bad. Hongwu has mentioned music, beautiful girls, and valuable objects as the evil things that he did not dare to do. It must be noted that while the Europeans experienced the Renaissance, they changed their minds on perceiving these objects. The rich merchants of the Europe started pursuing these worldly pleasures while the Chinese officials still had to restrict themselves from.
 * 2. On what philosophical assumptions are Hongwu's words here based? Think Chinese philosophy.**

+Confucianism states the ruler must be exemplary. (In class)

I would think it is very fair for the emperor to deliver such an admonition, because he is planning to change the way the Chinese government is working. The emperor rebelled the previous one, because he was dissatisfied with the previous one and he thought he could do a better job. One of the reasons a dynasty falls is because of the corrupt government, and it is very understandable the emperor is giving an admonition on the issue of government officials' corruptions.
 * 3. As an official, what would be your reaction to the emperor's admonitions?**

Because the emperor held himself up as the model of self-restraint from all the evil corruptions officials may be tempted to, I would earn courage from the fact as an official. The reason is because the emperor's success on restraining from the evil demonstrates that it is possible to do.
 * 4. The emperor clearly holds himself up as a model of self-restraint for his officials to emulate. As an official, how would you take this?**

I would be frustrated if Hongwu emperor turns out to have lied to all the officials including myself. I wouldn't allow my home-empire to be ran by a liar, and would be worried that he who has lied on a moral issue may lie on big important speeches. He has clearly said he has done away with beautiful girls in his edict, so his action which contradicts with his speech will cause distrust among the officials.
 * 5.Would your reaction be changed if you suddenly learned that the Hongwu emperor had dozens of concubines and consorts, whith whom he fathered twenty-six sons and sixteen daughters?**

(September 29, 2011) JunWon Park A Islamic Paragraph

(September 27, 2011) Comparison of Religions

(September 26, 2011) JunWon Park A Information

(September 22, 2011) Ottomas, one of the warrior group of Islam, treated non-Muslims different from muslims. First part was that non-Muslims had to pay the tax while the Muslims didn't have to. Ottomans allowed people to follow their own religion. Jews and Christinas were not mistreated. Suleiman and Shah Abbas had weakened the power of his most talented sons from the fear they would take the power away from them, and this resulted the grandsons to take power. When the leader was so weak and uneducated, the empire began declining. The languages are evidences of the cultural blending under the Akbar's rule. Hindi from Persia and local languages, and Urdu from Arabic, Persian, and Hini were used by Akbar's people**.** Hindi is used widely in India now, and Urdu is the official language in Pakistan Jahangir, Akbar's successor, contributed to the end of Mughal empire by not being able to control his wife from having a political battle with one of his sons. Shah Jahan contributed to the end of Mughal empire by not tolerating religions other than Islam. He also wasted lots of money on building luxurious buildings such as the Taj Mahal. Aurangzeb, the next successor, made the laws even harsher for the non-Muslims, and caused more severe conflicts within his empire. After his death, Mughal empire ended.
 * 1. How did the Ottomans treat non-Muslims?**
 * 2. What were Suleyman's major accomplishments?**
 * Bringing Ottoman Empire to greatest size
 * Conquering parts of southeastern Europe
 * Conquering eastern Mediterranean Sea and North Africa up to Tripoli
 * 3. Despite their brilliant rule, what critical mistake did Suleiman and Shah Abbas make?**
 * 4. What evidence of cultural blending can you find in Akbar's rule?**
 * 5. How did Akbar's successors contribute to the end of the Mughal Empire?**

(September 9, 2011) The causes of the scientific revolution includes explorations to new lands, need for better understanding of the geographic measurements, discoveries of new species, invention of the printing press. The invention of the printing press seems to be most significant because it truly meant the invention of mass media. Spread of information was vital for the scientific revolution, because even at the very beginning of the Scientific revolution, scientists continued on other scientists' works. The reason why those in positions of authority at the time rejected the new ideas is because their authority and their teachings were being challenged. The greatest example is the heliocentric universe. Heliocentric universe, the new idea that was being mathematically and scientifically proved, directly contradicted with the idea of geocentric universe, which was the teaching of the bible. If the teaching was proven wrong, then the authorities were being challenged, and they wouldn't be able to maintain the wealth and money. I don't agree with Galileo's action of giving up during the trial because he didn't act the way he believed. If he truly feared the church, he should've not continue the work of science after the trial. However, he continued to prove Copernicus's work of proving the heliocentric universe even after he has announced that Copernicus was wrong, and the church was right. The only part that was positive about his action is that he could keep studying science which as a result benefited the society and the descents by leaving more science work. 5. Explain the significance of these terms:
 * 1. What were the CAUSES of the Scientific Revolution? Which one do you think is MOST significant AND WHY?**
 * 2. Why might those in positions of authority at the time (Church and government) tend to reject new ideas?**
 * 3. Do you agree with Galileo's actions during his trial? Explain.**
 * 4. Make a list of the major figures of this revolution in thinking and what they did?**
 * Nicoulas Copernicus - Polish cleric and astronomer who invented the idea of heliocentric theory that the sun is in the center of universe. He brought this idea that challenged the church's teachings up.
 * Johannes Kepler - Apprentice of Brahe who used Brahe's data to mathematically prove that the planets revolve around the sun and they revolve in elliptical orbits not circles. He used mathematical proof to prove Copernicus was right (which was against the bible's teachings).
 * Galileo Galilei - Italian scientist who used telescope to prove Aristotle's theories about perfect moon and stars wrong, and supported the Copernicus' theory enough to frighten the church. His trial with the church symbolizes the persecution against scientists that the church committed.
 * Francis Bacon - English statement and writer who attacked scholars relying on Aristotle and ancient thinkers. He came up with empiricism which stated that scientists should experiment for conclusions.
 * Rene Descartes - A mathematician who believed everything should be doubted until proved true with logical reason. He left a famous quote during this revolution in thinking "I think, therefore I am".
 * Isaac Newton - Though he achieved a big leap of science by constructing the laws of motion and the law of universal gravitation, he kept faith in the god and showed how the religion and science can coexist.
 * **Geocentric Theory - The geocentric theory, which was the teaching that the church was giving during the medieval age and before, became a symbol of the church power when a group of scientists challenged the idea.**
 * **Heliocentric Theory - The heliocentric theory, which was constructed by a group of scientists in the history, became the symbol of scientific revolution that tried to prove and reason the physical world.**
 * **Scientific Revolution - This was the stage where the people were opening their minds and when they exceeded the limits of the ancient knowledge with the tool called science.**
 * **Scientific method - Scientific method is significant because the scientific method is heavily related to humanism, which was another important idea that flourished during Europe. Unlike the ancient times where the knowledge were dependent on the teachings of the bible, the scientific method urged the scientists to observe themselves and conduct experiments to explain the world.**

(September 3, 2011)

The Renaissance: rebirth of the art, literature, science and philosophies contributed to the opening of the mind in Europe by causing major changes in people's lifestyles, governments, and religions. The Renaissance was the time when the European humanists flourished studies of literature, history, politics and philosophies (so called humanities subjects), genius artists with the wealthy merchants' patronage regained the past glory in art of ancient Rome and Greece, and scientists made some of the most important discoveries in the field of science. As a result of the Renaissance, people's mind opened to humanism: putting the importance in the humans' individual potentials and achievements unlike how the importance was on the god and the religion in the middle ages. Galileo Galilei, who is famous for being accused about being secular, led the Renaissance movement to humanism by discovering the heliocentric universe which contradicted with the Bible. Lorenzo de Medici, the wealthiest individual at the age of Renaissance, took the government and the power over people's civil lives which is significant change from the church's dominance over people's both spiritual and civil lives at the middle ages. Heliocentric universe was an important issue at the time because it symbolized a challenge toward "the bible" which was the absolute truth for more than a thousand years. Renaissance opened the minds of the people to believe in science, or the facts can and have been proved, rather than the bible which can not be proved. Lorenzo de Medici, which symbolizes the shift of the power from the church to specialized people, contributed to the opening of the mind as the civil lives were not under the religious control anymore. Freedom from the church's control of civil lives caused people to believe and act freely, and opened political opportunities to more people encouraging them to pursue education. Numerous ground-breaking changes during the Renaissance opened the mind in Europe and further influenced the European domination.
 * How did the Renaissance contribute to the opening of the mind in Europe? (TEEEL Structure)**

(August 31, 2011)

During the age of Renaissance, Europe faced many changed that led to the dominance. Before the Renaissance, the church (which represents the religion) dominated over the lives of people in the ways not only limited to their spiritual lives. During the Renaissance, science began to thrive and the church's power (over the lives outside of the spiritual lives) was questioned. One of the most significant example is the discovery of the heliocentric universe that directly conflicted with the bible. Struggle over power have influenced people's thoughts and desire for the power which gave the Europeans the urge to expand their power. Also, the Renaissance idea that lays the importance on individual human potential and achievements have urged the Europeans to demonstrate their importance. Advance in the fields of science also have influenced the European dominance, because the advance in science led to development in weapons. All these changes that took place during the Renaissance led to the European dominance.
 * Why does Europe gain dominance?**

(August 30, 2011)

The Renaissance was rebirth of art and literature, and was greatly influenced by the idea that focused on human potential and achievements. The cities of Italy helped create the Renaissance by starting the idea of individuals being important, spending money on supporting the arts, and having humanists emphasize on the study of history, literature, and philosophy those so called to be humanities. Italy, having Roman ruins around, could study the Roman arts and influenced the Renaissance art by recalling the Roman and Greek art styles that they, Italians, inherited. Also, wealthy merchants began pursuing worldly pleasures that were rather not spiritual. This movement toward luxury lives put more importance on individuals than the religion.
 * 1. How did the cities of Italy help create the Renaissance? **

The Medici family controlled the city state of Florence during the Renaissance. My opinion on the Medici family is that they are impressive how they used their financial power to achieve the political power, and maintained it for multiple generations. From the previous World History classes, I've learned about the Machiavellianism which was brought up by Machiavelli for the Medici family. The history shows the Machiavellianism successfully helped the Medici family achieve power and maintain it. Being used to democracy governments, the term "dictator" that describes the Medici family caused a negative impression at first, but soon I realized the term dictator is indicating what a great influence he had on the city-state of Florence. Apart from being right or wrong, he was a successful leader since Florence thrived by being the center of education, trade, and art while the Medici family themselves thrived in the power.
 * 2. What is your opinion of the Medici family? **

Humanism is the intellectual movement that focused on the human potential and achievements. Unlike the past eras when the focus was on the religion, people began to seek for the human rights, achievements, and potentials. In the humanities subjects, human is the main focus not the god, and individuals' achievements and happiness were pursued. This influenced, or in a way itself is, the Renaissance idea of self-awareness.
 * 3. How did Humanism influence Renaissance ideas? **

The church leaders and wealthy merchants supported the arts to demonstrate their own importance. The church leaders and wealthy merchants held the financial power at the beginning of Renaissance era, and supported art by supporting the artists financially. Beautifying Rome and other cities with christian art demonstrated the power of the church, and wealthy merchants' portraits and collection of arts produced more jobs for the artists which positively influenced people to consider being an artist.
 * 4. Why did church leaders and wealthy merchants support the arts? **

The similarity between the Renaissance men and women is that they both were expected to be educated in classic arts and be charming. They were both asked to seek and inspire art, and excel in multiple fields. However, the difference lied in their expectations on the influence and their behaviors. Upper-class Renaissance women were expected not to create art nor seek for fame or political influence while the upper-class Renaissance men were expected to do so. The result was that less women influenced the politics though a few women did.
 * 5. What were the similarities and differences between upper-class Renaissance men and women? **

The qualities called for in the ideal Renaissance man and woman emphasize to the extreme on the individual and not the group. In //The Courtier// by Baldassare Castiglione, we recognize that he uses the word "he" not and "they". The source states "I would have him more than passably accomplished in letters . . . Let him be well versed in the poets. . ." and we can recognize that these accomplishments are from an individual not from a group. Also, the Renaissance woman, who was expected to be a patron of the art, made the action individually not as a group. Isabella D'Este did not ask for Leonard Da Vinci's art for the group of women, but for her and her "group" that is assumed to be her family. Being a patron is an action of an individual, not of a group, therefore the qualities of both Renaissance man and woman emphasizes the individual.
 * 6. After reading the "Analyzing Primary Sources" box, respond to this question: Do the qualities called for in the ideal Renaissance man and woman seem to emphasize the individual or the group? Give evidence in the documents to back up your answer! **

(August 24, 2011)

Because the roles of historian even includes being subjective toward the facts, I believe history is what is “perceived” has happened. We only can assume that those events have happened in the history, we are not fully confident.
 * 1. What is history to you? History is a facts, recordings from the past, and important events that happened in the history.**

The importance of history lies not because of the truth, but because we can understand the current events and even a short future when we have a full understanding about the past. As the historians say, history repeats itself. Therefore, learning history is important.
 * 2. Is history important? Why or why not? History is important to understand culture more better and helps to understand the country.**

The reason that the world history is not "our" history, because of the cultural relativism. When we see the history, we understand it with our own mentifacts. The way I understand a Chinese food may be different from how a Chinese local person may accept. When we are looking at the world history, it is important to understand the cultural relativism so the information will not be (or find that it has been) interpreted differently.
 * 3. World History is largely the story of a history that is not “ours”. What is “OUR” history? Our history is the country that you were born from and you are related to.**

History that is not ours also needs to be understood because the history of others help us understand them. I admit that the Korean history has played a role in shaping me partially, and therefore will teach us how the "others" are formed.
 * 4. Should we even care about history that is not “ours”? Why or why not? We should care about other history because you need to understand other country’s culture more better and the important events and dates.**

(August 24, 2011) JunWon Park's Family History Project

(August 12, 2011)



(August 12, 2011)

The historian, by telling the story of John Hogsflesh's penance, focuses the point of the article on the symbolism of faggot which is the enforcement of belief by the Vatican church in 1500s. The historians main point or the main reason of the narration of Hogsflesh's penance shows at the conclusion paragraph, "The faggot - a bundle of sticks - symbolised his conviction for heresy" (Arnold). John Arnold proposed that the roles of a historian are reading records, organizing the records in a chronological sequence. He also mentions the famous historians didn't judge a source with the historian's personal belief, and analyzed the records with their intended meanings and intended meanings only. Lastly, John Arnold includes the role of interpreter which is using a small amount of opinion or estimation to fill in the gaps and contradictories between the records. Another role of historian, in my opinion, is the role of editor. Because his writing may determine what the descendants think of the past, a historian should always make sure his writing is true and clear. Treating the sources with fidelity means treating the source with respect and trust. Treating the source with respect means not interpreting the source itself with my own "glasses". Treating the source without personal distortion is important because the I may misunderstand the history or believe that the source is saying something that it is not. Treating the source with trust means having faith in the source and believing (or assuming) that it is true. There is always a chance that the record may not be true, but with that assumption a historian won't be able to absorb any information. Therefore, a historian should assume the source is telling the truth even if the source is contradicting with my previous knowledge of history. After reading the source, then I should "interpret" and find what I think is the truth. Because the only visible fact in the history is the result, the course or the intention may be interpreted in more than one way. The reason is because people (the historians) have different speciality areas or the areas of interest and some parts of the story may stand out more to one when another part stands out to another. To find a recent event in my life, I have played tag with my first grade and kindergarden cousins during the summer. A person interested in relationships between relatives may interpret me as a kind or a nice brother who plays with his young cousins. However, a person who has been researching about the monopoly of big companies may interpret me as a high school student who uses his physical advantage in playing a tag with his cousins. (Well, this is exaggerated a little bit) Since I was very young, I have visited my father's hometown every year. One summer, I went around the town with my far relatives picking up persimmons. When I had enough fun, I thought my parents would also like the persimmon because I liked them. I put two, one for each of my parents, in my pocket of white pants and ran to my relative's house where we stayed. I had my pants all stained with orange colored juice from the crushed persimmon by the time I arrived. What I remember is that though the pants have been stained, my parents complimented me for caring about them. However, my mother remembered that she scolded me first. As my mother and I remember the ending of the story quite differently, a historian can't be completely objective. The part of my story that had the biggest impact for me was the part that my parents complimented me even when I ruined my pants, but my mother must've been shocked greatly when she saw me running to her with my pants very dirty. I was more worried about what my parents would say when I got my pants dirty, so I put my focus on a different part. Historians also would have their personal experiences and knowledges. Because the historians have experiences somehow connected to the history, the information can not be completely objective. The problem with historians practicing subjective history is that the historian may take a side in the history. History is not about whether the action was right or wrong, but just what actions occurred. The subjective history may be beneficial to the study of history because the history may sound more connecting. The story of John Hogsflesh aimed the common people, so the common people will find the story interesting. If the reader is a young student who often checks his parents' feelings will find my version of the persimmon story more interesting than my mother's. In the contrast, a person who cleans his own clothes on a daily basis will connect with my mother's version of the story more. This tells us that the reason we learn history is because the history is connected to us. Because the history shaped the world we live in now, we find the history interesting. If I open a Calculus book (that I don't understand), I will find the book boring because the formulas in the book does not mean anything to me. Every historians are story teller because final objective of the history is educating the people with the information. If the history was not told, it wouldn't be able to be educated. Some form of narrative is essential for historians to deliver the history, therefore all historians are storytellers. When we come to the fact that all "histories" have been interpreted by different individuals who had different experiences and perspectives, we get to the conclusion that we can't trust historians after all. The reason is because all records and evidences have been reviewed by people who "interprets" differently. However, it's impossible to find the "absolute truth" as we've watched in the Peters Map. We have been told that the earth looks like one form for all our lives and it is hard to change thinking even when the Peters Map must be true when it comes to proportion in sizes. Dinosaur fossils could be fakes made by the government who wants us to believe they existed as the church made people believe in different things until the early 1500s. At this very moment, I feel confused to think that the history I've learnt until now is not trustworthy. However, it will not change the way I approach history. When it comes down to that no history can be proved true, the history that most people believes is perceived true. I am very interested in the newest technology developments, newest science discoveries, and the big events happening around the world and the impacts they bring. As I like to read the dynamic news, I also find a different type of interest in the stable history. History teaches me how actions cause results since the results have already been made. However with the facts about the historians I've just read, I will take much more care in choosing and evaluating the history records.
 * ** In section 1, //Heretical Beliefs//, the historian gives his account of a historical event. What is happening to Hogsflesh? What is the historian's “story” or main point of the article? **
 * ** What are the roles of a historian defined by John Arnold? Do you agree or disagree with his assumptions? Can you think of any other roles? **
 * ** What is meant by “treat(ing) their sources with fidelity?” Remember to put your response in your own words. Why is it important to remember this when reading historical references? **
 * ** How can a single event be interpreted in more than one way? Can you think of an event in your life that historians could interpret with differing points of view? **
 * ** Talk to a family member or friend about something that happened to you both a long time ago. Examine how you both remember the incident and write about it. With that in mind, when attaching meaning to history, is it possible for a historian to be completely objective? Use examples from the incident you just discussed to reinforce your response. **
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">** What problems may arise when historians practice subjective history? In what ways may subjective history be beneficial to the study of history? Think back to the incident you just discussed with your family member or friend. Why did it make sense for you to remember the event the way you did and for the other person to remember it the way he or she did? What does this tell us about history? **
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">** Why is every historian "a storyteller?" If all historians are storytellers and there are myriad versions of every story, can we trust historians? Why or why not? **
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">** How did your view of history and historians change based on this reading? How will you approach history now that you have explored these views? **

(August 10, 2011)

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">**Why is the understanding of the culture necessary in order to understand the history?** Understanding the culture is required to understand the history, because the culture reflects upon the people's background and their past. Elements of culture can be categorized into mainly three categories which are the artifacts, mentifacts, and sociofacts. Artifacts, which are the tools that people use in living, reflects upon the way people live and have lived, while mentifacts and sociofacts, which are beliefs and uniting events, reflect on the way people think and perceive the world. We can observe China as an example. The Great Wall is probably one of the most well-known artifacts of China. When we learn about the Great Wall, we need to understand that the purpose of the Great Wall was to protect China from the invasion of Mongolians. The Great Wall, with its gigantic scale, symbolizes the belief (or directly shows the mentifact) that Chinese people had (and still has) which is that China is the greatest country. Though China, who had much greater army, could strike Mongol back when the Mongolians kept attacking China, China rather chose to make a blockade at the border. With the history of uniting about 50 tribes into one and having an extensive border, it's not surprising to find the mentifacts of the ancient Chinese people of showing little concern to outer attacks, and leaving bordering small countries alone. From the understanding of the one culture of China, we now can understand how such a small country like Korea could have lasted without being absorbed by China especially when the geography of Korea (of being a peninsula) makes retreat impossible. With the example of <range type="comment" id="591016">China, it's proved that understanding of just one form of culture builds an understanding to the history of not only one country but several. To see the matter in a reversed order, we would not have been able to understand the relationship between the Mongolians and China, or the reason Korea could exist next to an enormous country. Without the understanding of the culture, the results of the history will be difficult to be comprehended and the course of the history will be almost impossible to be imagined.