I remember Regan's speech, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" No I don't remember it word for word, but I do vividly remember sitting in my parents living room at the age of 12 (shhh don't tell anyone) and watching history take place. I recall this because I was ticked off that our only TV was occupied by a news program that was keeping me from watching whatever it was that I wanted to watch.(maybe Fantasy Island reruns, I loved Tattoo) This makes me wonder how much we gloss over in our daily lives that will be history textbook worthy in years to come. I guess it is my age that brings this to my attention.
I can understand now how easily horrible and wonderful things can happen around us with little attention paid to them. The pulse of our daily lives clouds our vision of key events that can change the direction of civilization. This is why we study history. The acute focus of the historical record allows us to remove the veil of everyday life that clouds our vision. By examining the events of the past, with focused sight, we can identify the events in our own time that are pivotal to the future course of our, or other, societies. We use the historical record to police current events so that we can stop the repetitive evils of life.
I have really enjoed the time spent in our history class this semester. It has re-introduced me to the work level and expectations of today's students. The class has restored confidence in my abilities as a student and has solidified my decision to reenter our university as both an absolute good and absolutely necessary. Thank you, Jennifer, for your efforts and encouragement.
First of all, Ronald Reagan was awesome. Second, I think that the tearing down of the Berlin wall was an incredibly monumental moment, and one of the defining characteristics of his presidency. Tearing down the Berlin wall really represented the end of communism. It is interesting to think about the possible alternatives of this situation, the US and the USSR were constantly on the brink of war, and the fact that we managed to peacefully come out of those hostilities is incredible.
ReplyDeleteYour comments about glossing over history in our daily lives are so true. I also think that it is interesting how events that we think will be pivotal turn out not to be so or to lack the significance we had initially assigned to them.
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you enjoyed in the course. I have appreciated your hard work and interest in the material. Good luck with the rest of your courses!