Express Your Opinion: An Editorial Those who do not learn h…

Express Your Opinion: An Editorial Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it. George Santayana*, Philosopher & Writer   The sentiment that history repeats is hard to disagree with. For example: Something like ‘war’ that aims to make a dramatic change in government and rule, ‘for the people’, inevitably breed more wars. We have only to look at historical examples of revolutions, like those in France and Russia, that gave an individual absolute power—Napoleon and Stalin, respectively—and how they inevitably end up as failed empires and brutal dictatorships. After repeated 19th century wars between Germany and France, France still demanded that confiscatory terms of surrender be imposed on Germany after the 20th century’s First World War. Then the Second World War happened . In the 21st century, specific events in Syria have proven a repeated lessons about civil wars, like the Vietnam war, that when great powers intervene to fight proxy battles, conflict becomes protracted. Incidentally, when Abraham Lincoln governed during the American Civil War, even he recognized it was essential to keep out foreign powers like Britain and France. And those are only a handful of examples – as students of history, we can see  patterns that repeat, and repeat, and repeat. Indeed, the study of history often demonstrates that the history of humanity is that we are simply given to a certain irrationality which often leads us down paths, some disastrous, again and again and again. So the question that is being proposed to you is one of legacy and lessons from history. If we consider that the legacy that past civilizations leave to us is *their* histories – that we, the descendants – have been granted the opportunity to learn from the past; continue the best of their achievements, and abolish the worst of their crimes. And yet… Why do we seem determined to move not forward, but in concentric circles towards our doom and eventual collapse? Your Task Choose one of the following prompts (or feel free to modify or ‘springboard’) on which to state your opinion in an editorial response of about 400 – 600 words approximately. (4 – 6 paragraphs). Prompt 1 The legacy of human existence is to build on the successes of previous generations, but human are, ‘human’, which comes with a certain level of hubris (arrogance). Just like how the Italian scholar, Petrarch dismissively declared that between the Fall of Roma and the Rise of the Renaissance, there was only a ‘Dark Age’ where nothing of worthiness occurred – each generation ignores the legacy because they have a false sense of superiority. In essence, we ignore the legacies of history because of the egos of ‘important’ people.   Prompt 2 In essence, history teaches us to move forward, recognize our mistakes and learn from them, and ultimately create a better existence for all, but why these lessons fail is that we generally do not recognize that we forget the collective ‘all’. When we only study the history of select civilizations, primarily our own and those who we see as ideologically similar, we miss the collective legacy that we share. Consider that the ‘cradle of civilization’ was Mesopotamia – that the foundation for all subsequent civilizations share this common ascendant. By dividing human history through nationalism, regionalism, ideologies and religion, we as humanity cannot move progressively forward.     Use proper editorial format – So explain and support your position. Feel free to expand your response by using material from historical and present day examples and instances we have studied in, and during this course. (20 K/U, 25 T/I,15 AP) If you need some pointers about writing an editorial – please click here   *(The quote is most likely due to writer and philosopher George Santayana and in its original form it read, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”  Santayana was known for aphorisms, and for being a professor in philosophy at Harvard which he abandoned. Prior to that, Santayana attended Boston Latin School and Harvard College, where he studied under the philosophers William James and Josiah Royce.) As this is a longer document, it is suggested that you complete this question in a word processor (MS Word or Open Office) and save a copy on your computer, and upload the file. To do this, click “Choose File” to locate your file and then click “Upload” to upload your file to the exam.  

Demonstrate your Knowledge – a Short Writing Task There are…

Demonstrate your Knowledge – a Short Writing Task There are many paths to civilization – People can be brought together by tribal affiliations, by herds and crops, by religion and ideology, by topography, or by a need to stand against a common enemy. But just as reasonable as it is to seek the causes that created a civilization, it is also reasonable to examine the causes that prevented or slowed a civilization’s development. The term ‘dark ages’ while commonly connected to the Middle Ages, in general defines any period of stagnation – a period in the history of a society that it is characterized by a lack of knowledge and progress. In this course we examined several times where a civilization experienced a ‘dark age’: Example 1 – While the cause of what ended the Myceneans is a mystery (possibly by earthquake, invasion or in-fighting); The “Greek Dark Age” is the interval between the collapse of the Mycenaean civilization (around 1200 BCE) and the rise of the Greek Archaic Period – several centuries later (around c. 800 BCE), when the Greek culture regained its prestige with the first signs of the Greek poleis. Example 2 – The First Intermediate Period, is often described as a “dark period” in ancient Egyptian history. It spanned approximately one hundred and twenty-five years (from 2181–2055 BCE) after the end of the Old Kingdom. It was characterized by chaos, disorder and famine in the real world, and as such, we saw the emergence of coffin texts among the peasant class – a collection of funerary spells written on the walls of their caskets in hope for peace and prosperity…at least in the Afterlife. Your Task Focusing on either the Ancient Greeks or the Ancient Egyptians, discuss how a period of stagnation – a dark age – had a significant impact on the civilization. You can focus on either of the following prompts: A period of stagnation occurs in any civilization – the ability to rise again from the darkness, is the hallmark of a GREAT civilization! A period of stagnation is the early death knell of a civilization, signalling to its enemies that it is weak and open for invasion. In your written response demonstrate your knowledge of the civilization (Greek or Egyptian) and provide details that would prove/support your prompt. Examples of proof would be such details such as trade, exploration, architecture, art, literature, military endeavors, social advances, etc. Word Count: 350 – 500 words approximately (3 – 5 paragraphs) (25 Knowledge/Understanding, 15 Thinking/Inquiry, 10 Application)