Wesley Guo Week 13: Who Tells Your Story?
Paper has the longest memory. For the countless stories written down can tell a story long after those who wrote it have passed. It is a great treasure - but not one that can be taken for granted.
Throughout history there are plenty of examples of fantastic stories that were lost to history due to either having no one to write it down, or the records having been lost to war or disaster. And so they with the longest memory were left unable to pass their story on.
The Norse peoples of northern Europe fifteen centuries ago are among the best documented groups that left behind no records of their own, as we are given insights into their lifestyle through the writings of their contemporaries: the Franks, the Germans, the Eastern Romans, and the Caliphate. Yet all of these are writings from groups that fundamentally can’t understand their cultures, and treat them as something both fascinating and dangerous. Much of our contemporary understanding of the Norse civilization is based on European romanization of these people's lives, because in truth, we have little to work with.
The many states of Sub-Saharan Africa are often neglected in history books because their histories were passed down orally, and left only cultural traces behind. The first peoples of the Americas had plenty of stories to tell, yet these stories were snuffed out with sword and musket. The many mongol and turkic peoples of the eurasian steppe only have their stories told by the places they conquered, the nomads not leaving any traces behind of their lives.
And even China, the most prolific writer of all civilizations, has had many of her own stories be destroyed and burned throughout the years. Many times self inflicted, such as when the First Emperor ordered the burning of all the Confucian texts two thousand years ago, or as recent as the cultural revolution sixty years ago; and many times subject to the whims of outside powers, the Americans, British, French, Germans, Austrians, Russians, Italians and Japanese, who marched burning and stealing everything in sight.
In this day and age, with all the stories of the world a mere Google search away from your grasp, it is important to remember how fleeting these stories can be, and how many others have been lost to time. As when the last person who remembers a story leaves this world, where are those who share the memory?
Aziz, Abdul. “The Magic of Conversations around a Campfire.” Medium, Medium, 24 Nov. 2024, medium.com/@abdulaziz009251/the-magic-of-conversations-around-a-campfire-493a219103ca.
Hey Wesley! As soon as I saw the title of your blog, I was very intrigued as it mirrors one of my favorite songs from Hamilton, “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story?”. I do agree that paper records are the most powerful form of memory, but it truly is unfortunate that cultures with oral storytelling methods have less of a documented history.
ReplyDeleteOne particular part of your blog that I enjoyed was your mention of Norse history, because it is a topic that I had no idea about prior to reading your blog. It’s really interesting to me that history is decided by whoever tells it rather than whoever lives it.
Overall, I thought your blog was a very insightful read and I can’t wait to hear more from you!
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ReplyDeleteHey Wesley! Your first sentence really stuck out to me. It made me wonder if we ever truly know the whole truth if we are only given one perspective on history. I remember while researching about memory last week that a large chunk of what people recall is actually the brain trying to fill in empty spots in the memory. As a result, much of what we remember was not what truly happened. I think this is reflected in the fact that history is written by only the winners because it shows how much perspectives can differ depending on who is recording the happening, especially because everyone has their own biases.
ReplyDeleteI also found it very interesting that you said that paper has the longest memory. I think that paper definitely has a longer memory than people and can pass on stories through generations. But, unfortunately, it can also be torn and destroyed, like you mentioned. This makes me wonder, is there anything that has an infinite memory?
Prior to reading this, I also did not know about the history of the Norse people and how it is not truly theirs. If it was the European perspective of their lives, then we don't truly know what their lives used to look like. Your blog has really made me question the validity of the history we know and are taught at school and it makes me wonder how people in the future will learn about this era.
Hi Wesley! I completely agree that there are so many aspects of ancient civilizations and their lifestyles that we students are unfortunately unaware of. Most of these important stories from decades ago are unknown because there were no official, written records about it, but rather only conveyed through storytelling or unofficial practices. Even though I took AP World History last year and I learned about many civilizations as well as empires in the past centuries, I never knew about the Norse people's history until you wrote it in this post! I wish that there was a way that these states of Sub-Saharan Africa were not neglected in history books so that their stores can also be revealed to the world, but unfortunately, it is not. I also agree that paper is the longest form of memory about each event because it details ideas that can be referenced and learned about for generations later. Unlike oral methods, written accounts prove to be a lasting record of historical events and assurance that these important moments are not lost in time.
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