December
2008
To understand the present, we must look into the past0
For the time Janie was living with her Grandmother, many things were were pushed upon her. Janie was forced to marry at the tender age of 16, and was constantly reminded by Granny of the life she could have had if born just a few decades earlier. All parents say, “back in my day….blah blah blah” however after our discussion in class today, i may understand why.
How am I, a Jewish teenager in 2008, supposed to know how lucky i am to be free to practice my religion and even walk outside without fear? How is a black child supposed to know that their college education is a blessing to their grandparents? How is someone supposed to know that the fact that Barack Obama is our 44th president an amazing moment in the world? The answer is a story. Stories have been told and then written down for centuries and they allow the generation of the present to learn about the generation of the past. Stories then allow us to compare our lives today and how our lives would have been if we lived in the previous generation.
It may seem that our system of books is old and not up to date in school and that perhaps our district is living too much in the past. However it is so important for us to learn and understand the past to understand why other things have happened in the future.
By understanding the past we are able to appreciate the present.
