Critizising Howard Zinn in Demolishing The Truth

Name : Nafila El Sa’idah

Class : Pbi d

Subject : Writing and Conversation 4

Critizising Howard Zinn in Demolishing The Truth

INTRODUCTION

This paper offers a critical insight on Howard Zinn’s article entitled “Speaking Truth to Power with Books”. There are two main explanations would provide some criticals towards his article.  Firstly, Man and woman who have read Howard Zinn’s book they gave controversy respons toward that book without knowing the truth totally.  Howard Zinn demolished the truth totally about Christoper Columbus, someone who is famous as discoverer of America.  It is about his ideological motivated in writing “A People’s History of the United States”.  Howard Zinn wrote history based on his ideology but he could not tell responsibility of source history that he wrote.  Secondly,  this paper is going to signify about the truth of muslim who has discovered of America.

Different, critical, radical.  Those words describe a Howard Zinn in introducing of himself.  Howard Zinn is different man compare with others American.  He is not as ussual human, he makes different himself with everything he has.  Mind, chance of life, health, education and his ability.  He is not American as same as others American.  He is like the poisson in hierarchy America.  A man who has critical thinking towards his social life.  Politicust, antropologist, critical.  All aspects surrounding himself could not he catch directly as ussual people do.  Someone who has a coregous, the coregous makes something to be sensasional. 

Then, his book which was shared and come out a lot of sensational judgment from others people.  That book which make all American uproar.  Suite of some judgements does not go back to him self but a few of institutions are blamed as comunist and capitalist. From the first chapter that he wrote could reap controversional in the world. 

SUMMARY

There are several basic points that Zinn wrote on Howard Zinn’s article entitled “Speaking Truth to Power with Books”.  First, it is about what Howard Zinn wrote is a book could change world, The article inform that book could change the world.  Change would appear from a book, book which could change the world.  In his article signify long track between writing and change an awareness untill could create Howard Zinn as a social activis.

Second, the article signify that book could introduce an ideas which could never think before.  The book is source of a lot of happy and nonplus surprize.  As a poet Milan Kundera wrote in L'Art duroman , 1986 `to write,means for the poet to crush the wall behind which something that ``was always there'' hides (L'Art duroman, 1986).

Thrid, it is about Christoper Columbus, whom we ridicolusly percieve as the hero/the discoverer of America.  Although Christoper Columbus  is actually a heroic and gentle man, it is being systematically falsehood because people wrongfully believe it to be a hero as the discoverer of America.  Howard zinn is man who change the sight sacred inheritance of America.  The readers paradigm about their sight sacred have been changed.  The sight sacred is about Christoper Columbus.  Someone who famous as a honor man in America.  Every single person in that country know the noble of Christoper Columbus, Columbus someone kinds, heroic, someone who discovered their area of life now, someone who brought  a life in continent of America. Then, the bravely person said  all somethings incontrass about Christoper Columbus.  Killer, ravisher, cruel person, that’s all worst evidence about Christoper Columbus.  Who have been brave to say that the god do despicable, the teacher is a killer, the protestant clergyman is ravisher, do an immoral behaviour. It is a Howard Zinn. He changed those fact paradigm in his book. 

CRITIQUE

There are several criticals towards Howard Zinn article “Speaking Truth to Power with Books”.  First, literacy of writing Howard Zinn is made reader making meaning by joining Howard Zinn ideology.  This is very visible a Howard Zinn wrote history based his own importance ,history was written certainly have some vision and different angles by joining his own version.  Therefore , in any regime that leads a country would want to stick to the interests of the regime's ideology . It has been insinuated by French thinkers , Louis Althusser , in his book about ideology State Apparatuses . That history is one of the spread of the ideology of power tools .  it isalso happened to Howard Zinn that he wrote history for his importance. 

Actually, meaning has not delivered as same as author means, “As we study meanings, the figure of the author should be positioned in context instead of text – after all, the author functions first and foremost as an aid in categorizing the text, a little as genre does. It is the name of the author under which the texts written by him or her are grouped, and they are usually presented as an oeuvre forming a whole. The other texts written by the same person are then used to assist in the interpretation of each one of them. Therefore, the author (and all that the readers know of her/him) as a party in the formation of meanings does not in actual readings reside in the text but, on the contrary, in its context. Thus it is not surprising that during the last few decades the search for the text’s ‘own’ meaning has largely replaced the hunt for the author’s intentions. Here, the point of departure is the notion that the features of the text itself direct their reading: the words and structures, as well as the imagery and notions guide the reader towards a certain meaning”. (Lehtonen, (2000):77).  In other words, there are many controversy towards Howard Zinn book because making meaning is not just an author.  Reader will be able strongly to have different meaning in reading the book.  The importance vision based on Howard Zinn ideology will not be successfully delivered as well as Howard Zinn means.  Howard Zinn just enclear his own radical character.

Second, Howard Zinn tried to revolt in culture of man and woman who believe that Christoper Columbus is a hero as discoverer of America by writing “A People’s History of the United States” book. As theory in writing and culture (Ken Hyland, (2009): 54) “Culture is generally understood as an historically transmitted and systematic network of meanings which allow us to understand, develop and communicate our knowledge and beliefs about the world (Lantolf,1999).  To emphasize Howard Zinn made different beliefs to a Christoper Columbus as discoverer of America.  Different ideology with America its self. 

Third, critical on his explanation about Christoper Columbus neglected several point.  There are:

1.      He did not mention a moeslim who discovered America.  Western historical claim stating Columbus as the discoverer of the Americas finally broken . A series of historians found that Muslim explorers have set foot and spread Islam on the continent more than half a millennium before Columbus. A copy of the 600 year old map found in a flea bookstore threatened status of Columbus as the discoverer of America . Also be the key to proving that people from the Chinese Foreign continent was first discovered .

Then, Menzies claims , the Western Hemisphere 's first settlers did not come from the ' Bridge the Bering Strait ' , but the Chinese sailors who first crossed the Pacific Ocean about 40 thousand years ago . He also wrote , DNA markers prove American Indians and other natives are descendants of settlers claim that Zheng Ho discovered America. For this reason, Without a doubt anymore that Muslims have historically been an influence in the evolution of American society a few centuries before Christopher Columbus found it , '' said Fareed H Numan in the American Muslim History A Chronological Observation . Muslim recorded history of Africa has been in a relationship with the natives of the American continent long before Columbus arrived.

2.      He did not mention the background of coming Christoper Columbus to continent of America.  Destination’s Columbus to America which he supposed India is for earning gold, he hurted indigene there, he killed and others cruel character.

Fourth, Howard Zinn did not tell historical sources which could be responsibility.  Such as

1.      There is  no web adress that he wrote as a source of verbal ( oral history) from the others people.

2.      Visual sources, it is objects that were once used by historian. Sources should be most authentic and most original for historians in writing source .Therefore , this source will not change , even after so many years.  Again Howard Zinn did not clearly explain visual source in his article “Speaking Truth to Power with Books”.

CONCLUSION

Finally, there are several points that could be conclude on article “Speaking Truth to Power with Books” and some criticals towards Howard Zinn’s article.  First, Howard Zinn is the critical, He is also Historian, Political, theorist ,he is the radikal one.  He is different.  What make Howard Zinn could leave sensasional historian is his critical thinking.  He also a theorist, his opinion, idea, mind would change the world.  Howard Zin is someone that was really influence for America citizen, he could change the paradigm of citizen about Chrystoper Columbus.  To repeat that Howard Zinn brought the change.  Change is Howard Zinn.  Second, he practiced his literacy based on his ideology for his vision.  Eventhough, makin meaning is not only from the writer but also the reader.  Third, the muslim has discovered America far from Columbus came to Amerika.  Fourth, the background how columbus could arrive in america is for earning gold, he did cruel thing to indigene at the time.  Fiveth, in his article Howard Zinn did not add the historical source which could be responsibility likewise source of verbal (oral history) and the most authentic and original visual sources on his article.

References

Antropology off the shelf: Speaking Truth to Power with Books: 2009: 15-20.

Hyland, K. (2009). Teaching and researching writing.  Edinburgh gate: Pearson       education limited.

Lehtonen, M. (2000).  The cultural analysis of text.  London: Sage publication.

http://www.faktaislam.com/2011/09/penemu-benua-amerika-yang-sebenarnya.html   diunduh pada tanggal 4 maret 2014 pukul 19:37.