Sunday, March 30, 2014
Created By:
#Progress Test 2,
Iis Yulia Riani
“Discovering
Something Hidden”
Introduction
“Howard Zinn”, he was often a topic of discussion in this semester. Who
are Howard Zinn actually? What made
him famous? This paper load my perspective on Howard
Zinn’s article entitled “Speaking Truth to Power with Books”.
Howard Zinn is a historian
of the American radical.
Alignments Zinn, is
about his ideology in the writing of
history. He is someone who is
anti-violence and refusing whatever reason that is used to support
a war. Zinn was the author of
many books, such as The Zinn Reader: Writings on Disobedience and Democracy
by Howard Zinn (Jul 7,
2009), You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train: A Personal History
of Our Times by
Howard Zinn (Sep 5, 2002), A Power Governments Cannot Suppress
by Howard Zinn (Dec 1,
2006). He received the Lannan Foundation
Literary Award for Nonfiction and the Eugene V. Debs award for his writing and
political activism. He became famous
from a legendary
book entitled "A
People's History of the United States". A book
"compilation"
the most critical historical methodology, without a tendency defense, propaganda or political
aspects.
Summary
The
article Speaking Truth to Power With Books that I have read, Howard
Zinn stated that
the truth through the book is something
that could change
the awareness of people and can change the
world. He thinks
that when the sound produced will quickly
disappear when we
are not accompanied with moments of talking
to remember and write, then write it in pieces
of paper and then put them
together in a book. He told that he has read some
books, such as Kurt Vonnegut’s book, Charles Dicknes’s book, and a book about
Christopher Columbus.
The most
shattering his own
world is about
Christopher Columbus in his book "A People's
History of the United States".
Most of the
the point is the first chapter because of the aggravation they (the people who
grew up in the United States) who have had a class that Christopher Columbus
was a hero, a great inventor, a devout Bible reader. Then confronted with the
writings that describe that Christopher Columbus was a murderer, torturer,
kidnapper, multilator, hypocritical, greedy gold digger man, willing to kill
humans and mutilated people who make shock readers.
Critique
Interesting
from his
book is he bravery
to reveal the
dark side of the new continent's history and commitment to the Subaltren.
In an article entitled Speaking
Truth to Power with
Books, Howard Zinn said that he uses anthropological context,
which is in it involves
historical, social, political, religious, and etc.
Zinn wrote the article
to support the losers,
because there is an utterance stating that
history is always written by
the winners. Howard
Zinn argue that who first discovered the American continent is moeslim not Columbus.
We can reveal
some facts that
can open our eyes
to understand the truth of history. There are several basic points that
Zinn wrote on Columbus, whom we ridicolusly percieve as the hero or the
discoverer of America. First, Columbus’s reasons went sailing, at the time he raping the
daughter of one of the Spanish
nobleman who was aged 13 years. Second, finally when Columbus
first landed in America
the blue continent, he still thinks this is Indian land. At
that time the natives welcomed Columbus happily.
In his diary, Columbus
admitted that when
he arrived in the Indies (at that time still believed
he had found India,
not America). He tortured
the natives, hanging, flogging simply for the
sake of the important information. Third, Columbus is a disseminator
of syphilis in Europe. Syphilis pandemic
hit Europe shortly after Columbus' return, and
it changed the course
of history. Initially is very deadly, horrific disease
and many deaths
at that time.
Although it
has some ridicolusly
percieve but there are four points on Columbus
that are dormant in Zinn’s article. First, Zinn does not provide
a clear definition of what he discussed. Second, in
his article, Zinn does not include a reference that can help readers find out more
clear and complete
about the things he
has written. Third, is in
explaining about Christopher
Columbus, his opinion
of the catapult only
negative side only, do not lift the positive side also.
From several shortcomings
of the book, then we as readers have to find a source that
can strengthen the
evidence of the results of
Howard Zinn’s analysis. Fourth, although Howard Zinn has managed to uncover a lie Columbus that he was not
the inventor of the American continent, but he is a man who likes to do
genocide. But keep in mind also that Zinn has a weakness in an article, Zinn
forget or even deliberately covering up the history of the inventor of the
American continent itself. Zinn does not said at all who the first inventor of
the American continent.
Conclusion
So, the conclusion is the historical truth should be revealed
clearly without any concealment of facts slightest,
so that the historical
data does not imply the wrong history, impartially,
even just for the
author to realize the benefit for
historian. This means, historical
data should be really pure harmony with
in reality. By doing a research and review of
the history, and
based on the physical evidence is clear and
valid, such as historical
artifacts and other
documentation, it will allow the realization of valid historical data although
in reality every writing
of history always ideological
motives of the author's history. Howard Zinn
article opens our eyes that it is correct to speak about the truth needs to be
done, especially on a sensitive matter such as history. His thoughts, his
career, and his actions influence and impact is quite extensive, especially on
the dynamics of the literary life, and generally in the dynamics of
intellectual life, social, political, and cultural. Back again at the second
critical review that book is a complete package to change the world. Don’t be
lazy to read a book everyday !
Referensi :
Kuntowijoyo.
2005. Pengantar Ilmu Sejarah. Yogyakarta: Bentang Pustaka
Author : Iis Yulia
Riani
PBI-D
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