Writing Class: Howard Zinn: Be a Hero by Radicalism

Howard Zinn: Be a Hero by Radicalism

Introduction

Howard Zinn be a hero for many people in the world. By a history genre book, Howard Zinn want to change all perspective people especially citizen of Amerika that Columbus is not discoverer America continent. History is a science that studies any event or occurence that have occurred in the past in human life. In the human life, historical events is an event which timeless, unique, and important. To find out history need a historian that serves to perpetuate, and tell when it happened, next who the characters involved, who the inventor, and the events of what happened at that time.

On the other hand, Howard Zinn also awaken us to care about the history. As humans we do not just hear and accept the history that has happened. But, we should be able to criticized whether it is history really happened or just a fabrication.

Summary

In the article Speaking Truth to Power with Books Zinn could be called as a hero of the people, which can uncover the hidden history. Howard Zinn said that the inventor American continent is not Columbus, in the first book he wrote “A People’s History of The United States” Howard Zinn mentions facts about who exactly Columbus, the facts are Colombus is genosida, killer, and he lie about discoverer Amerika continent. In the point of view Zinn Columbus is not as great inventors, or a hero to Americans, but Zinn view that Columbus as a conqueror hypocritical and cruel because to achieve his desire Columbus tortured, kidnapped, killed, and mutilated the original residents.

The other reason that explain by Howard Zinn is Christopher Colombus raped one of the daughters of the Spain nobility who was still 13 years old, that was the reason why he was sent off to look for the new world namely India. He did not find that land, instead he found America land which was considered as India by him at the first time. Christopher Colombus background also is so bad, he found America only because of his bad attitude, raping. No wonder Howard Zinn wanted to erase the understanding about Christopher Colombus which was wrong. Howard Zinn also wanted to change the wrong knowledge of every person in the society about Christopher Colombus, so the children as the next generations will not get that fantasy anymore and recognize that Christopher Colombus is nothing and even bad man. Then also Howard Zinn wanted to deliver that is absolutely unnecessary to adore him and even establish the Colombus day does not make sense, because bad man is not proper to be admired.

Main Body (Critique)

Why this article should be criticized? Because, in the article “Speaking Truth to Power with Books” Zinn no perfection in show the evidences. There are some of weaknesses that found in the article.

Firstly, Howard Zinn not explain actually who is that found Amerika continent, I think Howard Zinn just able to critic, but he not gave statement to be better. Howard Zinn also did not recognized that Islam is the first to discover the America continent. This is because Zinn is a Jew, while Cheng Ho is a Muslim. So, there was a possibility that the reason why Howard Zinn never wrote Laksamana Cheng Ho as the first discover of America was only because of many conflicts between Islam and Jewish itself. This reason also is supported by the year of A People's History of the United States publication which was written by Howard Zinn. That book published in 1980 when the conflict between Islam and Jewish got worse. So, Zinn was afraid if his own writing instead featured the intensity of Muslim. Next, because Howard Zinn is a jew also he did not like Americans, so that he search about history, government of Amerika, and try to found the mistake of Amerika. Some people also said that Zinn is radical according to Michael Kazin argued that Zinn is too focused on class conflict, in the fact there is connected between literacy and radicalism as write in the book “A Cultural History of the English Language” The writers used radicalism a new language to spread a social message.( Knowles, Gerry. 1997:96). In the seventeenth century was happened radical language that use in the Bible and religious concepts it aims to convey political and social message. After that, here there is some way to understand radical text between language and ideologi. In order to make sense of a radical text, one has to imagine oneself in their literacy culture.

( Knowles, Gerry. 1997:97)

From this the key, it can be concluded that use radicalism is one form of literacy in delivering a social message, so that the reader could influenced by the social message.

Secondly, Howard Zinn said that Columbus is genosida. But, Howard Zinn not explain clearly what a form of genosida that he did? And also how many victims? It is my view that, we need a judicious historian who can provide authentic data not only able to judgment, this is related to discourse and knowledge construction, the view that knowledge is created through the discourses of social communities has its roots in the theory of social constructivism. This suggests that the ways we understand the world, the categories and concepts we use, are not ‘truths’ proven and fixed for all time but are specific to particular cultures and periods. In other words, our knowledge does not result from objective descriptions of what the world is really like, but emerges in part through our perceptions of that world during our interactions.( Hyland, K. 2006:39 ).

Thirdly, the weaknesses of Zinn’s article is not write all the references when talking about Columbus and others. For this reason, the reference is the power of each reading, without the reader that the author is still looking like a pretend play or in writing. Reference is one of the most important things that will convince the reader to learn that the author posts, as write in academic writing a hand book for internationals student. There are three principal reasons for providing references and citations:

(a) To show that you have read some of the authorities on the subject,

which will give added weight to your writing.

(b) To allow the reader to find the source, if he/ she wishes to examine

the topic in more detail.

Conclusion

As a result, Howard Zinn can be a hero for us because it can add knowledge the for the reader by the radicalism langauge that make us care to make sense of a history, and also can change the perspective people to Columbus. But the other facts show, Howard Zinn just able to judgement that everything which he critics are wrong not make clearly what is the solution, and finally Zinn saw that the difference is democracy.