My second real-life situation is an Interview based on a book publication: ‘Henry VIII’ by Alison Wire. Henry VIII has been a character best known for breaking England from the catholic church and his six marriages. Historians often describe him as a selfish, cruel, and abominable tyrant. However, Wire, a popular historian, challenged this perception. She wrote about King Henry contributing to an extraordinary legacy and portrayed him as a man who ruled according to the beliefs of his day. She deviates from traditional perspectives and tries to present to her readers the real young Henry and highlight his greatness.
This real-life situation links to History as it revolves around understanding a character of the past and the different interpretations History can have. This prompts me to ask, Why do individuals interpret history in different ways? How can we identify the truth in History? These are very important knowledge questions because it challenges truth. It is difficult to know for certain what has happened if we have so many different perspectives about the same topic. It also relates to how each individual interprets the world around them differently, because of their previous experiences. This real-life situation is essential to understand subjective reality. Because everyone has their personal reality as our viewpoints come from the beliefs we personally hold as to what we think is true. This supports the idea that we are all observing the entire universe slightly differently.
The way we answer this question will vary depending on our context. Context is everything because it allows us to gain knowledge about the world around us and therefore, have different opinions. The truth in history might be challenged by your context. For instance, if you lived before the 20th century your opinion will be different from people living in the 21st century about a historical event/character. The ideologies created in your society will influence your judging in what is right/wrong. History can be viewed differently if you have an academic background and access to a variety of sources because you are able to contrast perspectives to come up with conclusions that are closer to the truth. Our religion, personality, culture are inputs to the way we see the world. Besides, sometimes history can be abused or people’s perspectives can be biased and this can have an impact on getting to know what truly happened.
Tok journal by Nour. M