Question

Many of our stories are ages old, how do you think can we connect with the experiences of our ancient? Explain your answers

Answer 1

Answer:

History matters because it helps us as individuals and as societies to understand why our societies are the way they are and what they value. As Professor Penelope J Corfield says:

"Why on earth does it matter what happened long ago? The answer is that History is inescapable. It studies the past and the legacies of the past in the present. Far from being a 'dead' subject, it connects things through time and encourages its students to take a long view of such connections.

All people and peoples are living histories. To take a few obvious examples: communities speak languages that are inherited from the past. They live in societies with complex cultures, traditions and religions that have not been created on the spur of the moment. People use technologies that they have not themselves invented. … So understanding the linkages between past and present is absolutely basic for a good understanding of the condition of being human. That, in a nutshell, is why History matters. It is not just 'useful', it is essential."

Of course, it is easier to connect with your past if you come from a long-established, wealthy and powerful family as Churchill did. We can see that from an early age he was using notebooks to study and record the history of his family, particularly the military triumphs which really established the family’s prestige and influence.