gre issue写作优秀实例：探索历史

　　题目：

　　When we concern ourselves with the study of history, we become storytellers.Because we can never know the past directly but must construct it by interpreting evidence, exploring history is more of a creative enterprise than it is an objective pursuit. All historians are storytellers.

　　当我们通过研究历史来考虑自身问题的时候，我们就会变成说故事的人。因为我们不可能直接了解过去，只有通过解释一些史料来构造历史，所以探索历史更多是一件创造性的事业而不是客观的追寻。所有的历史学家都是讲故事的人。

　　正文：

　　I wholly agree that the work of studying and exploring history is more of a creative undertaking¹ than an objective pursuit, although some historical affairs can objectively and factually reflect the original situations, which can be well proved. As a result, all historians can not escape the fact that they will inevitably² regarded as storytellers more or less.

　　First and foremost, the materials constituting of the history books and records are somewhat creations contrived³ by the past historians and collected, compiled and possible distorted by contemporary historians. Some of the materials originated from the folklores or anecdotes⁴, which were passed by generations to generations. True as they might be at first, they are gradually modified, embellished⁵ and even misinterpreted. This is why all history books always present us the dominating merits concerning some heroes and personalities⁶ and without any words about their shortcomings, one can not go very far to see that some heroic and historical stories are overstated and even wholly falsified; Other materials of history books completely come from the imagination and creation of present-day historians since some valuable and relevant historical materials already disappeared, so it is impossible for historians to reappear some factual history events to today's people, the only means they can employ is to induce and infer them according to those proved fragmentary facts before or after those events.

　　In addition, no all historians are equipped with abundant knowledge, which includes not only history knowledge but also artistic⁷, linguistic⁸ and archaeological knowledge as well, and no all of them are equipped with rich experience about reorganize the history facts. As known to all, to research and explore history needs deep understanding concerning people's artworks, literatures, customs, mores⁹, beliefs, languages in past time, and sometimes needs necessary archaeological knowledge as well to study the artifacts they unearthed¹⁰, which can give some information to study and prove the authenticity¹² of some history events. Experience is of the tantamount importance.When meeting with a new-discovering history materials and artifacts, seasoned and sophisticated historians can at once judge whether they are authentic¹¹ or man-made falsehoods, and evaluate their internal value for studying history at first glance.Ironically, many historians lacking of foregoing knowledge and experience are also engaging in studying history, which are responsible for the fact that their work is regarded as only subjective¹³ and even storytelling one.

　　Moreover, historians are inevitably affected¹⁴ by the exterior¹⁵ conditions, their perspectives and opinions have to be subjected to the time and the authority. For one thing, historians only existed in a relatively¹⁶ short span in long historical river, limited by the time and the degree of civilization of their countries, unavoidably, some of their perspectives and ideas turned out to be fallacious and fatuous¹⁷ if inspected by today's criterion. For another, historians also were impacted by the political situations. When making historical records, seldom had historians the courage to disobey the will and power of the potentate¹⁸, therefore some stories in historical records often involved in such contents as exalting¹⁹ the efficiency of the policies the politicians made, and portraying²⁰ the savvy²¹ and sagacity of the authorities, while those objective fact, if violating the authorities’ interest, can rarely be seen, Based on the above two aspects,we can safely draw a conclusion that historians are storytellers to some extent.

　　In summary, admittedly some history stories can truly reflect the events to some extent. Nevertheless, historians, no matter in past and today, are in a sense defined as storytellers for the reliability²² of materials they choose and create, for the limit of knowledge, experience, time and outside political environment.

 

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