The Impact of History
History shaped who Melba Beals became. In her autobiography Warriors Don’t Cry, Melba Beals reveals the struggle of her lifetime as a young girl who faced racial discrimination. Her experience with racial discrimination and racial integration eventually helped her to overcome obstacles and changed her perspective on discrimination when she grew older. Because of her experience at Central High School, Beals became a stronger person after a year at Central. Nine courageous black students were forced to integrate into a white school, facing all the challenges and hardships to show themselves equal to other Central High Students. As the book depicts, Beals changed into an independent woman as a result of her time at Central High School. If she had not attended Central High School or if her grandmother had not provided such strong encouragement and support, Beals would have remained a weak person who stayed at her original black school instead of becoming someone who braved shaped history. Towards the end of the book, she stated that she viewed the “Little Rock integration experience as ultimately a positive force that shaped the course of [her] life” (Beals 222). Her experiences led her to become a journalist after graduating from Central High School. She sees her work as a journalist as an extension of that battle at Central High School. Because of her experience at Central High School, the adult Beals finds she can no longer back away from a fight and must champion and advocate for just causes. As an adult, Beals better understands the influenced and impact the historical movement of integration had on her character and on her life and credits her grandmother as the strongest support she received during that difficult time, the support Beals needed to triumph over her horrible experience throughout high school.
Facing different events in my lifetime has also been a prominent factor in defining my identity. Immigrating to the United States from Taiwan has proved to have a large impact on me, as it changed many aspects of my daily life. Forced to acclimate to an entirely different environment, I consider our family's move from Taiwan as one of the major events in my life that affected my socialization. I had lived in Taiwan for almost 11 years in the hometown where my identity formation began. Living under a Taiwanese socialization process, I understand many cultural and social institutions from the education system to food culture to acceptable styles of clothing. In 5th grade, I moved to the Unites States, where I knew little about my completely new environment. Changing my socialization process was difficult, as I had to learn a new language, eat different foods, and dress differently. In 6th grade, as I started my first year at middle school, I felt confused by the different bell school (in elementary school, we had stayed in one classroom with one teacher, while junior high required that we move to different classrooms with different teachers for each period) and was afraid to talk to other students. Because of the language barrier, I did not make many friends in middle school. After two years in the United States, I have finally began to assimilate into American society ad understand social cues. Because the American education, environment, and personalities are different from those in Taiwan, I had to change my socialization, living in America as an American. The United States culture has influenced my personality and the way I think. During the time of my transition, it was hard for me to become accustomed to the environment. If I had not moved to the United States, I would not be who I am today or have the friends I do now. Moving to the United States is the one event that has been the biggest influence on my life and that which will influence my future.
Challenging ourselves to attempt new things and find new experiences can help us discover our interests and passions. During my lifetime, I serendipitously found my interest when I signed up for an event that I had never done before. In the beginning of high school, I participated in a science fair, which led me to further involvement in science. After watching my cousin participate in many science fair competitions, I decided to take on a challenge to compete in a science fair myself. I started to find topics of interest and spent much of my free time conducting research. As I kept reading articles, I found science astonishing. Although I did not win a prize in the science fair, I realized what interests I should pursue. Once I participated in the science fair, I not only discovered my interest, but also worked to improve my speaking skills as I needed to explain my projects to the judges' panel and to other science fair participants. Examining other peoples’ projects, I learned new knowledge as I viewed their experiment results and asked the other contestants to explain their work. Ever since I started participating in science fairs, I have kept exploring scientific topics of interest and decided to find an internship at nearby Stanford University. If I had not participated in these science fairs and laboriously prepared my experiments and exhibits, I would not have discovered my academic interests by now. While I earn my undergraduate degree, I know the pathway I should take. Because of trying new things, competing in the science fair, I finally know what career I should pursue. The initial science fair event influenced me to become a more mature person as I keep progressing on the pathway to future career.
Technological progress is a major factor that has shaped the course of history, creating who we are as a modern society. The evolution of technology continues as an ever increasingly rapid pace; it has brought us the transition from traditional industry to the digital age. Technology, since its inception, has drastically affected all aspects of our daily life, from education to transportation, from communication to common conveniences. The Information Age or Digital Age is a period of human history that brings us to a new industrial revolution. In today’s society, the information industry allows us to make smart decisions and increases the convenience with which we achieve our daily tasks, altering our daily lives in so distinct a way as to influence our identities. In the late 1970s, computers were first introduced to the world; in the early 1990s, internet became available. As time progressed, the proliferation of technological devices - such as smart phones, laptops, digital pads, etc. - increased and their usage became a common daily occurrence. In this digital world, many institutions, from capitalistic ones such as multinational corporations to nonprofit ones such as non-governmental organizations, use technology. When technology and education combine, the results give us a better society that enables us to change the course of humankind for the better. Bringing fast evolution of technology to daily life, the Information Age has allowed fast global communications and networking to shape modern society.
Ushering society into a new digital age, technology not only has an impact on modern world, but also has a strong influence on me as well. I was born into the start of the rapid evolution of computer technology and the internet. From a young age, I used computers, which were prevalent in my early life. Whether I am in school or at home, I see computers everywhere. As I grew older, smart phones became increasingly prevalent in society. Because of these digital devices, I can communicate with whomever I want easily and instantly via a wide variety of media platforms. Nowadays, education has been integrated and made compatible with technology; using laptops and internet are a requirement o my education. Access to the internet has helped me to gain new knowledge in an instant, without searching and finding information from books. Compared to an education without the aid of technology, a modern education is superior in that it enables students to gain access to unlimited resources. It has been easier for me to improve my writing skills through an education compatible with the internet and use of technology. Technology has been a major tool in my daily life, allowing me to keep in contact with people over long and short distances. Living in the new industrial world, I can travel and explore different environments via the internet without ever leaving my home. Today, I find it inconceivable to live without digital technology; while it has become a daily routine to text and socialize on internet, in the future, society will keep evolving with technology. Information and digital technology has been a strong social factor that impacts me who I am today.
Medical advances have undoubtedly been the greatest social factor that maintains the stabilization of modern society. Without medication or health care, our society would be plagued by alarming rates of disease and death. Since the ancient world, medicine has been used and discovered in many countries. As science and technology developed, the practice of medicine became less susceptible to superstitions and more reliant upon actual medicinal properties of natural substances. In the 19th Century, more researchers discovered drugs and antibiotics. Because of medicine, many one fatal diseases became treatable, and vaccines and inoculations were administered to prevent sickness. Before modern medicine, many people suffered from common maladies that are easily prevented today. During the 20th century, medics and mobile hospital units were developed, which advanced techniques for healing injuries and infections on the battlefield. During WWII, the chances of recovery for a wounded person were 25 times better than in the First World War. Since most injured persons received treatment within hours of wounding, due to the “increased mobility of field hospitals and the extensive use of aeroplanes as ambulances” (Harrison), the survival rate was much higher than it was for soldiers and civilians in WWI. As technology developed, however, wars also became more devastating, causing mass injuries, which required new surgical and medical techniques. Care for sickness had been revolutionized by medical technologies as well. More people survived battles because of the discovery of immunization after WWII. Today, even though we do not have the cure for cancer, many cancer patients survive longer with improved care and treatment. The rate of deaths has decreased and the more people who survive, the more people influence their society to raise awareness to the issue and help find a cure.
The evolution of medication is one of the major social factors that has an impact on everyone as well as me. Since the day I was born, I have taken medicine, been vaccinated against many diseases, and received preventative health care to become who I am today. Due to the effects of the vaccines, I am a healthy person who does not need to suffer from common diseases; without access to modern health care, I would have suffered from various diseases, and I would not be here as who I am today. Because of the illnesses society had encountered in earlier days, people had to discover new medicines from which current society benefits. I can be less worried about contracting a common illness, such as flu, and if I do, I do not have to worry that it will be fatal. Whenever I am sick, I take medicine to quickly aid my body's recovery. Taking health supplements has helped me to build my immunity, which can prevent my contracting sickness or infections. More new medical technologies will be invented, helping more people, as well as me, in the future. With the identity I have, I live as a healthy person, to which medicine and health care have been largely contributing social factors.
All in all, my identity, who I am today, has been shaped by several historical and social factors, as well as by the events or obstacles I have encountered in my lifetime. Melba Beals helps us to see that history can affect us, shaping our thinking, personality and identity. As I continue to live my life, I will bear witness to the history that will be made as well as face more obstacles that can impact my identity development. My identity will be changing over time as these historical events influence society and social progress, and the longer I live, the more impact these events will have. As time never stops advancing, history never stops accruing, all the while changing our society and directing us down the pathway to our future lives.
Work Cited:
Beals, Melba. “Warriors Don’t Cry”, Simon Pulse, 1994, Dec. 2013.
Chen, Dazhao. "The "Decline" of U.S. Economy: A Historical Comparison." _China Institute of International Studies. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013.
"How the Civil War Changed Modern Medicine -- 2." DNews. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013.
Taylor, Jim. "How Technology Is Changing the Way Children Think and Focus." Psychology Today. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2013.
your history presentation is private!! can you unlock it?
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