Howard
Zinn: The Historian Who Changed the History
(BY: Iiz Lailatus Saidah)
INTRODUCTION
This critical review intended to
respond Howard Zinn’s article entitled “Speaking Truth to Power with Books”.
Howard Zinn was an American Historian. Zinn was born in New York, August 22, 1922. His
parents were Jewish immigrants. On January 20, 2010 he died because of a heart attack
were attacked while swimming. He leaved a wife and a big name from a legendary book that he wrote; it is
“A People's History of the United States”. Bitterness experience when a
war that caused it to write a history of the phenomenal work, Zinn
wrote the article from the point of view that losers.
In the
Zinn article describe
some important points, among
others, that he
was persuaded by the
importance of
the book, not only from the
readings, but
directly from his
own experience.
Howard Zinn states in
his article
that the truth through
the book
is something that could change
the consciousness
of people, and can change
the world.
Well,
when talking about
a book can change the world, we can connected a book with history.
Connected with Zinn’s book A people history. Zinn
has different perspective about Columbus. Zinn statement that Columbus was a
killer not a hero, Columbus did not discover America at all, that a wrong story
not a true story. History often hidden the
truth, Ziin was changed the history of Columbus.
SUMMARY
Howard Zinn, was an American Historian. In his
article entitled “Speaking Truth to Power with Books” told about book have a
powerful effect for the reader. Actually, he did not have a
book, and his parents also did not have a single book in the house, but when he
was 14 years old, he found the on the street. And then his parent knew that he
was interested in books even though they did not have any books. Dickens is one
of the books he read, the book has a powerful effect on his thinking. When an
author wrote his book it must be suitable with the facts, do not just write
from the author experience, but it must be appropriate with the facts and the
reality. Why, because the text in the book will provide information to others,
and when the information was wrong then the people who read it would be wrong
in this information especially in history.
From his experience many people
said that a book can changed a person's life, can changed the mindset of
people. If the book changed someone's life by changing one's consciousness, it
will have an effect on the world, in one way or another, sooner or later. Like
Ziin experience, when Zinn published his book entitled "A People’s History
of the United States” which told the
story of " Christopher Columbus
", the Native Americans were not agree with Zinn opinion in his book.
In that article
told that he got some “complains” from many people in this world because his book
entitled A People’s History of the United States.
Zinn tried to reveal the truth of history, as if he
knows for sure what
really happened. American people did not receive with Zinn’s statement. Those who grew up in the United States learned that Columbus was
a great inventor, Columbus was a hero, Columbus great discoverer, Columbus the
pious Bible reader. To read about Columbus as a murderer, a torturer, a
kidnapper, a mutilator of natives people, a hypocritical, a greedy man looking
for gold, willing to kill people and mutilate people they was shocking, surprised and did not
receive it.
There is still another way in which
the book and wrote a very influential, through literature absurdity. In
addition there are other ways in which a book can have a powerful effect. Very
often, people believe that they know something when they really do not know
anything. He is Inspirational
writer and activist
who firmly. Zinn writings were able to explore
the unwritten history his written was amazing; able to influence the reader and
changed the life readers. Howard Zinn proven "effective" to give
effect to startle the reader, change someone's life through writing is a miracle
that should get an appreciation for the glorious creations.
MAIN
BODY (CRITIQUE)
Here I would criticize Howard
Zinn’s article
entitled "Speaking Trurth to
Power with
Books" from the
book "Anthropology
off the
self". In his article,
Zinn argues that speaking
the truth to power through
the books. Zinn said in his
experience that
a book can
change a person's life
and can
change a person's
mindset.
Book is
a storehouse of
knowledge books can also add
insight and knowledge.
Many people said that the
book was a
window of the world. That's
right, the book
is a window
of the world,
by opening the
book it means that
we open
the windows of the
world. We
could look
a something new or different views
of what is in
our homes. The
definition of
home is our
thoughts at this time.
Some people said that by
reading a
book means we
open horizon.
In addition the
book also
as a storehouse of
knowledge, the kinds of
information we
can get through the
book.
Connected with Howard
Zinn written in a
book entitled A People's History of the United States the purpose is for the world to
know the truth about
who is Christopher Columbus, and then to dismantle the American lie about Columbus. Howard
Zinn has a way of presenting these facts to his readers in a way that shocks, but the beauty of his writing is in
the fact, he writes what he does because it needs to be said. His writing on
Columbus is particularly shocking.
Zinn was a legend for young radicals. There
was thing that is less from the Zinn’s
article. First, he forgot to write down who the actual
inventor of Americans, according
to Wikipedia there was another man who found America was Khaskhas Ibn Sa’ied
Ibn Aswad. Khaskhas was a explorer muslim from Cordova, Spanyol.
Second, he is also not write down
some references of the book which he take. There are so
many hard facts that he should give
a note where he
got it. Zinn's just say at the end of
his book that he
told all based on the experience of teaching and
of the books which
he lists at the end of the page. Perhaps
this is what makes it not been seriously
considered in academic circles.
Third, in his
article this time Howard Zinn has not given a clear instrument on this subject.
Because the only explanation he mentions that Christopher Columbus was a
murderer, torturer, kidnapper, mutilator, a hypocrite, a man greedy gold
seekers, willing to kill humans and mutilating people . Without gave a concrete
example suppose that by inserting like, “what has been done by Columbus?",
Or "why Columbus become a killer and greedy?”. Or with a little explaining
about Christopher Columbus called America ' The New World ' when they first set
foot on the continent on October 21, 1492. Actually, the fact was a series of historians found that
Muslim explorers have set foot and spread Islam on the continent more than half
a millennium before Columbus.
CONCLUSION
There
are two basic points that can be concluded from Zinn’s article. Through Howard Zinn,
I was aware that
the books and history is something
that cannot be separated. Without history we
cannot enjoy this world. The history
collected by the slick
and makes people know
that before they
were born in this
world there is something going on.
So, the historians who write about the
history should write
to the real facts.
Zinn’s ultimate goal was to influence new generation of young students into
becoming revolutionaries.
The historical
facts are deliberately hidden from public knowledge. Historical fact will
be obvious if the truth should be
raised, so that all truth is
revealed clearly. History often hidden
the truth, so when talking
about the truth in the
history was complicated. Many
people who argue about different
historical perspectives. So the original story of the history was
drowned out by the histories that have been engineered.
REFERENCES
Howard
Zinn. Antropolgy off the Shelf: Speaking Truth to Power with Books. Desember
2005
(http://islamicthinking.tumblr.com/post/6455587444/your-amazing-islamic-scholars-their-discoveries).
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