SnitchSeeker.com - View Single Post

emjay · 06-09-2015, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Expecto-Penguin

He saw what he had and he was gonna go with it. Kace raised his hand and began to start the discussion, "Professor I think history means to me is a way of unraveling the past. It sometimes answers our burning questions we have like the Wizarding War that happened here at Hogwarts. I also think it means a way of getting answers to the unknown and documenting facts. For the definition aspect, it means like documenting events that happened and retelling stories others have seen."

Okay, Kace had some insightful thoughts. Nessa nodded at him. "Good. At it's most basic, history is documenting events and retelling stories. Sometimes it can provide us answers to questions if we look deep enough."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sararara

"History is like stories," she began simply when she was called on. "They're stories about stuff that has happened according do whoever's telling 'em, and any story about the past is history. I guess it probably has to be a true story, but sometimes people may make a mistake or exaggerate or something, because I think a lot of history is spread around by people telling it, or writing it I guess. Just like you tell us about history, and my mum tells me about the history of when she was 'my' age, and that was aaaaages ago. That's history too." She made a wrinkly face as she put her hand down, 'cause those kinds of mum stories were never any fun. They were usually all about how Norah was doing something wrong, and who liked to hear about that? Not her, that's who.

"Yes, sometimes there is that risk that stories may not be quite as accurate as they should," Nessa nodded as Norah provided her answer. "That is one way that history is conveyed - stories passed down from one person to the next, and so on.. sometimes things could get added or left out." That tended to happen more often in family histories than in major historical events.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Holmesian Feline

Soon enough class was beginning anyway and the Gryffindor was doing his best to pay attention to the professor rather than anything else. Huh? Cloth....what cloth? Oh....that cloth. Yep, he had definitely been distracted and missed that. As for the question, it seemed his voice was still lost so he was going to be simply listening...for now anyway.

Nessa eyes landed on Benjamin a moment. He was sometimes quiet in her class, but given his demeanor since he walked in, she was a bit concerned. Perhaps she didn't need to be but she made a mental note to keep an eye on him in class today.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilverTiger

Raising her hand slowly, she spoke softly. “History is what the winners say happened before them. Stories, legends…” Her answer trailed off as she slipped her hand under her hair to scratch at the back of her neck. She really couldn’t focus. It was all too annoying. Spiders, or whatever Cutty had said back when they’d been under the influence of fear potion. It was all stupid, and she didn’t like feeling icky.

Nessa gave Brooklyn a rather concerning look. She really didn't look well at all. "Yes, dear.. history is typically thought of as past stories.. Are you feeling alright? Do you need to see the healer?" Nessa certainly wouldn't object for her to go there now if that was what she needed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meizzner

Dante was here. Not like he would miss it or anything. He liked Professor Glendower. And he was interested in the table cloth or whatever it was for like a moment. Then he lost interest. He only looked at it because it might have had food underneath it. He was hungry.

"Like Brooklyn said. History is written by the victors"

Professor Glendower gave Dante a grin and a thumbs-up for his answer. She would have appreciated an expansion on his thoughts, but she wouldn't say he was incorrect.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArianaBlack

And cue the vague introduction question. Ah, Glendower didn't disappoint. It was always the same with the Professors here. Zander was starting to recognize the pattern. And you know what history meant to Zander? Absolutely nothing because it was a pretty boring subject. Except for he couldn't say that out loud because a) Professor Glendower is AWESOME b) the whole 'second chance' with the badge thing c) he actually did well on this OWL so there were expectations and d) wait, what was the question again? "History is all about knowing mistakes from the past, so you don't make 'em again in the future." Yeah, he could contribute too.

"That is one way to look at it.." Nessa agreed with a smile and a nod, "And I'd daresay that many experts would agree with that sentiment. Such as the saying goes - those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hera

Hand up, Zeke figured now might be his only opportunity to participate. "History is the study of events that occurred in the past, the people who lived in the past, the way things were in the past and how it has led to how we are today. We can do this by looking at evidence from the time like artefacts and written things which are primary sources. But more often the history we learn is the one that is considered to be most significant, but it doesn't mean that we get a true impression of a time. And to add to that, the perspectives that we're taught may be biased through what the government wants us to learn or biased because of your own personal preference or perspective to a time that we learn. If people don't like Goblins, then they're less likely to teach to Goblin's perspectives of the issues that led to the Goblin Rebellions." Yeah, yeah.... how do you like them apples?!

Nessa wasn't sure she remembered Zeke ever talking this much on one of the discussion questions, and she rather appreciated his thoughts especially as it was rather relevant to the points that she wanted to make today, and often made in her classes. "Good.. history can be thought of as events and stories from the past, most importantly how they have shaped our lives today." That was the first good point and she smiled as he continued. "You are right.. often the stories we are taught are biased based on who is telling the story. And that is one reason I often have the class acting things out. I want you to try to understand a perspective you might not have initially thought about." Of course that wasn't the only reason for that approach, but she thought it helped.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpiritWolfe Malfoy

And so the class began. With a maybe easy question depending on how one looked at it. All her fellow classmates seemed to be giving roughly the same answers so what Hady raised her hand it was slowly. "History is everything and anything from yesterday and before. All the good and the bad some worth remembering and some not. It's a ton of events brought about by others choices as well as our own and how the events played out." Everything eventually turned into the past. It was just the simple matter of what was important enough to be remembered and what wasn't.

Nessa listened next to what Hady had to offer. "Yes, at it's most general sense, history is comprised of events of the past, what incited them and how they turned out." It seemed that they had a pretty good handle on the general term of history, but what she wanted now was more of an expansion for a discussion.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jessiqua

Ooh different! Zhenya liked things being changed. She still wondered what was on the table. But they wouldn't be finding out for a little while, so she would have to do a bit more waiting. So they were starting generally. That was good, general, then work it down to something more specific. Zhenya had a think about what she was asking them. What did History mean to her? Well... that was a hard question, history was just history. Now she had a big think about what history meant specifically to her. Hmm... She raised her hand, "Professor history is a lot of the past, remembering what has happened in the past. Whether it's remembering the facts of what happened, giving credit to those who deserve it, for example a witch who invented a spell or something. It's also important to remember what happened in the past, either to remember people and their sacrifices, or to remember the horrors so it doesn't happen again, like the first and second Wizarding War."

Still more of a general answer, though Nessa would note that Zhenya had expanded a bit more, she nodded as the girl spoke. “Alright, good.. it is important to remember significant events of the past and notable people, perhaps teaching us something beneficial..” They were still mostly just scratching the surface though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DinosaursOnASpaceship

Hmmm. What is history and what does it mean to me? Hmm. The sixth year didn't know if she should raise her hand or not. It was an open discussion so maybe not. Emmylou looked around. Kace was writing notes before he said something. She jotted down a few notes while listening to everyone. "I don't fully agree with Zander when he said that it is about learning about past mistakes." Emmylou paused. "I mean, it is about learning past mistakes but it can also be a window to the past in a different way. In the past life was different and there were different ways people did magic. For example, history in the muggle world can be about how their technology had advanced." Emmylou wasn't sure she was really getting anywhere with what she was saying. Thinking about something and understanding it was different than thinking about something and trying to explain it to someone. Emmylou was going to answer the second question but she was sure that what she just said answered it.

Oooh, a disagreement. That was alright as Nessa did want a discussion, maybe playing off each other’s thoughts and ideas. She listened for a moment as Emmylou presented her thoughts. Alright, it wasn’t so much a disagreement as it was adding to Zander’s earlier statement, but that was good too. “Oh I think you’re right,” she agreed with a nod. “I think it is both.. learning from past mistakes, but understanding them as well. And not only that, but understanding what life was like in the past, sometimes that gives us answers to why things might have happened the way they did.” They might not always be rational or justifiable answers, but sometimes it made actions more understandable.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Symphora

Henric turned to face the front when the professor started to speak. He thought about the question for a second before raising up his hands to answer,"History to me are events from the past that has been documented and studied for centuries, they are formed by the people and made by the people themselves. Mankind can made history no matter what status they are,whatever happened yesterday can be 'His Story' to tell,"Henric chuckled a little at his own definition. Pun intended.

Okay, they were still in the range of a general definition, but Nessa gave Henric a smile and nod. “Events from the past, yes.. some of them may have been studied for centuries, but maybe others are much more recent than that.” She smiled a bit wider. “Yes, the name history comes from the words 'his story', which, while somewhat an accurate description, is also a misnomer as it is her story as well.”

Quote:

Originally Posted by SlytherinSistah

Professor Glendower started on the right foot, though apparently. It was an immediately interesting question because it was immediately revealing. A way to gain perspective without having to ask any questions himself. He wanted in on the conversation, but first, time to play a little game. A little game called 'validating the Professor's ego by taking a softer field of study and making it seem harder'. The sickly 6th year put his hand up. "History could be thought of as sort of a portal. A look through time to gain a sense of relativity. Not joost a record of events, booht a record of motion and a way to gauge where we're at in time and space and possibly where we're going. Additionally, it also gives insight into the minds of the people who lived at the time and who were reporting historical events. Looking at Queen Margaret, fer example, she went to extreme lengths to get her son to be king of England and that looks a bit strange when you consider our modern perspective. We've had many queens, booht at the time she couldn't have done it and was hated for her power." And rumours. Oh the rumours they spread about her. Which was the part Cutty enjoyed most about the subject. It was like an almost never ending gossip rag.

"I guess history is mostly conveyed through the written wehrd, if that's what yer mean, Professor. Although, if yer mean how is it presented, then I'd have to say that unfortunately alorra the times it's joost alorra names and dates." The part about other people threw him.

Nessa half wondered if something was going around as Cutty didn't look all that well today either. But he was present for class so it must not be that bad, and if he needed to leave to see the Healer, that'd be alright too. She listened to his answer, glad that he expanded on the more general thoughts that many of his classmates had presented. "Good.. not only is it a record of past events, but we can also begin to understand them if we know why. And knowing another's perspective can help us do that." That really meant looking below the surface though, but if people really considered the stories beyond basic facts, it did give such amazing insight. "There are really so many fascinating stories." Like that one. She couldn't understand why some people thought that history was boring. "Yes, that is what I mean.. thank you, Cutty. Much of history is presented through the written word, primarily books.. though word of mouth is often used as well." Not as accurate though as things were forgotten and stories changed as they were retold.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhoenixStar

History though. "Before you I always thought history was super boring. It's just a bunch of dead dudes... what's the point?" It was true. "But now I see that we can learn a lot from history. Some of those old dudes and dudettes made our world a better place." The professor made learning the boring stuff fun and AJ actually learned more.

That answer kind of made Nessa smile. She was glad that Aubrey was able to learn from her lessons, hopefully having fun at the same time. She really hoped that for all her students. "There is a lot to learn," she agreed with a nod. "And their stories really can be quite interesting." But sometimes it was in the way that it was presented.

Quote:

Originally Posted by feeheeheeny

At the professor's question, Sophie considered her classmates' answers. It was a very broad, open-ended question, which she appreciated. She liked being able to improvise a bit and add fluff to her response. With a raised hand, Soph went ahead to offer up to the discussion, "History is important 'cause it's brought us to where we are today, and kinda like Zander said, it's important to know about what's happened in the past to understand not just where we are today but how to improve for our future, too. History means to me... well, m'super appreciative of our history, 'cause if it weren't for the people of the past and the things that happened... we wouldn't have these desks we're sitting at and spells and potions and stuff wouldn't have been invented. Like, there's a certain order to the world - we're nothing without history and understanding the past, 'cause that's necessary for any growth moving forward." She'd rambled a bit there and repeated herself, but she... wasn't entirely herself today. Her brain was a bit muddy and her thought processes were jumbled, so that explanation would've had to suffice.

Alright, Sophie had a slightly different perspective on why history was important and Nessa rather approved of her thoughts, rewarding her with a wide smile. "That is a very good point, Sophie.. There tends to be a nice evolution to things of the past through today, one event affecting another, things that couldn't happen without something else happening first. Things that we often take for granted may not be here today without previous events leading up to them."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassirin

But that was just one part of the question, so Dot focused on the parts that wouldn't offend the professor. "Professor! Lots of people just get their history out of books, which isn't bad, probably, but it's awful biased based on who does the writing. Like a wizard is gonna think that the contributions of wizards and the people he supports did things right and Muggles or witches or people not like him were wrong. So you have to look at history from a closer source to the real story. Like newspapers. Or people who were really there, but lots of them."

Nessa turned her eyes to Dot next and she nodded at her answer. "Very good, Dot.. You can't always just take the word of one person and consider it fact because it can be biased, especially something that might have more than one point of view. Even if someone tries their best to be as unbiased as possible, sometimes their views have a way of creeping into their writing." Things that were very fact based like names or dates were usually a safe bet, but other things were often about perspective. And she had presented good ways of trying to get around that bias for the most accurate story.

Quote:

Originally Posted by laurange

And then there was a small lull in the discussion and Brian figured that he probably had to answer before he was called out on daydreaming during the lesson. Swallowing a sigh, he raised his hand. "History is anything that happened two minutes ago, on back until the dawn of time. Some of it, people think important. That we can probably learn lessons from it but I think we discount people's personal histories a lot. Those might be less famous, but they're still important." Oh. That was a lot more than the Hufflepuff had meant to say. Blinking a bit at his own wordiness, he returned to ~~doodling~~ taking notes in his notebook. That was weird. He normally didn't even have such complex thoughts.

Nessa looked around a moment to see if there were any more thoughts on the discussion,soon seeing Brian with his hand raised and she called on him next. He had similar thoughts to many of his peers, mostly commenting on the general definition of history with something else noteworthy. "You're right.. even if someone's personal account of history may not consist of major events in time, it is still very important. In fact, we are going to be expanding on this very thought shortly!" She loved it when students' answers provided her a natural segue to her plans for the lesson.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19

"History is the study of past events. Honestly, history doesn't mean much to me because I always found it boring even though it's important.'' Sorry, Professor. Though History of Magic with the bubbly woman wasn't boring AT ALL because she had such fun classes. "History can be conveyed to others through textbooks.'' There! Simple and short answers because he wasn't much in the mood to do thinking. Right now he wanted to cast Cantis on Benny.

Oh.. Adi thought history was boring? Even though she tried to show the how fun and interesting it could be? Although slightly disappointed, Nessa did her best to remain professional and keep an impassive expression. "Okay.. at it's most basic sense history is the study of past events, but it really is filled with fascinating stories." But she guessed she failed to convey that. She'd have to try harder. "Textbooks.. but other ways too.."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Squishy

After a few moments, Lux raised her hand. "I think history is events from the past that are recorded so that future generations can know about them and possibly learn from mistakes others have made. History can also help someone know more about themselves in a way...because it gives an idea of where they came from." Did that make any sense? Or was it only logical in her head? "Oh, and like Brooklyn said: it's the winners who make history." That was about it.

Nessa nodded at Lux's answer. She basically said what others had, though in her own words, so she didn't have a whole lot more to add. She wasn't incorrect though, but Nessa did have a comment on her last bit. "Possibly.. though I think the person who originally said that was making a comment on what makes things memorable. Everyone contributes to history, no matter what is perceived as significant."

Quote:

Originally Posted by natekka

These were all out of class things, however, so she tried to focus back on the lesson. What did history mean to her? Being the avid reader she was, her mind jumped straight to definitions and literal senses of the word. She stuck her hand in the air. "History, by definition, means 'the study of past events', especially in connection to people and humanity. It's often seen in the form of life lessons - learning from the mistakes of the past and building upon what we've learnt." She could go on, but she wouldn't.

Nessa called on Clara next, hoping that she would be able to expand more on the general thoughts of the collective. "I think life lessons are a good way to put it.. or at least one aspect of history," she nodded. But she did like that interpretation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Govoni

"History is often falsified....over time." Perspective was a very curious thing. If you controlled the publication of books and the writing, you could make the events twist and turn into whatever you wanted them to be. Dot had the right idea about that.

Nessa paused a moment, waiting for the prefect to expand a little further on his comment. When it seemed that he wasn't going to say anything else, she gave him an encouraging smile. "It certainly can be.. not necessarily deliberately, but, as we said, stories can be written with a biased voice or things could be forgotten or exaggerated as they are handed down through word of mouth. These things can all affect accuracy."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Felixir

"I guess this is kinda what Zander said," he began, his expression making it clear that he didn't even mind that he was going to repeat the same point. It felt important for him to say it, acknowledge it out loud for the first time. Also, he wanted to say it with the positive twist. "But sometimes you gotta look back, see what went wrong or right, and that's the best way of knowing how to keep moving forward, and how to keep making things better. I used to think that the only way of moving forward was to only look forward, not dwell on the past, not ever. So I never ever did that. But sometimes you have to look back to know how to move forward. Or to understand what's happening in the here and the now. Whether in general history or, like, personal history, y'know? And I think it's easiest to look back at history when you're looking back at good things."

Nessa turned her attention to Toby as he began, hoping that he didn't simply repeat what one of his classmates had said. And he had a pretty good take on it himself. "It is best to keep learning from past events, whether we look at them as mistakes or even as what to keep doing correctly." History wasn't all about learning what not to do. "Yes, I think you're right.. It's important to know and understand not only our own personal history but the history of our people as well in order to best grow and evolve." And they were actually going to be spending more time on personal history today.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RandomRaven

What is history? Jackson raised his hand and gave an opinion. "History is.. something that already happened in the past and somehow it can affect the current and/or future activity. So... That's why history cannot be separated from our life."

Alright.. Nessa nodded at Jackson's answer. Though it was rather general in thought, she did appreciate the personal view on it. "You're right, history is quite ingrained in each of us, what has happened before us and will continue to affect us."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harry174

Angel smiled at the Professor. "I'm awesome Professor." Angel was glad the Professor was okay, she then listened to what the Professor was saying about History. "Professor, isn't that where someone says to you when you destroy their favourite thing, Your History?" Angel had been told some people said that to others.

Hmm? It took Nessa a minute to understand what Angel meant, but once it clicked, she chuckled a bit. "Well, when used like that, it isn't a very nice thing to tell someone.. not really the focus of our lesson today." She hoped that Angel was now paying attention or could borrow someone's notes, or else she'd be very lost.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mordred

It didn’t take long for the first question to be asked, and the answers went inside one ear, and out the other. As the words filled his head for a few seconds, the gist of their answers was written down on his notebook. Hmm. Hmm. History? Ethan raised his hand and waited for his turn to answer. “History to me is much like a professor. It teaches you things, good and bad, based from one’s experience. History is…a form of learning I suppose.”

"That is a good way to look at it," Nessa smiled at Ethan for his answer. She did enjoy each person's unique thoughts about the subject. "It does do us well to learn from it, both good and bad.."

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhoenixRising

Raising her hand at last, Tia blinked once and gave a soft smile, "History is conveyed much like we do in our lessons. Through stories and drama. Sometimes even through artwork. There's really unlimited possibilities for how one can get across the messages taught in history."

"I very much agree," Nessa smiled widely at TiaMarie. "History is full of fascinating stories and, if presented in certain ways, can be so engaging and interesting." People who thought history was boring must be looking at it the wrong way in her opinion. And yes, artwork.. perhaps the Ravenclaw would enjoy the activity to come.

It seemed that everyone who wanted to comment was going to and she didn't feel the need to hear any more generalizations. There was only so much one could say as a definition, even with each student's own personal take. "Many good thoughts on history, everyone!" She wasn't going to write anything on the board this time, so she hoped they either took notes on what they felt were important points or retained it in their memory well, but she would recap a little for them.

"So, basically, history is generally thought of as the documentation and study of past events. It comes from the words 'his story', though it is her story as well. It's the story of all of us and everyone before us. Often what we study in History is thought of as important and significant events - things that have impacted our lives in some way, for the better or worse. But history is more than that. Everyone's story is important, but it depends greatly on the perspective. Another person's story may not have had significant impact on the general populous, so it may not be studied... but that does not mean it is not important.. We are meant to learn from history - from major events to smaller moments in our own lives, to help us to grow and evolve.

"Something else to remember is the perspective from which history is told. No matter how unbiased a person can try to be, we are all still people and none of us is perfect. Sometimes what are thought of as facts can be clouded a little by one's opinions. It's important to try to understand that perspective, one of the reasons why we do some of the activities in this class. Through placing yourself in the shoes of a person from history, I am also asking you to consider their perspective and understand their motives." Did some of them remember several years ago when they acted out the Ilfracombe Incident? Some of the homework she had gotten that considered the dragon's perspective was rather insightful.

"I ask you to keep these things in mind today as we delve into our own personal history." They all had their own stories to tell no matter how significant or not they thought they were. "But before we do that, I'd like to talk a little bit about the ways that history is conveyed. Textbooks were mentioned, which is probably the first thing that comes to mind especially as we are in History class. Word of mouth or passing down legends is another way, though much less reliable. But one of my favorite methods for conveying History, though a historical artifact in itself is the Illuminated Manuscript..

"Before we go on any further, does anyone know anything about Illuminated Manuscripts? Please offer what you might already know - including educated guesses about what they might be or what their purposes were.." Though she did enjoy creativity in answers, she did want them to be plausible.

06-09-2015, 08:08 PM	#53 (permalink)
emjay DMAC & DERP Pygmy Puff Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: working Posts: 18,082 Hogwarts RPG Name: Phoenix Marchbanks Ravenclaw Fourth Year Hogwarts RPG Name: Wiley Whittebrook Hufflepuff Second Year x12 x5	Unforgivably Cursed \| adultescent Quote: Originally Posted by Expecto-Penguin He saw what he had and he was gonna go with it. Kace raised his hand and began to start the discussion, "Professor I think history means to me is a way of unraveling the past. It sometimes answers our burning questions we have like the Wizarding War that happened here at Hogwarts. I also think it means a way of getting answers to the unknown and documenting facts. For the definition aspect, it means like documenting events that happened and retelling stories others have seen." Okay, Kace had some insightful thoughts. Nessa nodded at him. "Good. At it's most basic, history is documenting events and retelling stories. Sometimes it can provide us answers to questions if we look deep enough." Quote: Originally Posted by Sararara "History is like stories," she began simply when she was called on. "They're stories about stuff that has happened according do whoever's telling 'em, and any story about the past is history. I guess it probably has to be a true story, but sometimes people may make a mistake or exaggerate or something, because I think a lot of history is spread around by people telling it, or writing it I guess. Just like you tell us about history, and my mum tells me about the history of when she was 'my' age, and that was aaaaages ago. That's history too." She made a wrinkly face as she put her hand down, 'cause those kinds of mum stories were never any fun. They were usually all about how Norah was doing something wrong, and who liked to hear about that? Not her, that's who. "Yes, sometimes there is that risk that stories may not be quite as accurate as they should," Nessa nodded as Norah provided her answer. "That is one way that history is conveyed - stories passed down from one person to the next, and so on.. sometimes things could get added or left out." That tended to happen more often in family histories than in major historical events. Quote: Originally Posted by Holmesian Feline Soon enough class was beginning anyway and the Gryffindor was doing his best to pay attention to the professor rather than anything else. Huh? Cloth....what cloth? Oh....that cloth. Yep, he had definitely been distracted and missed that. As for the question, it seemed his voice was still lost so he was going to be simply listening...for now anyway. Nessa eyes landed on Benjamin a moment. He was sometimes quiet in her class, but given his demeanor since he walked in, she was a bit concerned. Perhaps she didn't need to be but she made a mental note to keep an eye on him in class today. Quote: Originally Posted by SilverTiger Raising her hand slowly, she spoke softly. “History is what the winners say happened before them. Stories, legends…” Her answer trailed off as she slipped her hand under her hair to scratch at the back of her neck. She really couldn’t focus. It was all too annoying. Spiders, or whatever Cutty had said back when they’d been under the influence of fear potion. It was all stupid, and she didn’t like feeling icky. Nessa gave Brooklyn a rather concerning look. She really didn't look well at all. "Yes, dear.. history is typically thought of as past stories.. Are you feeling alright? Do you need to see the healer?" Nessa certainly wouldn't object for her to go there now if that was what she needed. Quote: Originally Posted by Meizzner Dante was here. Not like he would miss it or anything. He liked Professor Glendower. And he was interested in the table cloth or whatever it was for like a moment. Then he lost interest. He only looked at it because it might have had food underneath it. He was hungry. "Like Brooklyn said. History is written by the victors" Professor Glendower gave Dante a grin and a thumbs-up for his answer. She would have appreciated an expansion on his thoughts, but she wouldn't say he was incorrect. Quote: Originally Posted by ArianaBlack And cue the vague introduction question. Ah, Glendower didn't disappoint. It was always the same with the Professors here. Zander was starting to recognize the pattern. And you know what history meant to Zander? Absolutely nothing because it was a pretty boring subject. Except for he couldn't say that out loud because a) Professor Glendower is AWESOME b) the whole 'second chance' with the badge thing c) he actually did well on this OWL so there were expectations and d) wait, what was the question again? "History is all about knowing mistakes from the past, so you don't make 'em again in the future." Yeah, he could contribute too. "That is one way to look at it.." Nessa agreed with a smile and a nod, "And I'd daresay that many experts would agree with that sentiment. Such as the saying goes - those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." Quote: Originally Posted by Hera Hand up, Zeke figured now might be his only opportunity to participate. "History is the study of events that occurred in the past, the people who lived in the past, the way things were in the past and how it has led to how we are today. We can do this by looking at evidence from the time like artefacts and written things which are primary sources. But more often the history we learn is the one that is considered to be most significant, but it doesn't mean that we get a true impression of a time. And to add to that, the perspectives that we're taught may be biased through what the government wants us to learn or biased because of your own personal preference or perspective to a time that we learn. If people don't like Goblins, then they're less likely to teach to Goblin's perspectives of the issues that led to the Goblin Rebellions." Yeah, yeah.... how do you like them apples?! Nessa wasn't sure she remembered Zeke ever talking this much on one of the discussion questions, and she rather appreciated his thoughts especially as it was rather relevant to the points that she wanted to make today, and often made in her classes. "Good.. history can be thought of as events and stories from the past, most importantly how they have shaped our lives today." That was the first good point and she smiled as he continued. "You are right.. often the stories we are taught are biased based on who is telling the story. And that is one reason I often have the class acting things out. I want you to try to understand a perspective you might not have initially thought about." Of course that wasn't the only reason for that approach, but she thought it helped. Quote: Originally Posted by SpiritWolfe Malfoy And so the class began. With a maybe easy question depending on how one looked at it. All her fellow classmates seemed to be giving roughly the same answers so what Hady raised her hand it was slowly. "History is everything and anything from yesterday and before. All the good and the bad some worth remembering and some not. It's a ton of events brought about by others choices as well as our own and how the events played out." Everything eventually turned into the past. It was just the simple matter of what was important enough to be remembered and what wasn't. Nessa listened next to what Hady had to offer. "Yes, at it's most general sense, history is comprised of events of the past, what incited them and how they turned out." It seemed that they had a pretty good handle on the general term of history, but what she wanted now was more of an expansion for a discussion. Quote: Originally Posted by Jessiqua Ooh different! Zhenya liked things being changed. She still wondered what was on the table. But they wouldn't be finding out for a little while, so she would have to do a bit more waiting. So they were starting generally. That was good, general, then work it down to something more specific. Zhenya had a think about what she was asking them. What did History mean to her? Well... that was a hard question, history was just history. Now she had a big think about what history meant specifically to her. Hmm... She raised her hand, "Professor history is a lot of the past, remembering what has happened in the past. Whether it's remembering the facts of what happened, giving credit to those who deserve it, for example a witch who invented a spell or something. It's also important to remember what happened in the past, either to remember people and their sacrifices, or to remember the horrors so it doesn't happen again, like the first and second Wizarding War." Still more of a general answer, though Nessa would note that Zhenya had expanded a bit more, she nodded as the girl spoke. “Alright, good.. it is important to remember significant events of the past and notable people, perhaps teaching us something beneficial..” They were still mostly just scratching the surface though. Quote: Originally Posted by DinosaursOnASpaceship Hmmm. What is history and what does it mean to me? Hmm. The sixth year didn't know if she should raise her hand or not. It was an open discussion so maybe not. Emmylou looked around. Kace was writing notes before he said something. She jotted down a few notes while listening to everyone. "I don't fully agree with Zander when he said that it is about learning about past mistakes." Emmylou paused. "I mean, it is about learning past mistakes but it can also be a window to the past in a different way. In the past life was different and there were different ways people did magic. For example, history in the muggle world can be about how their technology had advanced." Emmylou wasn't sure she was really getting anywhere with what she was saying. Thinking about something and understanding it was different than thinking about something and trying to explain it to someone. Emmylou was going to answer the second question but she was sure that what she just said answered it. Oooh, a disagreement. That was alright as Nessa did want a discussion, maybe playing off each other’s thoughts and ideas. She listened for a moment as Emmylou presented her thoughts. Alright, it wasn’t so much a disagreement as it was adding to Zander’s earlier statement, but that was good too. “Oh I think you’re right,” she agreed with a nod. “I think it is both.. learning from past mistakes, but understanding them as well. And not only that, but understanding what life was like in the past, sometimes that gives us answers to why things might have happened the way they did.” They might not always be rational or justifiable answers, but sometimes it made actions more understandable. Quote: Originally Posted by Symphora Henric turned to face the front when the professor started to speak. He thought about the question for a second before raising up his hands to answer,"History to me are events from the past that has been documented and studied for centuries, they are formed by the people and made by the people themselves. Mankind can made history no matter what status they are,whatever happened yesterday can be 'His Story' to tell,"Henric chuckled a little at his own definition. Pun intended. Okay, they were still in the range of a general definition, but Nessa gave Henric a smile and nod. “Events from the past, yes.. some of them may have been studied for centuries, but maybe others are much more recent than that.” She smiled a bit wider. *“Yes, the name history comes from the words 'his story', which, while somewhat an accurate description, is also a misnomer as it is her* story as well.” Quote: Originally Posted by SlytherinSistah Professor Glendower started on the right foot, though apparently. It was an immediately interesting question because it was immediately revealing. A way to gain perspective without having to ask any questions himself. He wanted in on the conversation, but first, time to play a little game. A little game called 'validating the Professor's ego by taking a softer field of study and making it seem harder'. The sickly 6th year put his hand up. "History could be thought of as sort of a portal. A look through time to gain a sense of relativity. Not joost a record of events, booht a record of motion and a way to gauge where we're at in time and space and possibly where we're going. Additionally, it also gives insight into the minds of the people who lived at the time and who were reporting historical events. Looking at Queen Margaret, fer example, she went to extreme lengths to get her son to be king of England and that looks a bit strange when you consider our modern perspective. We've had many queens, booht at the time she couldn't have done it and was hated for her power." And rumours. Oh the rumours they spread about her. Which was the part Cutty enjoyed most about the subject. It was like an almost never ending gossip rag. "I guess history is mostly conveyed through the written wehrd, if that's what yer mean, Professor. Although, if yer mean how is it presented, then I'd have to say that unfortunately alorra the times it's joost alorra names and dates." The part about other people threw him. Nessa half wondered if something was going around as Cutty didn't look all that well today either. But he was present for class so it must not be that bad, and if he needed to leave to see the Healer, that'd be alright too. She listened to his answer, glad that he expanded on the more general thoughts that many of his classmates had presented. "Good.. not only is it a record of past events, but we can also begin to understand them if we know why. And knowing another's perspective can help us do that." That really meant looking below the surface though, but if people really considered the stories beyond basic facts, it did give such amazing insight. "There are really so many fascinating stories." Like that one. She couldn't understand why some people thought that history was boring. "Yes, that is what I mean.. thank you, Cutty. Much of history is presented through the written word, primarily books.. though word of mouth is often used as well." Not as accurate though as things were forgotten and stories changed as they were retold. Quote: Originally Posted by PhoenixStar History though. "Before you I always thought history was super boring. It's just a bunch of dead dudes... what's the point?" It was true. "But now I see that we can learn a lot from history. Some of those old dudes and dudettes made our world a better place." The professor made learning the boring stuff fun and AJ actually learned more. That answer kind of made Nessa smile. She was glad that Aubrey was able to learn from her lessons, hopefully having fun at the same time. She really hoped that for all her students. "There is a lot to learn," she agreed with a nod. "And their stories really can be quite interesting." But sometimes it was in the way that it was presented. Quote: Originally Posted by feeheeheeny At the professor's question, Sophie considered her classmates' answers. It was a very broad, open-ended question, which she appreciated. She liked being able to improvise a bit and add fluff to her response. With a raised hand, Soph went ahead to offer up to the discussion, "History is important 'cause it's brought us to where we are today, and kinda like Zander said, it's important to know about what's happened in the past to understand not just where we are today but how to improve for our future, too. History means to me... well, m'super appreciative of our history, 'cause if it weren't for the people of the past and the things that happened... we wouldn't have these desks we're sitting at and spells and potions and stuff wouldn't have been invented. Like, there's a certain order to the world - we're nothing without history and understanding the past, 'cause that's necessary for any growth moving forward." She'd rambled a bit there and repeated herself, but she... wasn't entirely herself today. Her brain was a bit muddy and her thought processes were jumbled, so that explanation would've had to suffice. Alright, Sophie had a slightly different perspective on why history was important and Nessa rather approved of her thoughts, rewarding her with a wide smile. "That is a very good point, Sophie.. There tends to be a nice evolution to things of the past through today, one event affecting another, things that couldn't happen without something else happening first. Things that we often take for granted may not be here today without previous events leading up to them." Quote: Originally Posted by Cassirin** But that was just one part of the question, so Dot focused on the parts that wouldn't offend the professor. "Professor! Lots of people just get their history out of books, which isn't bad, probably, but it's awful biased based on who does the writing. Like a wizard is gonna think that the contributions of wizards and the people he supports did things right and Muggles or witches or people not like him were wrong. So you have to look at history from a closer source to the real story. Like newspapers. Or people who were really there, but lots of them." Nessa turned her eyes to Dot next and she nodded at her answer. "Very good, Dot.. You can't always just take the word of one person and consider it fact because it can be biased, especially something that might have more than one point of view. Even if someone tries their best to be as unbiased as possible, sometimes their views have a way of creeping into their writing." Things that were very fact based like names or dates were usually a safe bet, but other things were often about perspective. And she had presented good ways of trying to get around that bias for the most accurate story. Quote: Originally Posted by laurange And then there was a small lull in the discussion and Brian figured that he probably had to answer before he was called out on daydreaming during the lesson. Swallowing a sigh, he raised his hand. "History is anything that happened two minutes ago, on back until the dawn of time. Some of it, people think important. That we can probably learn lessons from it but I think we discount people's personal histories a lot. Those might be less famous, but they're still important." Oh. That was a lot more than the Hufflepuff had meant to say. Blinking a bit at his own wordiness, he returned to ~~doodling~~ taking notes in his notebook. That was weird. He normally didn't even have such complex thoughts. Nessa looked around a moment to see if there were any more thoughts on the discussion,soon seeing Brian with his hand raised and she called on him next. He had similar thoughts to many of his peers, mostly commenting on the general definition of history with something else noteworthy. "You're right.. even if someone's personal account of history may not consist of major events in time, it is still very important. In fact, we are going to be expanding on this very thought shortly!" She loved it when students' answers provided her a natural segue to her plans for the lesson. Quote: Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19 "History is the study of past events. Honestly, history doesn't mean much to me because I always found it boring even though it's important.'' Sorry, Professor. Though History of Magic with the bubbly woman wasn't boring AT ALL because she had such fun classes. "History can be conveyed to others through textbooks.'' There! Simple and short answers because he wasn't much in the mood to do thinking. Right now he wanted to cast Cantis on Benny. Oh.. Adi thought history was boring? Even though she tried to show the how fun and interesting it could be? Although slightly disappointed, Nessa did her best to remain professional and keep an impassive expression. "Okay.. at it's most basic sense history is the study of past events, but it really is filled with fascinating stories." But she guessed she failed to convey that. She'd have to try harder. "Textbooks.. but other ways too.." Quote: Originally Posted by Squishy After a few moments, Lux raised her hand. "I think history is events from the past that are recorded so that future generations can know about them and possibly learn from mistakes others have made. History can also help someone know more about themselves in a way...because it gives an idea of where they came from." Did that make any sense? Or was it only logical in her head? "Oh, and like Brooklyn said: it's the winners who make history." That was about it. Nessa nodded at Lux's answer. She basically said what others had, though in her own words, so she didn't have a whole lot more to add. She wasn't incorrect though, but Nessa did have a comment on her last bit. "Possibly.. though I think the person who originally said that was making a comment on what makes things memorable. Everyone contributes to history, no matter what is perceived as significant." Quote: Originally Posted by natekka These were all out of class things, however, so she tried to focus back on the lesson. What did history mean to her? Being the avid reader she was, her mind jumped straight to definitions and literal senses of the word. She stuck her hand in the air. "History, by definition, means 'the study of past events', especially in connection to people and humanity. It's often seen in the form of life lessons - learning from the mistakes of the past and building upon what we've learnt." She could go on, but she wouldn't. Nessa called on Clara next, hoping that she would be able to expand more on the general thoughts of the collective. "I think life lessons are a good way to put it.. or at least one aspect of history," she nodded. But she did like that interpretation. Quote: Originally Posted by Govoni "History is often falsified....over time." Perspective was a very curious thing. If you controlled the publication of books and the writing, you could make the events twist and turn into whatever you wanted them to be. Dot had the right idea about that. Nessa paused a moment, waiting for the prefect to expand a little further on his comment. When it seemed that he wasn't going to say anything else, she gave him an encouraging smile. "It certainly can be.. not necessarily deliberately, but, as we said, stories can be written with a biased voice or things could be forgotten or exaggerated as they are handed down through word of mouth. These things can all affect accuracy." Quote: Originally Posted by Felixir "I guess this is kinda what Zander said," he began, his expression making it clear that he didn't even mind that he was going to repeat the same point. It felt important for him to say it, acknowledge it out loud for the first time. Also, he wanted to say it with the positive twist. "But sometimes you gotta look back, see what went wrong or right, and that's the best way of knowing how to keep moving forward, and how to keep making things better. I used to think that the only way of moving forward was to only look forward, not dwell on the past, not ever. So I never ever did that. But sometimes you have to look back to know how to move forward. Or to understand what's happening in the here and the now. Whether in general history or, like, personal history, y'know? And I think it's easiest to look back at history when you're looking back at good things." Nessa turned her attention to Toby as he began, hoping that he didn't simply repeat what one of his classmates had said. And he had a pretty good take on it himself. "It is best to keep learning from past events, whether we look at them as mistakes or even as what to keep doing correctly." History wasn't all about learning what not to do. "Yes, I think you're right.. It's important to know and understand not only our own personal history but the history of our people as well in order to best grow and evolve." And they were actually going to be spending more time on personal history today. Quote: Originally Posted by RandomRaven What is history? Jackson raised his hand and gave an opinion. "History is.. something that already happened in the past and somehow it can affect the current and/or future activity. So... That's why history cannot be separated from our life." Alright.. Nessa nodded at Jackson's answer. Though it was rather general in thought, she did appreciate the personal view on it. "You're right, history is quite ingrained in each of us, what has happened before us and will continue to affect us." Quote: Originally Posted by Harry174 Angel smiled at the Professor. "I'm awesome Professor." Angel was glad the Professor was okay, she then listened to what the Professor was saying about History. "Professor, isn't that where someone says to you when you destroy their favourite thing, Your History?" Angel had been told some people said that to others. Hmm? It took Nessa a minute to understand what Angel meant, but once it clicked, she chuckled a bit. "Well, when used like that, it isn't a very nice thing to tell someone.. not really the focus of our lesson today." She hoped that Angel was now paying attention or could borrow someone's notes, or else she'd be very lost. Quote: Originally Posted by Mordred It didn’t take long for the first question to be asked, and the answers went inside one ear, and out the other. As the words filled his head for a few seconds, the gist of their answers was written down on his notebook. Hmm. Hmm. History? Ethan raised his hand and waited for his turn to answer. “History to me is much like a professor. It teaches you things, good and bad, based from one’s experience. History is…a form of learning I suppose.” "That is a good way to look at it," Nessa smiled at Ethan for his answer. She did enjoy each person's unique thoughts about the subject. "It does do us well to learn from it, both good and bad.." Quote: Originally Posted by PhoenixRising Raising her hand at last, Tia blinked once and gave a soft smile, "History is conveyed much like we do in our lessons. Through stories and drama. Sometimes even through artwork. There's really unlimited possibilities for how one can get across the messages taught in history." "I very much agree," Nessa smiled widely at TiaMarie. "History is full of fascinating stories and, if presented in certain ways, can be so engaging and interesting." People who thought history was boring must be looking at it the wrong way in her opinion. And yes, artwork.. perhaps the Ravenclaw would enjoy the activity to come. It seemed that everyone who wanted to comment was going to and she didn't feel the need to hear any more generalizations. There was only so much one could say as a definition, even with each student's own personal take. "Many good thoughts on history, everyone!" She wasn't going to write anything on the board this time, so she hoped they either took notes on what they felt were important points or retained it in their memory well, but she would recap a little for them. "So, basically, history is generally thought of as the documentation and study of past events. It comes from the words 'his story', though it is her story as well. It's the story of all of us and everyone before us. Often what we study in History is thought of as important and significant events - things that have impacted our lives in some way, for the better or worse. But history is more than that. Everyone's story is important, but it depends greatly on the perspective. Another person's story may not have had significant impact on the general populous, so it may not be studied... but that does not mean it is not important.. We are meant to learn from history - from major events to smaller moments in our own lives, to help us to grow and evolve. "Something else to remember is the perspective from which history is told. No matter how unbiased a person can try to be, we are all still people and none of us is perfect. Sometimes what are thought of as facts can be clouded a little by one's opinions. It's important to try to understand that perspective, one of the reasons why we do some of the activities in this class. Through placing yourself in the shoes of a person from history, I am also asking you to consider their perspective and understand their motives." Did some of them remember several years ago when they acted out the Ilfracombe Incident? Some of the homework she had gotten that considered the dragon's perspective was rather insightful. "I ask you to keep these things in mind today as we delve into our own personal history." They all had their own stories to tell no matter how significant or not they thought they were. "But before we do that, I'd like to talk a little bit about the ways that history is conveyed. Textbooks were mentioned, which is probably the first thing that comes to mind especially as we are in History class. Word of mouth or passing down legends is another way, though much less reliable. But one of my favorite methods for conveying History, though a historical artifact in itself is the Illuminated Manuscript.. "Before we go on any further, does anyone know anything about Illuminated Manuscripts? Please offer what you might already know - including educated guesses about what they might be or what their purposes were.." Though she did enjoy creativity in answers, she did want them to be plausible. __________________ started like a knight in a fairytale_______________________________________________ ended like a moth in flames______________________ ______________________don't you worry I'll be fine _________________________________________________you were good for the plot line