Band 6+: Every culture, throughout time, has recorded its history in one way or another. In what ways can history be passed on to the next generation? Why is history important to society?

History of one’s race or nation is widely considered to be an essential knowledge when studying divergent cultures across the world. Scholars in every country have thoroughly recorded historical events of their nations so that records can be handed down to new generations. In this essay, how historical knowledge can be passed on to young generations, and why history holds importance in a society, will be discussed.

To start with, one effective way of acquiring historical knowledge is literature. This is because novels, poems and other forms of literary texts reflect the particular period in which they were written, thus, motivating youths to study history alternatively apart from disciplines and school subjects. For instance, Pride and Prejudice written by Jane Austen is the novel highlighting the Victorian era of 19th century England where marriage put a strain on women in maintaing their status and property. Moreover, youngsters can attain historical insights via different forms of entertainment. Promoting various genres of entertainment ranging from plays, musical performances to television series that portray historical events reinforces the young audience to learn more about history.

As regards the significant contributions of history to society, one prominent one is that it can offer explicit explanations of contemporary situations in any society or country. History covers a wide array of areas, such as social norms, societal beliefs, lifestyles, and socioecomic situations. Having learnt history of a country undoubtedly contributes to deeper understanding of people and situations in that country, bearing more tolerance and sympathy towards people from unalike cultural backgrounds. For instance, one could understand why Korean elderly women who were survivors of Japanese colonial period, hold resentment towards Japanese government if one learns about history of Korean comfort women who were forced to be sexual slaves in that period.

To sum up, it cannot be denied that history promoted through literature and entertainment can immensely impact on younger generations, bringing them towards positive developments and complete understanding on the essential role of history their societies. In the future, learning history should be considered as equal importance to learning advanced technology and science subjects