Windchimes

history test

Just spent the better part of the evening studying for tomorrow's history test. French Revolution, The Age of "Isms," How imperialism became popular in Europe, America and Japan, The Scramble for Africa, Good old Belgian King Leopold and the Berlin Congress. Changing Gender Roles in the late 19th, early 20th century, their roots and causes and heroines. World War I. I've learned lots of things I didn't know before (ha, how's that for a ...what do you call that kind of phrase?) but I've armed myself with index cards bearing dates. I know it's cliché to say, but dang, I hate having to memorize dates. It involves numbers, for one thing. And it takes me a while to be able to say a date in French because THAT usually involves math. 1984, for example, would be a nightmare for me if I had to figure out how to say it in less than two minutes. Mille cent neuf quatre-vingt quatre. One thousand, nine hundred, four twenties and four. Blech, I was talking about history.

I will take my date-bearing index cards to campus with me tomorrow and try to remember the dates corresponding with each important event long enough to write some of them into short identification responses and an essay. But seriously, in the age of search engines and the internet, what is the practical purpose of memorizing them?

If you're going to write something about these things, you're probably going to want to verify the dates whether you think you have them memorized or not. And with search engines (god bless google) you can find them as long as you have an internet connection or can find a library with one.

I suppose a few people who really, really love history and memorizing dates should keep doing so, just in case some mega-monster virus comes along and totally melts down all the internet systems and search engines, or someone invents some kind of weapon of mass pc destruction. Somehow, though, I just don't see that happening.

Shoot, though, who knows? Maybe someday I'll be on Jeopardy and win a thousand dollars for knowing that the Berlin Congress happened in (checks through index cards)...1884! Or that the Boxer Protocol Treaty was foisted on the Chinese by Europe in 1901 (that index card was at the top of the pile).

pile: an old-fashioned way to say "hemorroid."

I've had it for tonight. Will re-review WWI in the morning.

Next semester, I think one of my courses will feature multiple-choice (scantrons!) tests. I'm about ready for a course like that.

J.H. Larrew
** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only **