In a History Class

History is the same story retold over and over again. This sounds like the default phrase we use to comment on the atrocities of politics.. But today the word story was  exactly the key label that lingered in my mind while observing  a history lesson.. Again It was with the AP combined class. The lesson was about the States' involvement in World War Two.. the teacher projected some power point slides on major aspects of the war.. And the lesson was a story with an exciting and suspenseful plot that everybody was eager to follow.. We knew about the isolationism, the lure of pacifism and neutrality that marked the American policy at the beginning of the war, then into the war with all the mobilising energy of a strong nation and finally into the destructive atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The students seemed engaged in the sequences of events turning from patriotic enthusiasm to disturbingly destructive attacks on Japan..

I appreciated the meaninful and sequential way in which the events were presented.. I also liked the aside issues that history classes in my country might not draw on, such as the significant change in the conception of womanhood during the war as found in posters (Rosie the Riveter).. Such as the new ironical propaganda for union between whites and blacks during war times while lynchings were still a prevalent practice in some places in the states.. This kind of minute issues made the story more real and appealing to listen to..

But what struck me was that there was no focus on events, military actions, places, treaties, schemes and all the historical staff I expect to find in a history class.. well, there were some events, but as many as to fit in  the story.. What forced me to think of this idea and for the idea to live in me for more than seven hours, to pop up in this posting, was a question by a student towards the end of the session. She seemed anxious to know and insisted to ask though the teacher could not see that there was a hand raised asking for permission to talk.

The Question was: Was it just the States involved in the war??

I guess it is good to find a story line to history, but we simply can not do without the arid detailed information.. I know it is difficult to talk about exactness with history versions, but we can still agree on exact places and venues of the recent history chapters.. there is simply no way to sacrifice them for the sake of coming up with a neat story! Otherwise, we will end up with the type of understandings the question above reveal.. And luckily, this question finds a way to be revised.. we do not know what other ideas are in the people' minds laying deeply not anxious to be questioned..