For my project, I wanted to explore how the perception of history can be contorted and mangled by the people who have given us historical literature, and the style they used to create such literature. Things like journals and autobiographies are a huge part of our access into the past. It is these works of literature that paint the hazy image for our present day minds. Yet, I wanted to consider why our reenactments look the way they look and feel the way they feel. Considering the fact, that ancient history is told by writers and artists, it must be these authors that sway us into seeing the past the way it is.
They do not do it on purpose. It is something they have no control over. They simply write in hopes that one day, people like us can gather some understanding of what they went through. It is people like Seneca the Younger and Pliny the Younger, who wanted to literally write out their own history.
Seneca the Younger, Lucius Annaeus Seneca, was a orator, statesman, philosopher, and tragedian. One of his most infamous writings is a letter to his friend Lucilius Junior, entailing the earthquake of 62 AD, in Pompeii (Dudley). This letter, gave present day historians and scientists valuable information about the natural disaster.
Depiction of the devastating aftermath of the earthquake: including Temple of Jupiter and Vesuvius gate.
A better known man, Pliny the Younger, is famous for bringing light to the eruption of Mt Vesuvius. His accounts are also in the form of a letter, to a historian named Tactius. Pliny the Younger and his mother were visiting his uncle, Pliny the Elder, historian and scientist, in Misenum, beside the north-western extremity of the Bay of Naples (Grant 28). Although Pliny the Elder perished during the eruption, the younger was able to capture the disaster through words.
A better known man, Pliny the Younger, is famous for bringing light to the eruption of Mt Vesuvius. His accounts are also in the form of a letter, to a historian named Tactius. Pliny the Younger and his mother were visiting his uncle, Pliny the Elder, historian and scientist, in Misenum, beside the north-western extremity of the Bay of Naples (Grant 28). Although Pliny the Elder perished during the eruption, the younger was able to capture the disaster through words.
To analyze how historical authors form our view on history, I decided to compare these two authors. Both write about a natural disaster that took place in the same area. However, one event is hailed to be greater than the other. Maybe it is because Mt Vesuvius came after, but the earthquake of 62 AD was almost as severe. Is it Pliny the Younger's writing that sways our opinion today, and if so, why?
Pliny the Elder's death
In order to accomplish such a task, I needed to materialize what I saw as my view on history, after reading the historical literature. So, first, I took in all that the two authors had to say. Then, I made thinglinks to portray what I thought they wanted me to see, as their present day reader. I tried to pinpoint their unique styles through the thinglinks, in hopes of revealing some of their ploys and motives.
Here is Seneca's thinglink
Here is Pliny's thinglink
It is obvious that the eruption of Mt Vesuvius is one of the most infamous natural disasters of the ancient world. Through my thinglink, I hope I portrayed the dramatic story that Pliny seemed to convey. My question, asks if we as a society make history this fantastical picture in our heads because Pliny has a hero in his uncle and an inevitable fate that draws us in. On the other hand the earthquake was of 7.5 magnitude, included a tsunami, and is compared to be more devastating then the earthquake in Japan, 2011. Yet, nobody really knows about it. Is it because Seneca focused on the facts, and the philosophy, something we just do not care for?
My product for this product stemmed off the thinglinks. Here you will find my presentation that compares the two authors, and compares how society views "their" historical stories today.
History is not something we should take as an absolute. It is changed, rewritten, and manipulated by the people who write the stories that we read. Luckily for the generations that shall come after us, we have captured our history on tape, so they can see for their own eyes the disasters of 2014.
Works Cited
Dudley, Donald Reynolds. "Lucius Annaeus Seneca." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.
Grant, Michael. Cities of Vesuvius: Pompeii and Herculaneum. New York: Macmillan, 1971. Print.
Pizzorusso, Ann. "The First Destruction of Pompeii 62 A.D." - Napoli Unplugged. N.p., 5 June 2012. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.
"Pliny the Younger." Pliny the Younger. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Dec. 2014.
Pompeii: The Vanished City. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life, 1992. Print.
"Seneca: Quaestiones Naturales VI." Seneca: Quaestiones Naturales VI. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Dec. 2014.
Why do you think the eruption of Mt Vesuvius is more infamous than the earthquake of 64 AD. Do you agree with me in the fact that Pliny the Younger's story was more captivating for historians? I also see that another reason could be that it led to the ultimate demise in Pompeii. People can also argue that the preservation of Pompeii because of the eruption, is a compelling draw. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteI love that you chose a topic that is so relevant to everything we do in school! There has to be a lot of trust placed in the few pieces of literature that we find from the ancients and we have to believe that what they are telling us is the truth. There is no absolute truth in history because everything is relative to the human, but as a certain point we must accept that there is no way to know if it is true or not and have faith in what people have found. Stories can be really captivating and we can be led to believe the more interesting one but sometimes we should look at things objectively and I think you did a really good job of comparing the two!
ReplyDeleteI agree 100% with Paige. The book we are reading now, is written by Julius Caesar about himself. How do we know if he is not fabricating what truly happened to make himself look better. This also happened later in America with John Smith. He wrote about himself and could have easily changed it to make himself look better. If what these people say about themselves are the only pieces of literature written from that time, you would have no idea what is true or not.
ReplyDeleteI think this is interesting because people definitely fabricate most stories. If you were witness a volcanic eruption and survive to tell the tale, you would likely describe it in a dramatic and detailed way. The problem with this is getting so caught up in the dramatics and details, you could loose sight of reality. Stories and events become skewed into something of truth and tale. To think there could be more of less to the stories that make up our history is very fascinating.
ReplyDeleteI like how you provide a really interesting twit on history and are still questioning what we think we know. As you said it is not safe to presume that our preconceptions of the past are completely right and we have to take into account that some of these facts are really fabricated stories stemming from truths, for example Caesar talking about his battles. While he will occasionally complement the bravery of the enemy it seems he always comes away with a crushing victory. However this may not be the case and your point of veiw helps us come to these more conscious conclusions.
ReplyDeleteWow thanks guys! These comments gave me a lot to think about. When I was first considering this topic, I really was focusing on Pompeii and the documentary we watched in class that depicted Pliny's description. It was as if we were fed this image that we had to accept. It was only after I got into this project, that I remembered how Caesar is trying to portray himself in the text we are reading in class. I find it really interesting that some of you immediately made that connection!
ReplyDeleteI do believe that people are more interested in a sensationalized story, which is why yellow journalism became so popular. Dry facts, though some times interesting, for the most part will not captivate a large audience. Whereas a dramatic and exciting account is a story people will want to keep reading. This is a very interesting topic because I was completely unaware of the earthquake of 64 AD. In my case, I think the remains of Pompeii also play a role in why I know about the Mt. Vesuvius eruption. The ruins are famous and allow people to explore what life may have been like so many years ago. The ruins are definitely a factor, but I also believe the difference in recording the event plays a role.
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