If you are reading this then you either a) love history or b) have found us on StumbleUpon and are questioning how you got this far..? Either way, you would never say you hated history, right? History-Haters just don’t exist.
Or do they?
WELL, we recently traveled to the depths of Kent, and found one. And here’s how the conversation went…
Hi there. So you look like a really cool normal girl. In fact, just the kind of person who we find usually loves history. How about we start by playing a word association game?
Ok, take it away…
Castle
Princess
Anne
Boleyn
Revolution
French
Landscapes
Water colour paintings
Rome
Verona
Troy
Zac Efron from High School Musical
Michelangelo
Painter
Humanities
Bugs
EH???
You said say whatever came into my head!
(Moving on…)
Archaeologist
You
Pyramid
Sand
Car park
Where’s my pink driving licence at?!
(…I was hoping for Richard III)
Industrial
Cleaner
Museum
Bordum
Ok, first off I question where your heads at for some of those answers, but overall I’d say you show a moderate level of promise. I’m interested to know why you associate the word ‘museum’ with ‘bordum’.
Care to explain?
Well, when you are being dragged around 90% of Britain’s castles and historic homes by your older sister it gets boring.
Fair enough, but even if your sister did drag you to these places, you were already there, so why not try and enjoy them?
Is the castle boring, or just your sister?
Hmm I don’t think I can answer that one!
Careful, remember I know your sister! Anyway, don’t you think that seeing as you were already at said castle or museum that you couldn’t just enjoy yourself?
Because I’m more interested in modern day things that are happening today. But I must admit, if someone said I could be Scarlet O’ Hara for the day I wouldn’t say no!
(I contemplate reminding her that Scarlet is a fictional character…but i move on)
The majority of people who enjoy learning about the past say it’s because they want to be transported back to a certain time period. They can mentally visualise what a place was like and want to learn as much information as possible to almost bring it back to life. When you walk around a castle, do you not imagine what life must have been like, the people, the sounds, the smells….?
Yes, I imagine how hard there life must if been…like, imagine having no medicine! But yes I like looking at period dresses and wish people today would make that kind of effort!
Ah, so you would like to transport yourself back. Where would you go?
To Gone With The Wind! I WANT SCARLET’S DRESSES!
(Now comes the time to clarify a few things…)
Right, that’s all great because I am a HUGE GWTW fan myself. But you do realise you are asking to be transported back to a fictional novel?
Don’t care. IT’S AMAZING
Maybe you should have answered ‘the South prior to and during the American civil war’?
Do you even know what the American civil war was?
Lots of death. A fight between the Yankees and someone? Over land? Erm… am I on the right page?
Just so we are clear, I’m not judging you on your knowledge, there should be no snobbishness in the humanities, but you asking me if you’re right must mean you want to know the answer to my question?
Do you want to know what the american civil war was?
Go on then.. I’m guessing I’m COMPLETELY wrong
But do you WANT to know the answer…?
Short answer…
If we stopped chatting right this second, could you just walk away and not give it a second thought….?
Only because it would annoy me now as I want to know if I’m right!
Hmm…that’s not quite the answer I was hoping for.
Lets move on.
Do you think the way you were taught history at school has played a big part in the way you view the past?
Yes actually. I’ve always liked the way we were taught how to interpret paintings. Hear me out…
Go on…
Like when you have a portrait and you were taught to look at all the objects. For instance, a globe would show you whether they were well travelled, or rich colours and fabrics would indicate wealth. I definitely look at portraits differently now.
Yeah of course, it’s interesting to see how people used their portraits to portray themselves in a certain way to the viewer.
Where I work there is a portrait of an old man getting his beard shaved, but his servant is sooo well dressed and everything is so heavily embroided in gold and reds it shows how he can afford himself and even such unimportant people the same things.
(not going to lie…we were lost)
Ya get me?
(nope, nothing)
Well, I guess this means you are inquisitive, which is basically the foundation of an historian. You can appreciate life around you, and how people wanted to portray themselves in the past via portraits.
Lets round up now and finish with a final word association.
Ready?
Hit me.
Cleopatra
Eyeliner
Edwardian
Books
(!?!)
Howard
Ben
Jurassic
Park
Iceberg
Lettuce
Ok, this is going to take some more work….