Portfolio Essay #1.

Writing 101 Midterm Prompt

In the following passage, a writer presents a problem having to do with the way a culture functions.

What we do about history matters. The often repeated saying that those who forget the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them has a lot of truth in it. But what are the ‘lessons of history’? The very attempt at definition furnishes ground for new conflicts. History is not a recipe book; past events are never replicated in the present quite he same way. Historical events are infinitely variable and their interpretations are a constantly shifting process. There are no certainties to be found in the past.

We can learn from history how past generation thought and acted, how they responded to the demands of their time and how they solved their problems. We can learn by analogy, not by example, for our circumstances will always be different than theirs were. The main thing history can teach us is that human actions have consequence ant that certain choices, once made, cannot be undone. They foreclose to possibility of making other choices and thus they determine future events.
–Historian, author and teacher Gerda Lerner

After reading and thinking about the quotes passage in the prompt, you will write an essay that lays out your own position on this topic in response to this writer. As you write your essay, include a description of the main issue, a summary of the author’s point of view, and your own viewpoint supported by their personal experience and observations. No research is necessary for this exam, but you can refer to historical examples as long as they do not relate to Bacon’s Rebellion.

It is important that you read the passage carefully. Think about the issues before attempting to draft a response. There is no one right answer, as long as you develop your essay. Read over your essay when you have completed it to make sure it represents the best work you can do in the time allotted. You may use grammar/text books, a thesaurus, and dictionaries – but not ones that are online.

Writing Mid-Term Essay

One mistake that is made over and over again is driving under the influence. Some people can get away with it while other people cannot. My cousin Forrest was one of those “lucky” people who never got caught or had to pay for breaking the law. The first time he was pulled over he was twenty two and he lost his license for a year because he refused to take the breath test. It was a difficult year for him. I would have thought that he had learned his lesson. Well he didn’t, when he was twenty five he was high and on his way home from a party when he crashed. It was a pretty bad crash he and his best guy friend died while his girlfriend was put in intensive care for over three months. His first and second mistakes were exactly the same, but they were very similar and show that he didn’t learn at all. He ended up messing up again and this time it cost him his life. Just like the old saying goes, “those who do not learn from their past will continue to make the same mistakes in the future.”

Many historians agree with that statement as well. Historian Gerda Lerner believes that history matters because she thinks that, “they often repeated saying that those who forget the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them has a lot of truth to it,” She also states that, “there are no certainties to e found in the past.” What she is saying is that history is more that just learning facts and dates of events. It is more important to learn the actual lessons history has to offer. People need to learn the cause and effect of their actions or they will continue to mess up. Her view that, “history is not a recipe book; past events are never replicated in the present in quite the same way.” This means that only learning dates and events in history will not cut it, that the lessons need to be learned that understood first.

I am sure that if my cousin would have thought about the consequences of his actions, he would never have driven that night. If he had learned his lesson on the first time, he may have been alive today. But the point is that he didn’t learn which is why he is dead today. Lerner also stated, “we can learn from history how past generations thought and acted, how they responded to the demands of their time and how they solved their problems.” Forrest should have learned by the analogy of his first mistake, not by his example which was his second time while messing up while driving under the influence. It is very true that history lessons that aren’t really learned and understood , will only be repeated.