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Megan GNED 04 History

Mr. Ocampo defends history as a factual discipline, emphasizing the importance of primary sources over secondary ones, and clarifying their distinctions. He argues that primary sources, despite their challenges in comprehension, provide a more authentic understanding of historical events compared to textbooks. The document critiques the notion that history is akin to gossip, advocating for respect towards historians and the rigorous methods they employ to uncover the past.

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21 views4 pages

Megan GNED 04 History

Mr. Ocampo defends history as a factual discipline, emphasizing the importance of primary sources over secondary ones, and clarifying their distinctions. He argues that primary sources, despite their challenges in comprehension, provide a more authentic understanding of historical events compared to textbooks. The document critiques the notion that history is akin to gossip, advocating for respect towards historians and the rigorous methods they employ to uncover the past.

Uploaded by

esguerraloraine003
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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MEGAN D.

FERNANDEZ

“History is not a tsismis”

ANALYSIS:

Based on the article, Mr. Ocampo defended history as “not fictional or gossip” by
discussing historians’ roles and primary sources and its contrasts towards secondary
sources. According to Mr. Ocampo, he received so many questions and that made him
realize that many students have little knowledge regarding primary sources. He also
emphasized how tough it was for historians to research the prehistoric era in libraries. In
addition, many individuals classify “traces of historical times” as either primary sources or
secondary sources. Hence, he discussed the differences between primary and secondary
sources. He made it plain that only documents, letters, and other writings created by
participants or witnesses to a historic event qualify as primary sources. In contrast of
primary and secondary sources, he provided an example by pointing out that his own
“Rizal Without the Overcoat” and Nick Joaquin’s “Rizal Saga” are examples of secondary
sources that were not authored by Rizal or by eyewitnesses in the late 19 th century, as
compared to the “Diarios y memorias,” which is a primary source because it was actually
written by Rizal using his own words during the above said century. He added that we are
unable to comprehend the primary sources’ contents because the language used is
different to our own. For instance, the original Spanish edition of Noli Me Tangere by Rizal
is a primary source, whereas the English or Filipino translations are regarded as
secondary sources. He therefore argued that when determining whether a source is
primary, intent and contents should be taken into account rather than language and form.
In addition, he listed primary sources and secondary sources for all students and general
readers. Generally, he asserts that primary sources are better than textbooks because
they bring history to life. The gains of using them lie in their critical use. Interrogating the
sources brings out historical truth and he stressed that this process is not a gossip.
CRITICISM:

I formed a few opinions and views about Mr. Ocampo’s statement in the article I
read. First and foremost, I think people’s questions to him are also about “does history is
true?’’ and “what is the difference between primary and secondary sources?” because of
Ella Cruz’s popular opinion about history that says “History is like gossip. It is filtered, so
we don’t really know the real history. The idea is there, but there are still biases.” In my
view, I understand what she is pointing out, however her term that “history is gossip” is not
right for me. And regarding her claim, she’s not a historian to make that claim because she
is unaware of the challenges historians face in conducting historical research. Therefore I
commend Mr. Ocampo for being able to defend history against those who had contrrary
opinions because of this. I discovered from his statement how challenging it is for
historians and archaeologists to examine original sources. To learn the truth about the
past, they employ a variety of rigorous and scrutiny procedures. Therefore anyone has no
right to tell that history is gossip because they have no idea about the past and also what
historians do. Additionally, I’m grateful that he clarified what a primary source is and how
it differs from a secondary source for me through his statement. As a result, I agree with
his statement that primary materials are superior to textbooks since they are reliable
because they are original and serve as proof. However, as a student, I believe primary
sources like the Noli Me Tangere, which was originally written in Spanish, are not
comprehensive for me because their language is different from mine. For this reason, I
am also in favor of secondary sources, due to the fact that secondary sources are
translated into different languages and are interpreted according to various specific
meanings. I am convinced that secondary sources are a great help for me because they
are credible, relative, and comprehensive. As a result, I think both sources are significant
and excellent since they provide excellent justification for our need to understand the past
in order to develop answers while concentrating on the present. Furthermore, I agree that
translations of primary sources should be classified as primary sources regardless of
whether they have been translated because all primary sources have the same contents
and intents to express or to narrate.
SYNTHESIS:

Personally speaking, there were numerous competing viewpoints on the historical


accuracy existing even before Ella Cruz’s widespread interpretation of history. History is
the study of the past of humanity as it is revealed in the written records that humans have
left behind (Hirst 2019). Yes, it can be biased at times, but they are still relevant and
connected to the present. On account of primary and secondary sources, we people are
able to know about history. Because they provide clues from the past (Barnes 2022) and
serve as a window into the past — unfiltered access to the record of social, scientific and
political thought and achievement during a past time period, produced by people who
lived during that time (Eysturlid 2015). They are also a crucial resource for historians,
general readers, and students, giving them the chance to view, touch, and discover hints
about the history they are studying (Knowles 2022). Therefore, historians should be
respected and given credit for their hard work because they utilize a variety of rigorous
and scrutinizing methods to discover the truth about the past. In fact, in order for us to be
conscious of the past and consider strategies to avoid repeating it, they carefully read
over every written document they can find and then piece together all the material they
discover to create some sort of historical narrative. In general, the impact of the public
pulse on social media is so great that users will easily believe a post after just “one click.”
Similar to how Ella Cruz expressed her opinion that “History is tsismis,” that got popular
on social media and offended many historians. Thus, in my perspective People with little
knowledge of history shouldn’t claim that history is gossip. We have no Idea of the
challenges faced by historians in their fields in order to understand the unfortunate
circumstances that occurred in the past and that we may find solutions for them in the
present. We should develop an open mind, respect for others, and a knowledge of history,
as it is said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” This will
enable us to contribute to solutions and constructive changes in our society rather than
just blaming others for the imperfections of our social system.
REFERENCES:

▪ Hirst, K. (2019). What Is History?. New York, Thought.Co


▪ Barnes, R. (2022). Using Primary Sources in the Classroom and for Historical
Research.
▪ United States, U.S History Scene
▪ Eysturlid, L. (2015). Top 10 Reasons for Using Primary Sources with K-12
Students. United States, EBSCO
▪ Knowles, M. (2022). Introducing Primary and Secondary Sources in the
Elementary Classroom. United States, Social Studies School Server
▪ Santayana, G. (1905). The Life of Reason. Chicago, the series Great Ideas of
Western Man

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