Some people think history has nothing or little to tell us, but others think that studying the past history can help us better understand the present. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Some believe that
history
fails to facilitate
people
’s understanding, while opponents argue that acquiring historical knowledge can aid in informing individuals about contemporary times.
This
essay will elaborate on both sides and the reasons why I am in favour of the former. On the one hand, gaining insight into past events can be beneficial for individuals to have a better understanding of the contemporary world because they can explore the roots of current problems.
As a result
, severe consequences and potential damage can be prevented from happening. To illustrate, by studying their country’s
history
, Vietnamese
people
can understand that the main reason behind the high deformity rate in some central provinces in Vietnam is the dumping of Agent Orange used by Americans in the Vietnam War (1954 – 1975).
Thus
, those suffering from
this
dioxin are discouraged from having children to avoid the spread of health problems and the number of disabled
people
induced by it.
On the other hand
, the notion that learning
history
is pointless is sound for two reasons. The
first
is that it can be irrelevant to modern
life
. More specifically, historical events often bring no practical value to
people
’s present
life
.
In other words
,
people
may find it hard to apply what they obtain from
history
lessons into practice because society today bears little resemblance to the past. Another justification is that students prefer learning subjects that benefit their job prospects
instead
of allocating a large amount of time to researching
history
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the history
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and remembering historical dates and facts.
For instance
, most Vietnamese high school students confess that they are reluctant to opt for
history
in the school curriculum because they cannot utilise knowledge about historical events and figures in their personal lives and future careers. In conclusion, both perspectives have their own justifications.
However
, I advocate the view that knowing more about the past fails to inform
people
about the present
life
since
history
mostly bears little relevance to modern
life
and brings to value to enhance their career path. It is advisable that schools should prioritise other subjects that facilitate students’ future jobs.
Submitted by phamthanhquy93 on

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Topic Vocabulary:
  • insights
  • progression
  • values
  • beliefs
  • heritage
  • identity
  • applicable
  • biased
  • subjective
  • practical
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