Wednesday 31 October 2018

Historical Fiction Graphic Novels Could Save History For The Future

By Patricia Evans


History is ugly. Everyone knows it is full of violence and death, but it is also full of heroism, self-reflection, romance, intrigue, and achievements which have occurred against all odds. Why should we deny young people the opportunity to experience it through historical fiction graphic novels.

Such a novel is actually a comic book. Using comic books to relay events from the past, utilizing the same colorful language, exciting character development, and dramatic effect just might allow us to make young people understand why the world is the way it is. More than that, comic books have always inspired young readers to really Be-Somebody when they grow up.

More than novelists, however, as some of these young people grow up to create science fiction as fact. Many elements of basic physics have been woven into the stories of Marvel comics from the very beginning. As a young person begins to realize that some of this technology is actually being developed, they have a desire to be a part of that future.

Why should be lessons teaching our past be any less colorful and engaging than the stories predicting our future. In fact, if we want our future to be anything close to the technological dawn that comic books portray, then we better start really teaching history. Those who have been counted on for this duty have been letting mankind down for centuries.

When we make history as exciting as science fiction, then we create a connection in young minds between past and present. Memorizing lists of dates, names, and events never taught a student anything meaningful. However, a colorful novel filled with images of the real pain, suffering, and glory of humanity makes this information stick in way that creates an impression.

Even though the information should be presented in a manner that fits the age of the child, this should not mean they are educated with fanciful stories designed to make them feel like they are part of a winning team. The preposterous story of the first Thanksgiving in America is just such a story, told in a manner that insults every native person who ever died under a small-pox laden blanket.

There are a number of researchers diligently rewriting the lies our generation was handed for the past ten thousand years. We are finally able to use terms like alien technology in the overall discussion of theory. If we are to rewrite the misinformation and denial of blatant facts that is the history of history, then we must do this now before we let down yet another generation of students.

It is not merely the ignorance of our past that condemns us to repeat, but misinformation taught to generations of our young. When all students from all nations can connect past events with current events, then they are empowered to create a better future for themselves. If we deny them this power, then we deserve whatever future we get as punishment for letting them down on a worldwide scale.




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