History and Memory
History is not an indisputable collection of absolute truths. History can be seen as the documentation of the past, however there will always be contrasting perspectives and interpretations of any one event. In order to truly understand the past, we must fuse our knowledge of documented evidence with the personal experiences and memories that fill the gaps left by history. These concepts are effectively portrayed in Mark Bakers work The Fiftieth Gate, an exploration of the ability of history to validate memory and the power of traumatic experiences in shaping a person’s life. Memory and Witness, Jerry Fowlers interview with Nobel Peace Laureate Elie Wiesel not only deals with the role of remembrance in history, but questions its reliability.
History and memory have an innate and complex bond; one cannot exist without the other. Memory forms the basis of history, whereas history can be used to clarify the fragmented and often selective aspects of memory. In this way, throughout The Fiftieth Gate Baker delves into his parent’s past and uses his historical resources to confirm their experiences. As the text progresses, we are shown that both concepts have their flaws. Through the juxtaposition of his father’s shared experience with his mother’s miraculous lone survival “His was a past written on a page of history shared by other survivors. My mother could not point to anyone” (pg 136), we are shown that Baker favours the exactness of history over the indistinct and elusive nature of memory. Conversely, later in the chapter history is characterised as cold and colourless “What are these papers anyway except echoes of the past, dark shadows without screams, without smells, without fear” (pg 138). The use of accumulation and repetition of “without” emphasises that one of the crucial faults of history is its lack of emotion.
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Although Memory and Witness is an entirely different text type, it manages to be equally successful in questioning the accuracy of memory. Elie Wiesel asserts that it is our responsibility to “bear witness”, that is, to tell the truth. He utilizes rhetorical question and inclusive language when asked why we need to remember the truth “If we are not bearers of truth, then what are we?” This has the effect of connecting with the audience and empowering them to examine their own authenticity in remembering. In addition to this, he concludes that it is inherent in the human psyche to “reduce the truth to comfort”. This use of a negative tone of voice is vital in the representation of fictitious remembrance as destructive.
The preservation of the past through both personal recall of earlier experiences, and the documentation of these experiences as evidence, is without doubt indispensable to humanity. Despite this, it is not always a positive feeling. In The Fiftieth Gate we see that the traumatic nature of an event such as the Holocaust has a lasting effect on its surviving victims. Baker employs sensory imagery in his memoir in order to reveal memories to be reality, as opposed to the often meaningless impression given by history, and to show the eternal power of memories of personal experiences; “Can you hear, or do the screams from the mass grave drown out the sounds and melodies of Wierzbnik in its innocence?” (pg 59). The negative connotations of this extract are repeated later in the text “Jews do not remember with mirrors but cover them with a cloth during the first seven days after death; as if what we see in our reflection is what we are.” (pg 114). This is a prime example of collective memory, and the integration of the past into the lifestyle of the present. Baker uses metaphoric language here to present the readers with an underlying theme in The Fiftieth Gate; that looking into oneself is to look into the past.
The Fiftieth Gate and the interview Memory and Witness can be seen to share a similar theme; the function of memory in history. A further parallel to Baker’s autobiographical study is the realisation of the importance memory to be its capacity to humanize, or as Wiesel articulates, “…humanize history, humanize destiny, humanize humanity…we are responsible for it and to it”. Once again our interviewee uses repetition, in this case to associate history with destiny and humanity. This has the effect of suggesting that history is an integral part of the human experience. Furthermore, through the discussion of anti-Semitism, Fowler and Wiesel come to focus on the fake document called “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion”. In his reasoning of this “historical prop” to be false, Wiesel says that “Some lies have a long life because there are some people who believe in it.” Here he uses the literary device of personification to characterise “lies” as enduring only if we remember them as truth. This is also an exploration of the power of collective memory, which is essentially what history becomes.
Through the examination of personal experience, memory and documented evidence, it can be concluded that each individual aspect is a fundamental component in a complex relationship. Each one has its own specific role, be it to personalise history or to validate memory. These issues can be successfully conveyed in the representation of a historically significant event such as ‘The Holocaust’. Through the analysis of language and stylistic devices in Mark Baker’s The Fiftieth Gate and the interview between Jerry Fowler and Elie Wiesel Memory and Witness, the lasting impact of this traumatic incident is revealed.
Source: ArticlesBase.com