When we concern ourselves with the study of history, we become storytellers. Because we can never know the past directly but must construct it by interpreting evidence, exploring history is more of a creative enterprise than it is an objective pursuit. All historians are storytellers.

　　Sample Essay

　　There would seem to be two different perspectives presented in the above statement. The first two sentences are concerned with exploring history and would seem to discuss looking at history that has already been written. People who concern themselves with the study of history are not storytellers, but rather story interpreters. The last sentence refers to the people that write about history, the historians themselves. Certainly, to a certain extent, historians must be storytellers because they have a story to tell. But the term storyteller seems to imply a greater amount of creativity than what is involved in actually explaining what has happened in history. For the purposes of this essay, I will focus on the perspective of the historian, as it would appear to be the underlying core idea.

　　From the perspective of the historian, most historians do not have the benefit of having lived through the period of history that they are writing about. By researching through thousands of old letters, legal documents, family heirlooms and the like, historians must look at fragments of history and somehow put these pieces together to reconstruct what actually happened. In this sense, they must be storytellers because inevitably, their personal insights become part of what others will see when they read the historians writings. As an example, there are many differing opinions as to whether Thomas Jefferson actually fathered children with one of his slaves. Some historians have written that it is a virtual certainty, while others argue that it was his brother, rather than Thomas himself, that fathered the children. They both cannot be right. Although they are all historians, they are also storytellers giving their opinion on what version of events actually transpired.

　　Historians that are documenting events as they happen today have much less of an opportunity to fall into the storyteller category as they are present as witnesses to these events as they are happening. Television, newspaper and other media coverage is widespread and almost unrelenting. Television captures visuals and audios that are spread rapidly around the world and theoretically can last forever. There is much less room for putting ones own spin on an event, especially regarding the exact details of what happened. But even with todays events, there is room for opinion on the part of the historian. For example, historians are already arguing what evidence the United States government had regarding potential terrorism prior to the incredible tragedy of September 11, 2001. Looking back now, it seems obvious that the government should have known that something on a large scale was going to happen. With the benefit of hindsight, there were several failures in the governments counter-terrorism efforts. Historians will now argue over the exact version of what happened, as they become storytellers to try to explain 9/11 to future generations.

　　Another example showcasing the idea that all historians are storytellers is that of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Variations on who was responsible and what actually happened have been the focus of hundreds, if not thousands, of books and historical accounts. Many historians argue vehemently that his or her account of history is the true version. Given the same evidence, historians decide which evidence is credible and which is not to arrive at their own conclusions. Clearly storytelling is a big part of how history is written.

　　Particularly when it concerns ancient history, all historians must be storytellers to a certain degree. Connecting the dots of surviving evidence from the time period or event being examined requires a certain amount of personal intuition and supposition. Historians that write about events from the more recent periods will probably be less inclined to be storytellers as the sheer mass of evidence that is presented will likely lead to better documentation of historic events as they happen.

觀點(diǎn)陳述型作文/

　　當(dāng)我們關(guān)注歷史研究時(shí)，我們便成為故事講述者。由于我們永遠(yuǎn)也不可能直接知道過(guò)去。而只能通過(guò)對(duì)證據(jù)的解釋來(lái)構(gòu)建歷史，因此，探究歷史地成為一項(xiàng)創(chuàng)造性的事業(yè)，而不是一種客觀的求索。所有歷史學(xué)家都是故事講述者。

上述陳述中似乎存在兩個(gè)不同的視角。開(kāi)頭兩個(gè)句子所涉及到的是探究歷史，所探討的似乎是審視業(yè)已被著述的那種歷史。專注于歷史研究的人不是故事講述者，而是故事解釋者。毫無(wú)疑問(wèn)，在某種程度上，史學(xué)家必須是故事講述者，因?yàn)樗麄冇泄适乱v。但故事講述者這一術(shù)語(yǔ)似乎暗示著一種更大程度上的創(chuàng)造性，要超過(guò)實(shí)際解釋歷史上所發(fā)生過(guò)的一切這一過(guò)程中所涉及的程度。為了的目的，我將集中在史學(xué)家這一視角，因?yàn)檫@似乎是論題中所包含的核心主題。

　　從史學(xué)家這一視角看，大多數(shù)史學(xué)家均無(wú)幸親身經(jīng)歷他們所著述的那段歷史。通過(guò)研究數(shù)以千計(jì)的古老書(shū)信，法律文件，家族的傳世之寶等物件，史學(xué)家必須分析一個(gè)個(gè)殘缺不全的歷史片斷，以某種方式將這些碎片拼湊起來(lái)，重新構(gòu)建實(shí)際所發(fā)生的一切。從這層意義上講，他們不得不成為故事講述者，因?yàn)樗麄兊膫€(gè)人見(jiàn)解不可避免地成為其他人研讀史學(xué)家著作時(shí)所見(jiàn)到的一部分。例如，圍繞著托馬斯杰佛遜實(shí)際上是否與他的一個(gè)女奴生有幾個(gè)孩子、這一問(wèn)題，史學(xué)們眾說(shuō)紛紜。有些史學(xué)家著述道，這幾乎是一個(gè)鐵定的事實(shí)。但其他一些史學(xué)家則反駁說(shuō)，是他的兄弟，而不是杰佛遜本人，才是這些孩子的父親。雙方不可能都對(duì)。他們都是史學(xué)家，他們也是一些故事講述者，給出他們自己的觀點(diǎn)，以期說(shuō)明究竟哪個(gè)版本才是實(shí)際發(fā)生的事件。

　　記載當(dāng)今正在發(fā)生的事件的史學(xué)家們，不太可能被歸入 故事講述者這一范疇，因?yàn)樗麄冏鳛闅v史見(jiàn)證者親身經(jīng)歷了各種事件的發(fā)生。電視、報(bào)紙和其他媒體的報(bào)道鋪天蓋地，幾乎從不間斷。電視所捕捉到的視頻和音頻信息會(huì)被迅速地傳遍全球，并在理論上可永久地存在。對(duì)某一事件作出個(gè)人詮釋的余地越來(lái)越小，尤其是有關(guān)所發(fā)生事件的確切細(xì)節(jié)。但即使是對(duì)于當(dāng)今發(fā)生的事件，史學(xué)家仍有表達(dá)個(gè)人觀點(diǎn)的空間。例如，史學(xué)家早就在爭(zhēng)論美國(guó)政府在無(wú)法令人置信的2001年9月11日悲劇發(fā)生之前關(guān)于潛在的恐怖主義活動(dòng)已擁有了哪些證據(jù)。現(xiàn)在回顧起來(lái)，情況似乎十分明朗，即政府早就知道某種大規(guī)模事件將要發(fā)生。得益于后見(jiàn)之明，我們現(xiàn)在可以看清楚，政府的反恐努力中存在著諸多漏洞。史學(xué)家從現(xiàn)在起將會(huì)針對(duì)事件發(fā)生的確切版本爭(zhēng)論不休，因?yàn)樗麄冊(cè)谠噲D向后代解釋9.11事件時(shí)都將成為故事講述者。

　　例證所有史學(xué)家都是故事講述者這一觀點(diǎn)的另一個(gè)實(shí)例是約翰弗肯尼迪的謀殺事件。誰(shuí)對(duì)這起事件負(fù)責(zé)？實(shí)際上發(fā)生了什么？有關(guān)這類問(wèn)題的各種說(shuō)法構(gòu)成了成千上萬(wàn)部史學(xué)著作的焦點(diǎn)。許多史學(xué)家都言之鑿鑿地宣稱，他（她）對(duì)那段歷史的敘述才是確鑿無(wú)疑的版本。即使在被給予相同證據(jù)的情況下，史學(xué)家也會(huì)去判斷哪些證據(jù)是可信的，哪些不足為信，并最終得出自己的結(jié)論。顯而易見(jiàn)，講述故事在歷史著述中占有相當(dāng)大的一部分。

　　尤其是在涉及到古代歷史時(shí)，所有史學(xué)家在一定程度上都是故事講述者。從被審視的歷史時(shí)期或事件殘存的證據(jù)中將蛛絲馬跡串連起來(lái)，這需要一定程度上的個(gè)人直覺(jué)和假設(shè)。對(duì)較為近期的歷史事件進(jìn)行著述的史學(xué)家可能不太愿意成為故事講述者，因?yàn)樗塬@得的大量證據(jù)可能導(dǎo)致對(duì)所發(fā)生的事件的過(guò)程更為詳盡的記載。

　　When we concern ourselves with the study of history, we become storytellers. Because we can never know the past directly but must construct it by interpreting evidence, exploring history is more of a creative enterprise than it is an objective pursuit. All historians are storytellers.

　　Sample Essay

　　There would seem to be two different perspectives presented in the above statement. The first two sentences are concerned with exploring history and would seem to discuss looking at history that has already been written. People who concern themselves with the study of history are not storytellers, but rather story interpreters. The last sentence refers to the people that write about history, the historians themselves. Certainly, to a certain extent, historians must be storytellers because they have a story to tell. But the term storyteller seems to imply a greater amount of creativity than what is involved in actually explaining what has happened in history. For the purposes of this essay, I will focus on the perspective of the historian, as it would appear to be the underlying core idea.

　　From the perspective of the historian, most historians do not have the benefit of having lived through the period of history that they are writing about. By researching through thousands of old letters, legal documents, family heirlooms and the like, historians must look at fragments of history and somehow put these pieces together to reconstruct what actually happened. In this sense, they must be storytellers because inevitably, their personal insights become part of what others will see when they read the historians writings. As an example, there are many differing opinions as to whether Thomas Jefferson actually fathered children with one of his slaves. Some historians have written that it is a virtual certainty, while others argue that it was his brother, rather than Thomas himself, that fathered the children. They both cannot be right. Although they are all historians, they are also storytellers giving their opinion on what version of events actually transpired.

　　Historians that are documenting events as they happen today have much less of an opportunity to fall into the storyteller category as they are present as witnesses to these events as they are happening. Television, newspaper and other media coverage is widespread and almost unrelenting. Television captures visuals and audios that are spread rapidly around the world and theoretically can last forever. There is much less room for putting ones own spin on an event, especially regarding the exact details of what happened. But even with todays events, there is room for opinion on the part of the historian. For example, historians are already arguing what evidence the United States government had regarding potential terrorism prior to the incredible tragedy of September 11, 2001. Looking back now, it seems obvious that the government should have known that something on a large scale was going to happen. With the benefit of hindsight, there were several failures in the governments counter-terrorism efforts. Historians will now argue over the exact version of what happened, as they become storytellers to try to explain 9/11 to future generations.

　　Another example showcasing the idea that all historians are storytellers is that of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Variations on who was responsible and what actually happened have been the focus of hundreds, if not thousands, of books and historical accounts. Many historians argue vehemently that his or her account of history is the true version. Given the same evidence, historians decide which evidence is credible and which is not to arrive at their own conclusions. Clearly storytelling is a big part of how history is written.

　　Particularly when it concerns ancient history, all historians must be storytellers to a certain degree. Connecting the dots of surviving evidence from the time period or event being examined requires a certain amount of personal intuition and supposition. Historians that write about events from the more recent periods will probably be less inclined to be storytellers as the sheer mass of evidence that is presented will likely lead to better documentation of historic events as they happen.

觀點(diǎn)陳述型作文/

　　當(dāng)我們關(guān)注歷史研究時(shí)，我們便成為故事講述者。由于我們永遠(yuǎn)也不可能直接知道過(guò)去。而只能通過(guò)對(duì)證據(jù)的解釋來(lái)構(gòu)建歷史，因此，探究歷史地成為一項(xiàng)創(chuàng)造性的事業(yè)，而不是一種客觀的求索。所有歷史學(xué)家都是故事講述者。

上述陳述中似乎存在兩個(gè)不同的視角。開(kāi)頭兩個(gè)句子所涉及到的是探究歷史，所探討的似乎是審視業(yè)已被著述的那種歷史。專注于歷史研究的人不是故事講述者，而是故事解釋者。毫無(wú)疑問(wèn)，在某種程度上，史學(xué)家必須是故事講述者，因?yàn)樗麄冇泄适乱v。但故事講述者這一術(shù)語(yǔ)似乎暗示著一種更大程度上的創(chuàng)造性，要超過(guò)實(shí)際解釋歷史上所發(fā)生過(guò)的一切這一過(guò)程中所涉及的程度。為了的目的，我將集中在史學(xué)家這一視角，因?yàn)檫@似乎是論題中所包含的核心主題。

　　從史學(xué)家這一視角看，大多數(shù)史學(xué)家均無(wú)幸親身經(jīng)歷他們所著述的那段歷史。通過(guò)研究數(shù)以千計(jì)的古老書(shū)信，法律文件，家族的傳世之寶等物件，史學(xué)家必須分析一個(gè)個(gè)殘缺不全的歷史片斷，以某種方式將這些碎片拼湊起來(lái)，重新構(gòu)建實(shí)際所發(fā)生的一切。從這層意義上講，他們不得不成為故事講述者，因?yàn)樗麄兊膫€(gè)人見(jiàn)解不可避免地成為其他人研讀史學(xué)家著作時(shí)所見(jiàn)到的一部分。例如，圍繞著托馬斯杰佛遜實(shí)際上是否與他的一個(gè)女奴生有幾個(gè)孩子、這一問(wèn)題，史學(xué)們眾說(shuō)紛紜。有些史學(xué)家著述道，這幾乎是一個(gè)鐵定的事實(shí)。但其他一些史學(xué)家則反駁說(shuō)，是他的兄弟，而不是杰佛遜本人，才是這些孩子的父親。雙方不可能都對(duì)。他們都是史學(xué)家，他們也是一些故事講述者，給出他們自己的觀點(diǎn)，以期說(shuō)明究竟哪個(gè)版本才是實(shí)際發(fā)生的事件。

　　記載當(dāng)今正在發(fā)生的事件的史學(xué)家們，不太可能被歸入 故事講述者這一范疇，因?yàn)樗麄冏鳛闅v史見(jiàn)證者親身經(jīng)歷了各種事件的發(fā)生。電視、報(bào)紙和其他媒體的報(bào)道鋪天蓋地，幾乎從不間斷。電視所捕捉到的視頻和音頻信息會(huì)被迅速地傳遍全球，并在理論上可永久地存在。對(duì)某一事件作出個(gè)人詮釋的余地越來(lái)越小，尤其是有關(guān)所發(fā)生事件的確切細(xì)節(jié)。但即使是對(duì)于當(dāng)今發(fā)生的事件，史學(xué)家仍有表達(dá)個(gè)人觀點(diǎn)的空間。例如，史學(xué)家早就在爭(zhēng)論美國(guó)政府在無(wú)法令人置信的2001年9月11日悲劇發(fā)生之前關(guān)于潛在的恐怖主義活動(dòng)已擁有了哪些證據(jù)。現(xiàn)在回顧起來(lái)，情況似乎十分明朗，即政府早就知道某種大規(guī)模事件將要發(fā)生。得益于后見(jiàn)之明，我們現(xiàn)在可以看清楚，政府的反恐努力中存在著諸多漏洞。史學(xué)家從現(xiàn)在起將會(huì)針對(duì)事件發(fā)生的確切版本爭(zhēng)論不休，因?yàn)樗麄冊(cè)谠噲D向后代解釋9.11事件時(shí)都將成為故事講述者。

　　例證所有史學(xué)家都是故事講述者這一觀點(diǎn)的另一個(gè)實(shí)例是約翰弗肯尼迪的謀殺事件。誰(shuí)對(duì)這起事件負(fù)責(zé)？實(shí)際上發(fā)生了什么？有關(guān)這類問(wèn)題的各種說(shuō)法構(gòu)成了成千上萬(wàn)部史學(xué)著作的焦點(diǎn)。許多史學(xué)家都言之鑿鑿地宣稱，他（她）對(duì)那段歷史的敘述才是確鑿無(wú)疑的版本。即使在被給予相同證據(jù)的情況下，史學(xué)家也會(huì)去判斷哪些證據(jù)是可信的，哪些不足為信，并最終得出自己的結(jié)論。顯而易見(jiàn)，講述故事在歷史著述中占有相當(dāng)大的一部分。

　　尤其是在涉及到古代歷史時(shí)，所有史學(xué)家在一定程度上都是故事講述者。從被審視的歷史時(shí)期或事件殘存的證據(jù)中將蛛絲馬跡串連起來(lái)，這需要一定程度上的個(gè)人直覺(jué)和假設(shè)。對(duì)較為近期的歷史事件進(jìn)行著述的史學(xué)家可能不太愿意成為故事講述者，因?yàn)樗塬@得的大量證據(jù)可能導(dǎo)致對(duì)所發(fā)生的事件的過(guò)程更為詳盡的記載。