Men make their own history, but they do not make it just as they please; the do not make it under circumstances chosen by themselves, but under circumstances directly found, given and transmitted from the past. The tradition of all the dead generations weighs like a nightmare on the brain of the living (Marx p. 595).
The attempt of people trying to change the world and human life is the meaning of everything. The awareness of making freedom real but other circumstances not resist but threatens this freedom. History remains the captive necessity. I picked this passage becuase people make their own history and oppression has always been the predominant theme of history. What rules and oppresses one person is always another person therefore our ability to change the world and our inability to do so purely through reflexion.
Jasmine,
ReplyDeleteI would agree with your interpretation of the quote. Change is always a good thing in everything that we do. People in general make history because they are the ones who set the standards, even though there are some who oppresses one's decision.