Philippine E-Journals

Narrating Intramuros Telling the Story of Our Past

Jose Victor Z. Torres

Discipline: Humanities

 

Abstract:

Knowing history is important to the student. However, we had never removed the old habit of teaching history by memorization. Who? Where? What? When? This has become the standard of teaching history.

 

The best way to narrate history is to tell it’s story. To do this, we must know all the facts that can be learned. We try to learn everything, the smallest details, if possible. And what I mean by this is including trivia or what we can call, gossip. Then we narrate. A word about trivia. Trivia attracts listeners. In fact, it is the spice of a historical narration. But teachers or writers must be careful in using it. They must only provide a sprinkling of it in their lessons or articles. They are not tsismosos or tsismosas. They must not divert their listeners or readers from the fact that what they are saying or writing is worth listening to or reading. They must blend the general topic with the trivia.