If you could receive any historical memory, which it would be?

   In The Giver, the Giver transfers a memory about snow to Jonas. I want to go back to history and learn about Beethoven.

I am currently learning one of his famous music pieces. I want to go back to that period, and learn about his life. How did he become a world-famous musician? Was he a complete prodigy or extremely diligent? In addition, I want to ask him about the Symphony No.3 in E-flat major, commonly known as the Symphony of the Hero. How could he compose such preeminent, logical, and progressive works at such a young age? Moreover, when I am listening to his popular work, Sonata No.14 in C-sharp minor, The Moonlight Sonata, I want to know whether the stories in nowadays textbooks about the creation of the work are true. Also I am surprised that Beethoven actually has soft and gentle characteristics. Furthermore, there are lots of debates on Beethoven’s death. Some people say that he died because of lead poisoning, while others suggest that Beethoven died because of an ordinary disease. Another group claim that Beethoven died because of his bothersome nephew. In addition, Beethoven’s funeral was massive. More than 30,000 people mourned his death for three days. I really want to experience the entire funeral and mourn for him too.

Learning about history by reading might have the following problems. The book telling the history might not record the full historical events. The author might have his or her own subjective judgment that differs from reality. For instance, I would have an opinion on Beethoven,and another person might have a different opinion. In addition, the writer might purposely exaggerate or even fabricate true events to make the event more interesting to the reader. Moreover, many historical events are passed from one generation to the next, and there might be mistakes or misunderstandings in there telling, with many versions of the same event. Furthermore, books are not picturesque and vivid. Most biographies and historical books don’t have pictures, unlike when you would be living a memory. In a memory, you can see the substance and colors of the world. Moreover, traveling in the memory would be brilliant because then you could see the full event. Also, you can see the truth of the event.

   Memory is very important in our lives. If we humans lost all the memories of the past like in The Giver, then you will live in a colorless and emotionless world.