Reading response: Word choices and historical silences

Trouillot focuses his efforts on emphasizing the importance of word choice and searching the silences within a particular set of sources. On the prompt of the Mexican-Texan conflict, he writes that not only did Santa Anna lose the battle at San Jacinto but also “lost the battle he had won at the Alamo”(pg 27). This is an incredibly important point, one that demonstrates how although Santa Anna was able to kill the opposing forces and win the territory back, his defeats would be the battles committed to public memory. Nearly two hundred years after the event, most Americans know the phrase, “Remember the Alamo”, and consider the actors to be heroes who fought the good fight. This change of narrative plays a role of great importance in the recording of history. This narrative turned a victory into a defeat for Santa Anna and changed events into myth. I believe the impact of word choice when recording historical events is paramount to how the events are viewed in the future. Trouillot spends some time discussing word choice and how certain words can emphasize the importance of an event influence how the event is discussed. I would add that especially as historical works are translated and how languages change throughout time, the meaning of those words can be lost or heavily misinterpreted. Another point Trouillot makes is how things like historical fiction can greatly influence public opinion on historical events. Although the viewers know that the characters and story are fictional, they do, for the most part, believe the conditions and points of view of the main characters and the entertainment value helps the fiction reach a far wider audience than a book about the events of the time.

Regarding the story of San Souci, it is fascinating how someone can be wiped from the local history of a place. While many foreign historians know of the existence of San Souci the man, few local Haitians know of him although they continue to invoke the name. The historical significance of a person can be completely lost to history if the material culture and records of life are obliterated, as a military “loser” is deemed unimportant at the time of the event. This calls to mind the efforts Egyptian King Thutmose III actively destroyed records and images of his stepmother Hatshepsut, the first female Egyptian ruler, in an attempt to remove her from history. Were he successful, Hatshepsut’s legacy might be lost to the sands of Egypt. Perhaps those who knew San Souci saw him as the defeated Haitian general and abandoned his grave, material belongings, and other artifacts associated with him as soon as Henry Christophe took power as a sign of allegiance to the new ruler. What other important characters have been completely lost in this manner? Those who have been purposefully erased from the collective cultural memory could have quite possibly changed the course of human civilizations. Even if a something is backed by up by multiple different sources, there will always be something missing, something the original author omitted intentionally or not.