Learning From the Past
From the book Looking Back by Lois Lowry
You learn from your past. It’s true, we all know it in our own ways. For example, don’t forget to do your math homework. In the book Looking Back by Lois Lowry we learn, you learn from your past, from a series of memories from her childhood and adulthood. In the end we learn that past experiences can potentially help people achieve success.
One way people learn from their past is by meeting other people, and being inspired by others. In the book Looking Back, Lois is inspired by her sister when she reads a book to her. On page 23 when Lois was three years old, her sister is reading the book The Gingerbread Man to her, and Lois says “I wanted to figure out how to read so that I could be the teacher.”(23) Another person she was inspired by was her mother. Lois was inspired by her mother a lot when she was older. On page 122 Lois is having a pretend conversation when she was eighteen with her mother when she was eighteen. She says “She doesn’t raise her eyebrow or shake her head skeptically, and I love her for that. But she seems concerned for me.” (122)
Another way people learn from their past is by experiencing different places and environments. In the book Looking Back Lois experiences lots of different places, such as Hawaii, Japan, And New York City. On page 99 Lois says “Although I loved Japan, my interests during the years of junior high were not concerned with Asian culture or history.” Also When Lois lived in Hawaii when she was young she experienced lots of the Hawaiian culture. On page 27 Lois is explaining her time in Hawaii and says “I am already trying to remove my flowered lei,...”
Thirdly, experiencing different cultures can help you learn from your past. In the book Looking Back Lois, the main character, experiences lots of different cultures and ways of living. Like when She lived in Japan and in New York City. On page 99 when Lois is living in japan she says “Although I loved Japan, my interests during the years of junior high were not concerned with Asian culture or history. Tea ceremonies and flower arranging did not become my hobbies.”(99) Also Lois lived in New York City when she was fifteen and experienced lots of different ways of living there. On page 114 Lois is explaining her time in New York and says “I was getting dressed up to go downtown (we always dress up in those days; sometimes we even wore white gloves.”(144)
People can learn from past experiences. If you think about it your present will soon become your past. The past can affect your future in many ways. How will your past affect you?