There are vast differences between the way we think today and the ideas of characters in the past. We cannot fully understand why people did what they did, or how they thought without understanding the beliefs and social norms of the times in which they lived.
Taking historical perspective means that we attempt to understand the social, political, and emotional setting that shaped the way people lived & acted in the past. Different historical characters may have conflicting beliefs and we need to understand those diverse perspectives as well as understanding how those ideologies vary from the way we think today.
Young men caught in WWI often had conflicting feelings. Pilots had great respect for other pilots whether enemy or not, however, if they didn’t shoot to kill, they might be the ones dead the next day. There was an odd camaraderie and chivalry among aviators from both sides. Ace Billy Bishop mentions his officers' mess wining and dining a downed German pilot before reluctantly handing him over to the army. When a pilot from either side went down behind enemy lines, the "enemy" would drop a note to inform his comrades whether he had been killed in a crash or taken prisoner. When a renowned pilot died, his erstwhile adversaries would drop a wreath and note of condolence over his airfield. Source
Draw from firsthand accounts to learn the values which would create the conflicting emotions of both elation and sorrow when a pilot shot down an enemy aircraft. Be careful not to impose your own present-day values. Draw a bubble chart to show reasons for the emotions of both elation and sorrow.
Go to online resources for links:
WWI: Air Warfare~Roy Brown and the Red Baron – See the Letter from the Front -Roy Brown to his father, April 27, 1918
WWI: Air Warfare~Last Battle of Werner Voss
WWI: Air Warfare~Billy Bishop, Canadian Flying Ace
The sample bubble chart was designed with free web programming at www.bubbl.us
Answers will vary.
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