Stories of the Past

What I found really interesting from the Listening is an Act of Love is the connection they draw between personal oral histories and the impact that everyday people have on the nation. It's not just the big names and phases that we know that create, innovate, and change this country, or the world. It takes everyday people to do the menial labor that is so important to accomplishing the big picture. If it weren't for people sharing their personal histories and stories, especially the individuals that had a hand in historic events, we would perceive these things in a completely different way. To me, what makes things like the StoryCorps interviews so interesting, especially from a sound point of view, is that hearing someone tell their own story makes it all the more meaningful and interesting. We can read a story and be entertained; but when we hear someone telling their life story, we are connected to another human being that has experienced the same trials and triumphs that we have faced, and we are captivated. The Listening is an Act of Love reading really drives home the point that sound, especially the human voice, has a profound affect on how we view the world, on the history we know, and the ideas we hold. Sound and the human voice, the human story, is impactful no matter whose voice or whose story it is.