#trasmutare

[trasmutare]

Old treasures in my mother's library.

[almostreading]

Hi, I need an advice: I'm studying history and philosophy. This semester two of the exams will be Greek History and Roman History. So I was wondering...how do I remember all of the names and dates? It's like...I remember the events but sometimes it's difficult to remember those things. Sorry for the dumb question, but I can't find the right method.

This is in no way a dumb question because everyone who studies history knows that trying to remember all the dates and the names can be extremely frustrating and in some cases it’s also a big part of what you need to learn. My university does more essays than exams, so I don’t have the most experience with university history exams, but I have still had a few and in high school I had to learn so many dates and names, so I think I can be of some help here.

The first things first: ask if you actually need to know the dates and the names. It depends on the university, the course and the professor, but surprisingly often you don’t actually need to remember all the little details. Whenever I have an exam coming up it tends to be the first question I ask, the answer has always been that we maybe need to know these two or three names and dates and we shouldn’t bother with the rest. Might seem very obvious, but sometimes we get caught up in thinking we have to know absolutely everything even when we don’t. 

Now for the actual tips:

With small details starting early enough is especially important, especially for me. I can learn events quite fast, but I need to repeat names and dates many times and it works better if I do it little by little over a few weeks instead of a few days or a few hours.

Big visual timelines have been my absolute saviour. I turned one of my walls into a big timeline when I was studying for my A levels, it gives you perspective and when done well they combine dates, names and events into very easily manageable packages that are easier to remember than just written down notes.

Flash cards are a very obvious but efficient way. I can not recommend the quizlet app enough for learning things like these, because on top of traditional flash cards it also makes your flashcards into different games; that way you have more variety and also having it in game form makes me feel very competitive and makes me learn it faster.

Mnemonic devices sound like some big and complicated thing but you probably already do them without thinking that that is what it is. Just find associations and tricks that work for you, and remember, the stupider it is the better it is. Your classmates can also have some and sometimes it’s easier to remember other people’s ones that to come up with your own-

Work with your classmates, or at least try it. It might be a total unproductive disaster, but quizzing things like dates is pretty easy and saying them out loud and being corrected help. Just make sure the people you are studying with have the right dates

With names having pictures of the people can help surprisingly much. With Greek and Roman history this can be a bit trickier sometimes but you know, find a picture of a statue and stick it in your notes, you might remember the face and then the name will come to you.

Those are the things I use! Hope it helps at least a bit and if anyone else has any good ones of their own feel free to add them! 

[trasmutare]

Finding the time to read while preparing for the exams isn't easy. I talk about it on my latest post on instagram.

[trasmutare]

Relaxing with a book while also preparing for an exam is rare, but I love when I get to do it.

[trasmutare]

Pride and Prejudice, cinematic adaptation by Joe Wright.

[trasmutare]

Day 1/17 preparing the Medieval History exam: the sky is rather gloomy and I'm studying the first 45 slides of the PowerPoint presentation on the High Medieval Period.

[franronc]

[francescapozzi]

Liminale trasmutato Acrilico su tela, materiali tessili di recupero. 30x40 cm

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L' opera, di dimensioni 30x40 cm, è realizzata con acrilico su tela e materiali tessili di recupero. I teli di lino dismessi, portatori di una storia e di un vissuto, sono stati trasformati e sublimati, assumendo una nuova vita come elementi materici incollati sulla tela. La loro stratificazione e plasmatura creano un dialogo visivo tra passato e trasformazione, in una narrazione catartica.

Tra il giallo della terra e le vibranti tinte del violetto del cielo, si incontra una linea blu, ad evocare l'archetipo dell'acqua, simbolo delle emozioni e potere purificatore. Il blu non si limita a dividere gli spazi, ma agisce come un confine fluido, una soglia che unisce e separa, evocando al contempo quiete e trasformazione. Dipingendo anche i bordi spessi della tela, l’opera si espande oltre i limiti della superficie frontale: il blu avvolge e contiene la composizione, suggerendo che il processo di trasformazione non è confinato, ma si diffonde oltre ciò che è visibile.

L’opera evoca suggestioni che parlano tanto di una catarsi umana, quanto della terra stessa: il contrasto tra le tonalità calde e le sfumature fredde richiama un deserto che incontra il cielo in tempesta, mentre il blu rappresenta un flusso d’acqua che riporta equilibrio, come un ciclo eterno di dissoluzione e rigenerazione. La tensione tra queste forze visive e simboliche invita l’osservatore a riflettere sul potere trasformativo insito nella natura umana, della terra, della materia e del gesto creativo, che non solo rigenera ma eleva, rendendolo simbolo del viaggio umano e universale verso la rinascita.

Liminale trasmutato è, quindi, una soglia visiva ed emotiva, dove passato e futuro, dissoluzione e rinnovamento, si incontrano per creare un nuovo equilibrio.