I Would Appreciate Feedback on This

Hello,

I would greatly appreciate any and all feedback on this partial essay. It in an incomplete draft, and I would just like to know if I am going in the right direction, or if I should start over. Any opinions or other advice would be much welcomed.

Note: -This is to be judged at an undergraduate level.
-Where you see (Citation), it simply means that I have the citation saved, but am planning on reviewing the proper way to cite such claims. Please ignore these unless they are in a place that does not require a citation, as I am merely looking at the structure of the essay itself at this point.

Thank you very much.

Keeping the Past Alive

George Santayana spoke a great truth when he said, "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." Events in history provide powerful and unique opportunities to learn. More than providing an explanation of how current circumstances came to be, they can teach us empathy, details about human nature, and can give insight into rights and freedoms that many today take for granted. But for the majority of individuals, these lessons are lost as they either do not learn, or do not commit to memory, events of historical significance. It is this reason that makes historical fables- such as The Devil's Arithmetic and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas-- so important. They possess an incredible ability to impart strong emotional responses and themes to their audiences, and are typically better received by the public than lectures and text books: two of the pivotal factors in long-term recall (Citation). Both by increasing exposure to and allowing one to better relate to events in the past, historical fiction can play a pivotal role in the important task of renewing waning interest in the lessons of yesteryear.
The first way in which compiling stories of cataclysmic historic events into a novel or movie teaches the lessons of history is through simple exposure. Few individuals possess the initiative or curiosity to leaf through a textbook or attend a history class, and fewer still will realize the opportunity to speak to a survivor of such an event to hear a first-hand account. Fiction, however, appeals to a wide audience, and is readily available to the masses, covertly teaching history to both academics and those who simply wish to be entertained. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, for example, has sold over five million copies worldwide, introducing many to the horrors of the Holocaust.By presenting history in an engaging manner, historic fiction exposes more individuals to profound moments of the past, and all of the lessons found therein.
The astounding ability for historic fiction to deliver an important message goes far beyond simple exposure, however. It brings a story to life and allows the audience to visualize events, to truly feel as though they were there. The power of vivid imagery in movies and shocking scenes in novels immerses the audience in a way that dry textbooks and lectures never can. And as has been proven in clinical studies, "Emotions give us a more activated and chemically stimulated brain, which helps us recall things better" (Citation). As both teachers and researchers can attest, it somethimes takes the full immersion found in fiction-- be it a novel, film, or other medium-- to make one heed the advice found within past events (Citation)