Presentism: Could You Separate Your Identity from Those in History?

It is time to close this course. It certainly went fast. I imagine that as many questions were generated as were answered.
One caveat that was introduced in the beginning of the course was whether we would ever be able to have an understanding of people who live different lives. This is always a question, and is the source of many of the issues with diversity. How can I know who you are, as you know yourself?
In the context of this course, it is the question to answer in this, your final paper.
*Give two identities in two different eras that you identified with. Provide some background on their lives.
*Describe at least three ways in which you believe you have an understanding of their lives. Perhaps these related to shared gender, shared level of opportunity, or other connections.
*Provide at least three ways in which you suspect that you are not able to understand their lives. You may have to use your imagination, but defend your answers empirically (with facts).
*Provide some conclusions about Western Civilization and Human Development that you have gleaned from this course. What is a useful course to you? In what way? What did you learn that will make a difference in your future?