6/30 Readings

Summary
In Jerry Waxler’s, “Is writing a memoir therapeutic”, he states that memoirs can be very therapeutic. He observes that writing a memoir is not always going to be easy because recalling past memories might require some thought, but once those thoughts, feelings, and experiences are expressed onto paper, many lessons can be learned. Waxler has came to learn how past experiences and hopes have helped him to arrive where he is today through writing memoirs. He also turns to other books to try to understand how a memoir can heal ones past regrets and feelings. In the NPR listening, Iriel Franklin and her aunt Antoinette Franklin talk about their experiences through and after hurricane Katrina. They talk about their hardest times after the hurricane. Antoinette expresses that her hardest day after the hurricane was seeing her mother and aunt, the strongest women in the family, break down. Iriel than states that her hardest time was not being able to know where her loved ones are. After hearing Iriel almost break down in tears talking about her hardest times. Antoinette says that she needs to stay strong during this whole ordeal.

Reaction
After reading Waxler’s story, I have been giving thought to what I’m going to write my own memoir on. I have started to think about whom and what has given me inspiration to get where I am today. I think this reading has really helped me to somewhat understand more how to write a memoir and how memoirs can help. After listening to NPR, my heart really goes out to the people who had to experience that. I have lived in Florida all my life and have yet to experience a hurricane. I cannot imagine losing everything and having to be relocated from somewhere I have called home for the past eighteen years.

Questions
1. How did Walxer let his feelings “bubble up deep from within”?
2. Will Antoinette and Iriel ever move back to New Orleans?
3. How did Antoinette and Iriel cope with the fact that they got displaced from their home?