This week’s assignment includes the reading of another (former) student’s memoir, going over the narrative, deep diving into key details that give readers more thought behind the author’s eyes, and explain how this’ll help in my future memoir.
The title of this memoir I’ll be going over is called Bonding Over Video Games, and it entails the reminiscing of a loved one whose recently passed. In this specific writing, the author speaks of her older brother, whom had passed with a terminal stomach cancer. She speaks of how the two bonded, with her watching him play games and the two debating over each other’s own opinions. It was the only way they’d speak, the two would never interact outside of video games, and even as they grew up and separated, they only spoke of video games during the holidays. When the brother was diagnosed and given little time to live, the sister believed he still had time, and unfortunately waited last minute to tell him how much she cared for him, and how much she loved him. At the end of the memoir, the author urges the reader to tell those around you to tell them your true feelings, as if you wait, you never know when their time is up.
Whilst reading the memoir, there are many key details during the work, speaking of emotions and surroundings, even smells and reminders. The writing starts off with one specifically, speaking of what she remembers during her time in her brother’s hospital room. “Sitting in a dingy hospital room in a hard, vinyl-covered chair, smelling disinfectant and horrible hospital food that he couldn’t even eat, I started to reminisce about my childhood and the important memories that we share.” (Cambria) This beginning sentence gives the reader the thought of a hospital room, and leaves a dark image in one’s mind. This specific hospital, despite (most likely) being sterile and bright with LEDs, feels dark and gloomy with how the author writes, and shows just how emotions can change an environment.
The next room the author provides is her childhood living room, and although her words are small with the details of a “plush carpet” and “giant wood, hopelessly heavy console TV”, it still gives the comfort of nostalgia. Both these examples are what she remembers most, sitting on the carpet, being plush (no matter how many times she’s probably sat there), and the massive TV (that most kids who had a console TV would remember being massive). These small details are what reminds people of the past, and what works so well, even if it’s just two details.
The last detail the author describes which is heavily influential is the scent of “Buttered Popcorn JellyBelly beans”. This detail, even if someone has never had that specific JellyBelly, is something anyone can think of. The specific scent of Buttered Popcorn is so easy to think of, as everyone has had it before, that the scent is easy to remember, it works. When personally reading it, the smell of a movie theater is what wafted into my nostrils, and the key scent of popcorn is where I went instantly. Just because I’ve never had JellyBelly before, doesn’t mean I can’t bring in the thought of Popcorn.
Now, with the thought of all these certain experiences, and the description of the memoir in mind, how does this all go into my own memoir. In my personal opinion, I have no idea. I understand it’s to get my gears going, but my brain has never had gears to begin with. My mind is a winding river, and I just need to choose when and where to board the rapid waves, and where and when to hop off, only going back every so often to certain locations to explore them a bit more. Of course it’ll help with my own writing, but for now, I’m still choosing where to enter the trail of water.
Line without a Hook – Ricky Montgomery