Hope

No matter where one is on the life journey, whether he or she is fighting for survival or is isolated from society, there is always hope that can be found.  The underlying theme in countless memoirs is that hope can be discovered anywhere at anytime, even at the most unexpected moments.  In the memoir A Stolen Life, by Jaycee Dugard, Dugard is kidnapped at age eleven for eighteen years.  She is rapped, abused, and forced to live in a shack in the backyard.  Her life is hanging by shreds, but Dugard finds hope to survive to the end of her nightmare.  “Mom is a sense of hope.”  Knowing that her loving mom is still out there gave Dugard the motivation to survive.  Finding hope can be a huge turning point in ones life.  Once Dugard got out of her imprisonment, she recovered from her past and now, “moves on with joy.”  Even in darkest moments of life, hope can lead one out of an endless cave to happiness.  Not only does Dugard take joy in her new life, but she also put the time into creating the Jaycee Foundation: treats families that are recovering from abduction and the aftermath of other traumatic experiences.  The Jaycee Foundation is an example of how finding hope can be so life changing; from being abused everyday for most of her childhood, to helping out others in the same situation.  As long as one can find hope, one can pursue a long, plentiful life.

 

The strength of hope is also well illustrated in the Memoir The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch.  Pausch is a 47-year-old dad of three children that is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  Life seemed dim for him and his children, but he never stopped believing in living a fulfilling life.  “We can’t change the cards we are dealt, just how we play them.”  This quote displays how one can’t change the impossible, but will live proudly with what one has.  This kind of attitude gave hope to many others in similar situations to live life. Most of all, Pausch gave hope to his family.  “Never underestimate the importance of fun.”  He was an outstanding role model for his family on how to be grateful for life and to enjoy it while it lasts.  Even though Pausch died in 2008, his children grew up stronger than ever with just a single mother.  Pausch gave much support and hope to his wife before his death.  For example, they planned out the last 10 months of Puasch’s life to work furiously on the future financial scenario for his wife and children.  Touchy memories of Randy still flare up in the Puasch family, but for the most part, Randy left enough financial and emotional support to keep the family going strong.  The slightest sense of hope can be a deciding factor between life and death.  Hope can shine its way though any barrier or obstacle.                     

                 

      

Fitting into Society

Many of these memoirs are about the main character trying to fit in to society.  Even if the main character thinks differently or initially disagrees what he/she is told to do, the need to fit in will overrun your moral compass.  A good example of fitting into society comes from the Latin King.  This book is about how Reymundo Sanchez grows up in one of the most notorious street gangs in America.  “I wanted to hurt someone to show others that I had what it takes.”  Sanchez wanted to earn the respect of his piers just so he could fit in, even if he felt what he was doing was wrong.  Fitting into society for acceptance is also displayed in the Pianist and the Open.  In the Pianist, a Jewish pianist survives the Nazi invasion of Poland.  “Lying is the worst of all evils.”  Many people during this time tried to disguise their body and lie about their religion to fit in with the Nazis.  The pianist tried to keep playing the piano in a restaurant, but was forced out to an interment camp because he could not physically fit in with the Nazis.  In Open, by Andre Agassi, Agassi grows up not really liking tennis: “Under my breath I whisper.  Just quit, Andre, just give up.” But Agassi plays it anyways because he was socially seen has a good player (especially by his dad).  Although Agassi went on to be a professional tennis player, he didn’t do it for the love of the game, but rather from the inspiration of other people.  In lots of cases, fitting into society is the easiest route available to survive or to earn respect from others.

Fitting into society also makes a person experience certain events that he or she would not have done on their own.  As the person matures and earns more self-confidence, or is taken away from there usually life style, they can look back at theses experiences and see what they did wrong.   This allows you to learn from your mistakes and to fight against what is wrong with society.  A good example of this is in the memoir the Latin King.  Reymundo Sanchez was adapted into the gang life, and killed many people to fit into the gang.  As Sanchez grew older though, he was able to get out of the gang, and see what he has done as wrong.  Now he is working against gang violence and has saved over 500 lives.  Another example of this is in the memoir A Long Way Gone, by Ishmael Beah.  Ishmael grows up being a child soldier, but is taken from taken away from his life style and is rehabilitated.  After his rehabilitation, Ishmael now lives in New York and started his own Ishmael Beah Foundation to help other child soldiers rehabilitate in Africa.  Another example of this is in the memoir Look Me in the Eye.  The main character grows up trying to fit into society with Aspergers.  He is finally diagnosed for Aspergers at age 40, but he learns that “Aspergers is not a disease.  It’s a way of living.”  Now the main character is helping other children that have this disease by embracing them that you are just as equal as everyone else.  Sometimes it takes folding into society to see what’s wrong first hand, so that in the future you can change it.   

Memoir Presentations

One of the memoir presentations that really caught a lot of attention was Mitch’s.  The Fab Five not only impacted the college basketball, but it changed the game forever.  It was unheard of to have five freshmen start on a college basketball team and go to the championship two years in a row.  “Never won a championship…but talked about for 20 years.”  Even though the Fab Five didn’t win a championship, they left such a memorizing sensation that was truly one of a kind.  People to this day still talk about how these five players together brought magic to the court.  The Fab Five also brought a new style to the game: high black socks, baggy shorts, and rap music.  “Because…they were original.”  The reason why the Fab Five is so remembered is because they founded the dress style in basketball that is still used today, and changed the music basketball is correlated with from rock to rap.  The Fab Five really changed the game because they were the famous outliers of their time that has impacted basketball forever.

Another memoir presentation the really caught a lot of attention was Madison’s.  Lucky, by Alice Sebold, displays the magnitude of being raped and the journey it takes to fully recover such an event.  Alice was raped in a dark tunnel that scarred her for life.  “Because it’s true…Because I was raped and now no one will want me.”  Rape is one of the hardest things to face, especially if one tries to pretend like it didn’t happen.  Until one can accept what happened, one live in denial of everything.  Acceptance is also the first step in a long journey to becoming one's true self again.  Not only does one have to fight through this tragedy mentally, but also socially.  “In comparison, they said, I was lucky.”  Lots of people told her that she was lucky that she didn’t die, and that she should be grateful about it.  How can someone be grateful about anything after getting raped?  This resembles how tough it is to recover from rape when everyone else is telling a victim to move on.  Lucky clearly describes an event that people would not understand the severity of unless one has experienced it for them self.