Writing a memoir Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Writing a memoir - Essay Example I once came face to face with my own feelings toward a bully that made me reassess my own ability to feel empathy toward someone who had never done anything but expressed profound hatred toward me and others. This bully's name was Fidel and he had a habit of picking on people. One day a kid fought back and Fidel was on the receiving end of a good old-fashioned whooping. My sympathy went toward Fidel who had been such a perfect model of a bully rather than the little kid who had avenged us all. Why Why on earth did I suddenly feel this compassion toward a person for whom I had never felt anything but contempt I realized that day that the mind is far more than a mystery; it is a comic mystery, forever capable of upending expectations. What I learned from feeling an unexpected depth of emotion toward someone that I normally feared and despised was that placing some kind of expectation upon emotions is senseless. Whenever I hear someone say something like "nobody would ever react in such and such a way" what they are really saying is everybody reacts the same way to every circumstance. My compassion for a brutal bully allows me to laugh at people expressing such remarkably unimaginative beliefs. The experience with Fidel and the intrusio

Discuss the idea(s) developed by the author about the significance of Essay

Discuss the idea(s) developed by the author about the significance of our memory of the past - Essay Example Memories of the past especially regarding racialism and the white supremacy mentality are evident and still haunt Walt’s future. In other words, the belief that the white race was supreme than others, which was practiced and held for many years still haunts memories of the actor in his past. For example, the author indicates that though "Hmong might be good people," if they wanted anything fixed such as appliances or even cleaning up a yard or even ending the gang war that affect the society, they needed a white person to help and that the white may get away with anything thing. The racist mentality that was practiced in the past still haunts the author; he believes that the whites are supreme over other races in all aspects. The past beliefs in cultural superiority dictate his relationships with other races, which as the film illustrates prevents the author from establishing a cordial relationship with others. Understanding one another early enough dictate how people interact later in life and how this interaction impacts their lives. Walt’s memories of the good and meaningful life he had in the past as a soldier and with the family affects his life, considering he is now alone and in different settings. This makes Walt to sink deep into loneliness and reject any gesture that seeks to lift him from this life. For instance, his oldest son and his wife bring him a birthday gift to make his life better and cheer him up. However, his son’s motives are against Walt’s values and feelings. As a result, he rejects the gift and the suggestion of a retirement home. This suggests that everyone views life in a different and unique lens. In other words, there is a need to understand others and their needs to avoid conflicts. The fact that the two do not understand one another results into conflict. If the two had understood one another before, the son could have known what his fat her needed most at the time,