Perspective and Memory
{An adaptation of one of my college assignments.}
Reading is a safe haven for many people. Avid readers are usually hooked on reading and enthralled by the fact that when they read, they are able to escape the crazy world that they live in and go to another crazy world. The only difference is that the crazy world that they are venturing into is not real.
The author of the book and the imagination of the reader makes the book come to life. The characters are safe and unable to be harmed. Although battles may take place in a book, the characters cannot be harmed because they are not real. However, when a reader comes across a book of historical fiction, they usually feel emotions throughout the book because they know that most, if no all, of the experiences portrayed in the book actually happened to a person that lived in this world.
Books come in many different sizes, shapes, colors, languages, and highlight many cultures. Each book has its own - shall we say - personality. The contents of a book are like the inside of a person's brain and heart. Their deepest feelings, their deepest hopes, and their fears are all present and able to be seen. Each book has a personality. Most of that personality is thought to be from the author. I think that every story that is told sometimes writes itself. We all know thoughts, fears, and hopes. But usually all of those are inter-related; you cannot tell about one without telling about all three.
Books are where your wildest dreams can take place. Do you want to know the best part about your daydreams not being in the public eye? You do not have to worry about anyone judging you or your thoughts, no matter how sane or crazy they are. I know that there have been many times where I was reading another author's work and then I saw myself imagining a different ending, or sometimes even imagining myself in the book as one of the characters.
When writing my own works, I do not have to worry about anyone else judging what I have to say or what my thoughts are. I think that this is why journals are so important. Everyone needs a place that only they know about, where they can dream their craziest dreams and let their greatest fears be known. It is awesome when only the author has access to those thoughts. That way, they will not worry about being judged or having to get their feet back on the ground. Everyone needs to be crazy sometimes!
Reading and writing help us to grow in so many ways. Not only can it help us understand ourselves more, but it can also help us to understand everybody else. Reading helps the imagination to grow in soo many ways. Reading can also help us gain knowledge about many different things. We can learn about pharaohs in Egypt, cathedrals in Europe, the latest scientific discoveries, or we can learn about Siamese twins. There are so many different things that we can learn from reading. It offers an escape to our wildest dreams, and also helps us to keep our feet planted firmly on the ground.
Various types of writing teach us different things. They can also help every person relate to unique situations. For example, let's say a little girl whose pet dog just died picks up a book entitled 'Saying Goodbye to Spot'. That book will probably grab her attention and maybe make it easier for her to understand that her dog died. There are also inspirational books; their purpose is to inspire us to be a better person, in a certain aspect of our lives.
Reading helps the imagination grow. Reading is made much easier when the reader has a 'video' or visual of the story playing in his/her brain. If you can 'see' the story and see how much each part of the story works into the bigger picture, you will most likely enjoy the story more. The gift of 'seeing' a story from the beginning is not easily gained by all. I was lucky and grew up loving reading!
From a young age I was captivated by books and what happened, or could happen, in the lives of other people. Because of an accident that happened in my childhood, I cannot easily remember what it was like to be a child nor what happened in my earlier years. I remember hearing stories from my parents and siblings about certain things that happened in my childhood, but I cannot recall them from my own memory.
Luckily, I have this gift of 'seeing' stories. Because of it, I have been able to put some childhood stories together. Naturally, I cannot 'see' exactly how the memory transpired, but I have been able to compile information about the experiences. It's really interesting to piece an experience together as I get the perspectives of different individuals. The 'episodes' of my childhood remain incomplete.
Reading helps us discern between personalities. Individual personalities can be seen in various aspects of a writing. They can be seen in the writing itself, as mentioned earlier. Contrasting personalities can also, naturally, be seen among the different characters, as well as objects, in the writing. Characters will obviously be very diverse and unique. Most people understand that each person has a unique personality. No two people are exactly the same. They may seem like they are, but it is impossible. Just like zebras, or even snowflakes, we are alike at first glance, but up close and looking into each others' lives, we are all unique. Writings can help us see and appreciate different personalities, even without meeting the characters.
Just like we each have a unique personality, we each have a different perspective. I mentioned earlier about my childhood and how I am only able to remember it because of the perspective of others. My memory is not whole, so I have to rely on the memory of others. That is a scary thought. I have to trust others to remember what happened to me. No one should have to experience that. It seems unfair. I know that they all have different perspectives of how things happened and I have little to no memory of my early years, so how can I possibly know how truthful they are being? It is hard sometimes. I do not trust easily (for many reasons), so the fact that memories have to be stored and re-lived vicariously is troublesome for me.
When I was five years old, I broke my arm at a family reunion. I gained the following information from different family members; each has a different perspective of the event. I fell off a twelve foot slide. I wanted to be a 'big girl' and go down the 'big slide' with the older kids. When I fell my older sister, who was eight at the time, was proud of herself for retrieving my glasses, or as she called them my 'pretties'. My mother was scared. She had been sitting and talking with her brothers and sisters about the daily antics of their children. One minute her life was fun and she was laughing, the next she had me in her lap. I was in shock from the fall. I didn't cry or make any noise.
I have been blessed to 'see' my childhood, although my personal memory is altered. I have to put the pieces of my childhood back together, using various sources. I am able to make my life seem more real. I can 'see' episodes of my childhood because of the perspectives of others. #SoBlessed
Love,
D.J. Lathrop
Reading is a safe haven for many people. Avid readers are usually hooked on reading and enthralled by the fact that when they read, they are able to escape the crazy world that they live in and go to another crazy world. The only difference is that the crazy world that they are venturing into is not real.
The author of the book and the imagination of the reader makes the book come to life. The characters are safe and unable to be harmed. Although battles may take place in a book, the characters cannot be harmed because they are not real. However, when a reader comes across a book of historical fiction, they usually feel emotions throughout the book because they know that most, if no all, of the experiences portrayed in the book actually happened to a person that lived in this world.
Books come in many different sizes, shapes, colors, languages, and highlight many cultures. Each book has its own - shall we say - personality. The contents of a book are like the inside of a person's brain and heart. Their deepest feelings, their deepest hopes, and their fears are all present and able to be seen. Each book has a personality. Most of that personality is thought to be from the author. I think that every story that is told sometimes writes itself. We all know thoughts, fears, and hopes. But usually all of those are inter-related; you cannot tell about one without telling about all three.
Books are where your wildest dreams can take place. Do you want to know the best part about your daydreams not being in the public eye? You do not have to worry about anyone judging you or your thoughts, no matter how sane or crazy they are. I know that there have been many times where I was reading another author's work and then I saw myself imagining a different ending, or sometimes even imagining myself in the book as one of the characters.
When writing my own works, I do not have to worry about anyone else judging what I have to say or what my thoughts are. I think that this is why journals are so important. Everyone needs a place that only they know about, where they can dream their craziest dreams and let their greatest fears be known. It is awesome when only the author has access to those thoughts. That way, they will not worry about being judged or having to get their feet back on the ground. Everyone needs to be crazy sometimes!
Reading and writing help us to grow in so many ways. Not only can it help us understand ourselves more, but it can also help us to understand everybody else. Reading helps the imagination to grow in soo many ways. Reading can also help us gain knowledge about many different things. We can learn about pharaohs in Egypt, cathedrals in Europe, the latest scientific discoveries, or we can learn about Siamese twins. There are so many different things that we can learn from reading. It offers an escape to our wildest dreams, and also helps us to keep our feet planted firmly on the ground.
Various types of writing teach us different things. They can also help every person relate to unique situations. For example, let's say a little girl whose pet dog just died picks up a book entitled 'Saying Goodbye to Spot'. That book will probably grab her attention and maybe make it easier for her to understand that her dog died. There are also inspirational books; their purpose is to inspire us to be a better person, in a certain aspect of our lives.
Reading helps the imagination grow. Reading is made much easier when the reader has a 'video' or visual of the story playing in his/her brain. If you can 'see' the story and see how much each part of the story works into the bigger picture, you will most likely enjoy the story more. The gift of 'seeing' a story from the beginning is not easily gained by all. I was lucky and grew up loving reading!
From a young age I was captivated by books and what happened, or could happen, in the lives of other people. Because of an accident that happened in my childhood, I cannot easily remember what it was like to be a child nor what happened in my earlier years. I remember hearing stories from my parents and siblings about certain things that happened in my childhood, but I cannot recall them from my own memory.
Luckily, I have this gift of 'seeing' stories. Because of it, I have been able to put some childhood stories together. Naturally, I cannot 'see' exactly how the memory transpired, but I have been able to compile information about the experiences. It's really interesting to piece an experience together as I get the perspectives of different individuals. The 'episodes' of my childhood remain incomplete.
Reading helps us discern between personalities. Individual personalities can be seen in various aspects of a writing. They can be seen in the writing itself, as mentioned earlier. Contrasting personalities can also, naturally, be seen among the different characters, as well as objects, in the writing. Characters will obviously be very diverse and unique. Most people understand that each person has a unique personality. No two people are exactly the same. They may seem like they are, but it is impossible. Just like zebras, or even snowflakes, we are alike at first glance, but up close and looking into each others' lives, we are all unique. Writings can help us see and appreciate different personalities, even without meeting the characters.
Just like we each have a unique personality, we each have a different perspective. I mentioned earlier about my childhood and how I am only able to remember it because of the perspective of others. My memory is not whole, so I have to rely on the memory of others. That is a scary thought. I have to trust others to remember what happened to me. No one should have to experience that. It seems unfair. I know that they all have different perspectives of how things happened and I have little to no memory of my early years, so how can I possibly know how truthful they are being? It is hard sometimes. I do not trust easily (for many reasons), so the fact that memories have to be stored and re-lived vicariously is troublesome for me.
When I was five years old, I broke my arm at a family reunion. I gained the following information from different family members; each has a different perspective of the event. I fell off a twelve foot slide. I wanted to be a 'big girl' and go down the 'big slide' with the older kids. When I fell my older sister, who was eight at the time, was proud of herself for retrieving my glasses, or as she called them my 'pretties'. My mother was scared. She had been sitting and talking with her brothers and sisters about the daily antics of their children. One minute her life was fun and she was laughing, the next she had me in her lap. I was in shock from the fall. I didn't cry or make any noise.
I have been blessed to 'see' my childhood, although my personal memory is altered. I have to put the pieces of my childhood back together, using various sources. I am able to make my life seem more real. I can 'see' episodes of my childhood because of the perspectives of others. #SoBlessed
Love,
D.J. Lathrop
Comments
Post a Comment
Hey, I would love to hear your thoughts!
Thank you so much for your support in this adventure called life!