The article which we were required to read was a man's (David Pillemer) account of how memories between people vary from where they are, who they are with, or how they hear it when the event takes place. For example, in class we had a discussion of 9/11. We talked about where we were, how it affected us and any other thing that may have happened that day. Of course we were only kids at the time and do not really have any burned memories of this event. It may be different from person to person because of family issues, but the majority of our class had identical stories of how their day went.
This article could connect to the theme of our class when looked in a more broad prospective. The main discussion of our class is the study of documentaries and the way the filmmakers decide to film them. I believe the purpose of documentaries is to strengthen or even build memories we may or may not have. David Pillemer discussed how tragic events are burnt into our minds. Some documentary makers take these same horrific memories and either make them their own or strengthen the thoughts we may already have about them.
Another point David makes in his article is that many of the memories the average person have fit a certain criteria. Whether it is an experience with the opposite sex, a tragic death, or some other fantastic or horrific personal experience. Of course someone who had a family member pass with the 9/11 may have an identical memory to someone who had the same thing happen.
All in all David's article got me thinking about how my memories may differ from society, and how I look upon events such as 9/11. It showed me my tragedies may or may not be the same as another person. Even my family may have completely different memories than me and we live together every day for the last 19 years.
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