I. Alcoa House
In Mee Street Chronicles: Straight Up Stories of a Black Woman's Life by Frankie Lennon, the author describes her personal interaction with her Aunt in her essay titled "Alcoa House." She describes her Aunt to be a plain woman whom biggest fear was disorderly conduct in her home.  Auntie's home was very unwelcoming to the narrator, she describes her home as a "cold and austere." Similar to her home Auntie was did not enjoy the narrator's company and was eager for the narrator to leave.


II. No Escape
In Mee Street Chronicles: Straight Up Stories of a Black Woman's Life by Frankie Lennon, the author describes her adventure to find her parents in her essay titled "No escape." In the middle of the night the narrator awakes and  encounters many fairy tale creatures in her quest to escape her home. With help from her Fairy God Mother she gains the courage to continue to find safety in her neighbor's home. The narrator discovers her own strength and courage.

III. Adversaries

In Frankie Lennon's essay titled "Adversaries" from her memoir The Mee Street Chronicles: Straight Up Stories From a Black Woman's Life  she describes two enemies; her Aunt and herself. The narrator and her Aunt have a very strained relationship filled with hatred. She acquires up the courage to stand up against her Aunt and defend herself against physical and emotional abuse. The importance of the relationship is revelaed through the narrator's feelings and brave action in her multiple fights against her Aunt.

Writer's Point of View

In a Woman in Front of the Sun written by Judith Cofer, Cofer writes an essay based upon her travels to her native island Puerto Rico. She gives an in detail description in Woman In Front of the Sun about the lovers she encounter while in the San Juan Airport. Her description on page 53 contrasts the different cultures of the lovers the man being American and the woman being Puerto Rican. This description attributes to the underlining message in her novel about the clash of cultures. The young girl also supplies Cofer with the reality that she is not the only person with this struggle; the struggle to find a median between culture and nationalism.

Memories Essay

Memories are like stories imprinted into our brains. We have happy memories and sad ones too. However the more tragic memories seem to have a lasting impact. Our memories become stories we tell to others in hope they will learn from our lives, but can you force one to value their life? Life is not cherished until you are forced to deal with the idea of mortality, only then can you appreciate the lives of those who are important to you and your own existence.

When someone passes away you grieve, but you know they are in a happier place. However I had to say good-bye to someone and grieve, because they are faced with death everyday. At 9 years old, my worries had changed from those of an innocent child to world issues. In late September of 2001, my father informed that he would be leaving to Iraq later that week. The morning of was dark as night and the air was crisp. My father woke me up from a dead sleep to say his final good-bye. As I hugged him in his camouflage attire I took a deep breath of his own scent. His aura was like any other, but I knew it as my daddy’s smell. As we hugged for the last time, tears fell from my face hitting him like bullets. With the fear of crying himself, he turned his head, slowly walked to the door, blew a kiss, and said, “ I am coming home for you.” For the next few years my heart would drop and my eyes would light up every time the phone rang, hoping it was him, but praying it was not the call. At such a young age I had realized each day is a blessing to live and to treasure the lives of those around you.

           

            My grandfather has always been a blessing to me. As my primary male role, he has created the mold for young men in my life. At the start of my senior year in high school, my grandfather was diagnosed with esophagus cancer. Quickly after being diagnosed, the doctors recommended emergency surgery to remove what they could. The morning of I cried to the thought that today would be the first day of his last few days. Before going into surgery my grandfather asked each person to come in individually to wish him good luck, at his request I was last. The hospital room was cold, white, and smelled of sanitation.  At that moment I had seen my grandfather like never before. He had an endless amount of wires and machines injected into his weak, frail body and wrinkly skin. I immediately began to cry as well as my grandfather, and my grandmother waiting by his side. I only spoke one sentence “I love you papa very very much.” He replied with utter confidence “everything will be just fine, I will be just fine.” Overwhelmed with freight and sadness I shook my head and walked out with my knees preparing to crumble like my heart. This moment had changed my life forever. I became aware of love, the love you cannot put into words, but the love that we are born to share.

            My plans for summer of 2011 included many activities except a car accident. It happened all so quickly, one moment I was laughing with my friends and BAM I was rear ended at a stoplight. The impact felt as if a train going a hundred miles per hour had hit me. My body rattled between my seat and the driving wheel like a rag doll being tossed around by a child. Shaking with fear I turned around to see my passenger’s physical state, each were white as ghosts in shock of what had just happened. That day and everyday from then on, I was aware that driving risks my life and my passenger’s lives. Although I personally was not at fault I had unknowingly become responsible for their lives and placed them in danger. Bad memories leave scars in our brains, but with each scar there is a story to be told and a lesson learned.

            My memories of tragedy and encounters with death have taught me about myself and to appreciate life. I have realized each day living is a blessing from God. With each day you need to remind those important to you that their existence is valuable gift. With out my own personal experiences I believe I would not view life in the same aspect.