An Essay On 'The Art Of The Memoir' By Mary Karr

I’m sure many have shared stories of their high school experiences and can relate when I say those four years have taught me many lessons. During this time, I’d come face to face with the fraudulent friendships, temporary romances, and other high school dramas that my parents once warned me about—those of which I simply brushed off as myths. It wasn’t the 90’s anymore— times have changed and people are different—or at least, that’s what I thought.

William Zinsser is the person that wrote “How To Write A Memoir ”. William Zinsser gave us some advice to write a memoir. These specific advices are “Be Yourself”,” Speak Freely”, and “Think Small”. In Bad Boy, Walter Dean Myer memoir uses Zinsser advice but not in a exact way Zinsser wrote his memoir. Zinsser give us suggestions such as “Be Yourself” , ”It Your Story”, and “Think Small”.

When written properly, memoirs can tell life stories in interesting ways. William Zinsser wrote an informative essay called "How to write a memoir" which gives tips and guidelines on its namesake. The book, Boy Tales of Childhood, follows a multitude of Zinsser's tenance from "How to Write a Memoir" because Roald Dahl writes from one perspective and tells his true opinions about people, but he does not center the story around solely himself.

Now before you get too comfortable with the simple little title listen up buttercup and allow me to let you in on a little secret. I’m not what you would call a nice guy I might walk the walk, but deep down once you get to know me on a comfortable level I can come off as a dick and often times I don’t think before I talk. It’s good that I’m getting this out of the way because according to Mary Karr in her book titled “The Art of Memoir” she mentions that “the best writers make you feel they’ve disclosed their soft underbellies." Which I believe highly qualifies my memory as a memoir due to the fact that I’m being honest and I’m being myself. I believe that I have given my all into this paper disclosing to you about my personal love life. Now before you read on into my so called “exciting” life allow me to give you a bit of a warning I may or may not say something that might offend you and if you are one of those that gets easily offended, I highly advice you to put this paper down and walk away just pretend you never even laid eyes on it. Now for you brave souls that are still reading this then congratulations, you have passed and you are ready to read about my dysfunctional life.

Final minutes of the first half winding down, my team was marching down the field with a purpose. Across the gridiron was our rival team, Mayfield, who we had beat the previous year in the state championship game. It was a cold November night and the stage was set, playing on their home field, “The Field of Dreams,” in Las Cruses, New Mexico in the semi-finals of the state tournament. Up 14-0, we had the ball and were trying to score before going into halftime. I was handed the ball for a running play and then it happened. Falling to the ground as if I had been shot, I had completely torn my hamstring. I was in complete shock as I lay on the ground. As the pain

Later as an adolescent, I was an active member of my high school’s Girls Football team and Volleyball. I attend a post-secondary institution right after high school; I received my Medical Assistance Certification from Star Technical Institute in Whitehall, PA. I pursue my dreams of obtaining the education I had always desired and found a great job in the medical assistance field. Another event, which shifted my life forever, was accepting a marriage proposal at a young age and marrying in 1991. I made it clear from the beginning that my education was very important to me and marriage would not stand in the way of my pursuing post-secondary studies or even completing high school. When I announced my engagement due to my pregnancy I was, determine to complete all my studies to make a better life for my son. I became a mother in February 1991 and continued to work as a Manager for a retail store until my husband, who had been unemployed since our marriage, found work. When he secured employment, it gave me the financial flexibility to pursue my dream of attaining higher education, In July 1992. Working in the medical field, you gain so much knowledge and then transferring into the mortgage career, I gained lots of experience. My last job I went back to the medical field as that was the quickest job I can find in my area that was hiring. I was so nervous due to not knowing anyone and having to relearn everything all over

“If, when you’re older, someone comes knocking on your door asking you some heated questions that you’re not sure how to answer, just stop and say “I want an attorney” and they’ll have to provide you with one as a basic right,” she stressed.

Yeah, I directed an episode of Haven in its last season. And that was something I had always been working toward even before I worked on Haven. I've shadowed directors as much as I could and as long as I could in the hopes of one day getting to direct myself. And that actually came to pass, and the experience was beyond my wildest dreams. It was just incredible. I loved it. I was terrified and just completely overwhelmed the whole time with a combination of sheer terror and pure joy. It was amazing.

"If my men are too scared to return without Hannah Curtis, I will happily let Miss Curtis kill them. There is no room for cowardice in these ranks, boys. I, however, am no coward and an honorable warrior will let me go free back to my Queen." The Commander sounds disgusted as he raises his voice to address me, assuming I'm somewhere near him. Which is true, obviously, yet he can't be sure.

3 months later at Lakes Memorial hospital in Salt Lakes ,Michigan around 5:30 am on January 5,1993 on a cold windy Tuesday morning just before the break of dawn Mary Monley gave birth to a beautiful baby boy with bright red “carrot” and blue eyes in a private cold room with pink and blue trimmed walls . A clear nuique was placed beside her nice comfy bed in light blue linen sheets. Mary cried ,”Just like Patrick ,Just like Patrick”. Surrounded by family members and co-workers. The widow of detective Patrick Monley who was slaughter by what look to be a piece of hard metal or steel. The case remains open until this present time .

Before reading this book, I did not really know much about it. I decided I wanted to do a biography, so I researched the top biographies. I read that this book is very heart touching, shocking, and raw. I want to learn what this girl has been going through and if we have any of the same problems. I chose this book because it has many positive reviews and by just reading the summary it sucked me in.

When Mary and I met up this week the first thing she said was she wanted to talk about her work with the ERA some more. She told me that after reading the adamant it really ignited something within her and that she couldn’t understand why it was so difficult for women to be treated the equally as everyone else. She work only green and white for five years and for two years she picketed at a mormon temple in Bellevue, Washington. She also when to Utah as an ERA missionary to talk with women about equal rights. She said she continued on with her Civil Disobedience and modeled her behavior after Alice Paul one of the founders of the National Woman’s Party.

The sunlight shining in through my window wakes me up. It illuminates the sunshine yellow walls, somehow making them an even brighter and warmer color. The room is a sunrise, giving a warm and cmforting welcome to each new day. I smile as I get up and tuck my blankets back into the sides of the bed. “Good morning Teddy!” I say kiss the top of my bears head and put him in his spot next to my pillow.

A variety of people never grow in such ways, they care more about materialistic things than their own life. Experiences of the old woman and the painting prove the most important part to consider in this poem. This article explains how the writer discovers what stands most important in life: “…It is not unusual for a mystical experience to impart a sense of unity where once there was division. Thus, what the poet knows, with a knowledge greater than either her senses or reason can provide, is that there is "almost" oneness among "woman / and painting and season." This mysterious unity makes rescue or salvation almost irrelevant. Even so, that subtle word "almost" keeps such knowledge away from any easy absolute, even that of "oneness." Neither woman nor painting nor season loses the force of their particular existence, to which the poet, through language, must be responsible. Therein lies the "ethics" of the poem ("Overview: 'Ethics'." Poetry for Students, edited by Mary Ruby and Ira Mark). So therefore when the reader discovers that experience stands the most important aspect when deciphering between saving the woman or the painting. The woman endured multiple experiences because she lived life, the painting gives different people numerous

Several poems in the anthology explore the intensity of human emotion. Explore this theme, referring to these three poems in detail and by referencing at least three other poems from your wider reading.’