Memories at a Slant

Memory is a funny thing and everyone remembers things differently. We remember things at a slant. Someone can remember that they said something one way and someone else can remember it the other way. That is why the phrase, "I am paraphrasing," exists. There are movies, books and many other forms of media that use memory as a way to tell their stories.

For instance I have two memories that stick out greatly. In the early 90’s, I was maybe four or five, I do know it was before my mom and dad split up. We were stationed on Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany, I was outside playing pretend with my friends. They had chosen to be the pink and yellow Power Rangers, I wanted to be a girl power ranger too, but none were left. I cried to my mom who was standing over us on the balcony overlooking the grassy area in front of the apartments. “How about the orange Power Ranger?” she had said. The three of us all agreed and went on playing. Ever since then I have always said I was the orange Ranger, even though she doesn’t exist. This however does come more clearly to me than the other memories, mainly due to me compartmentalizing them. I can pinpoint them, they do become images and it is like a dream. “Most of us can pinpoint them, these images that assume a privileged station in our life’s story” (Miller &Paola, 2012).

I know I said before that I didn’t want to take about sad, but it helps when I’m feeling sad to remember why I feel the way I do. I can remember the first time my dad yelled at me, like really yelled at me. We were stationed in Arizona I had walked home from school when I wasn’t supposed to. He had been so worried that something had happened to me that he screamed at me more so than yelled. I try to hide those memories because I don’t like them. “The memories that can have the most emotional impact for the writer…” (Miller & Paola, 2012).