America Diary Entries

I'm on my way to go onto the greatest ship ever! It is such an honor for me to be able to be on this marvelous ship. I finally feel safe, and I know nothing will happen to me on this ship, or in America. In Ireland, I was the mother of our family. My parents died five years ago, when I was twelve, and my brothers, Emmet and Breandon, were only three. Life was very difficult for us. We had nobody to help us, and food was scarce. Now we are on our way to America to stay with our aunt and uncle, where we will live and be taken care of. Currently, my brothers and I are on the boardwalk to go onto the ships, our tickets in hand. Their small eight year old hands lay in mine. We are all nervous, but also ecstatic. After taking out the tickets,

I can’t wait until we reach America, when our lives will change for the better. We are in the dining room, enjoying a lovely dinner that consists of bread and mashed potatoes. My brothers and I are talking about what we will do once we reach America. Then, all of a sudden, we hear a loud noise. Bang! A huge vibration ran through the room, and instantly I know something is wrong. Maybe it is instinct, or maybe it is just my imagination after what my family has been through, but I know something is not right. I raced to the top deck with my brothers in tow, and we took the steps two at a time. There, we saw people running frantically and gathering women and children. Mothers were grabbing their children, and shoving them on life rafts. A man grabbed my shoulders, and when I looked at him, he looked to be someone official.

“M’am, you and your children should proceed and get yourself to safety on the next lifeboat.”, he said.

Right when he said that, I felt like a real mother. Then, I made a horrible realization. My prized possession; the picture of my mother and father, was in our room. I could not leave that behind. If I was going to die, I wanted to do it with them in my hand. Before I went back, I made sure that my brothers were safe. I put them on a lifeboat, hugged them, and said goodbye. I quietly prayed that this moment would not be the last time I saw them. Quickly, I ran as fast as I could back to the room.

“Does she want to die?”

Ignoring them, I continued to run. Finally, I reached the room, and saw the picture on the floor. Our room was destroyed. Every drawer was open from the shaking of the ship. Blankets and pillows were scattered across the room. I grabbed the picture, and looked at my happy mother and father wrapped in each other’s arms. I had always known, even when I was little, that what they had was true love.

I made my way quickly to the top deck again so that I could try to make it onto a lifeboat. The only people left on the ship were men, who were sitting on the floor, crying. I asked a man what was happening, and why everybody was crying.

“The ship hit an iceberg, and we are sinking. There are not enough lifeboats for everybody. Women and children were taken to safety first, and us men, are left here to die.”, the man replied.

The hope I had for seeing my brothers again had vanished. I did not know how to swim. I could feel the ship lowering into the ocean. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a wooden barrel. I figured that I could float on the barrel, until someone came to rescue us, if they ever did. I grabbed the barrel, and held on for dear life. As the ship sunk, it was just me and the barrel against the ocean. Unfortunately, the waves were violent, and I struggled to firmly grip the