In the early 1940’s Marie was born into a small tight knit family living in a small rural Kentucky town. Marie is now in her seventies and has led a very interesting life traveling the country, raising four children, and shaping her chosen profession. Our interview sessions were conducted over a period of time, as Marie is very active and has little “free time” to spare. Early Life Her parents meet at a social gathering in town and where married shortly thereafter. Marie’s name was chosen by her grandmother and mother, “because they loved to read the list was quite long with much debate over each name.” If she was a boy her name would have been Francis, so she is very happy to have born a girl. Marie’s great uncle was a physician and delivered her in the local hospital. Her mother, was a housewife, as was the norm in those days and her father ran his own business. Her mother was very close with her parents, two brothers, and two sisters. When her grandmother was diagnosed with asthma the family had to move. In those days a warm and dry climate was recommended, Arizona was the chosen state. Because her grandma could never quite leave home, KY, the family made many trips between the states. These trips back and forth dominated Marie’s childhood with her uncles and aunts being her childhood playmates. Marie’s grandparent’s had an old farm house, which was one of many homes in which she lived, that she remembers most. The house was huge, she learned to walk, climb stairs, and find hiding places in it. The house had a wide wrap around porch with several wide sets of stairs both in front and in back. She remembers sitting on the steps and playing with one of the cats, with which there was a lot of cats living on the farm... ... middle of paper ... ...anizing the boxes of memorabilia into albums for her children, if time permits. The only thing she’ll commit to is that everyone in her family will have a croquet blanket made by her just for them. When looking back over her life, so far, she says not a bad life. Then again she’s not done yet and hopes to have another good ten years. I leave you with her life’s message. “Follow your heart. Life is not a straight line there are lots of curves, circles, and detours. Each and every experience will give you something valuable. Keep close to those you love and who love you. Family is so important. Always do your best, be honest with yourself and others, have integrity, be dependable, like who you are, change what you don't like, keep learning, keep trying, you are better than you think.” (Rodríguez) Bibliography Rodríguez, Marie. Personal Interview.
Marietta was raised in a small town in Kentucky. When she became an adult, she decided she needed a change. She wanted a different name and a different place to call home. She got in her Volkswagon, started driving, and on this journey she changed her name to Taylor. A stranger gave her a three year old Indian child to take care of, who she names Turtle. The two finally settle down in Tucson, where they live with a single mom who is also from a small town in Kentucky. Taylor works for a woman who hides political refugees in her home, and Taylor becomes good friends with two of them. These two refugees act as Turtle's parents and sign over custody to Taylor, so that Turtle could become her daughter legally. Taylor was very unsure about whether or not she would be a good mom, but in the end she realizes that Turtle belongs with her, and that Tucson is home.
On the night of Saturday, February 1, 2014, I sat down with my grandfather, David Latta, to conduct an interview with him. He currently lives in Clarkston, Michigan, in the newly refurbished basement in my mother's house, along with my step-father, sister, and her son. One could say that my mother's household is quite the crowded nest, with four generation living under one roof. The perspective my grandfather obtains from living in such an atmosphere, is not only something I kept in mind while conducting this interview, but something that guided my questions.
"The house is 10 feet by 10 feet, and it is built completely of corrugated paper. The roof is peaked, the walls are tacked to a wooden frame. The dirt floor is swept clean, and along the irrigation ditch or in the muddy river...." " ...and the family possesses three old quilts and soggy, lumpy mattress. With the first rain the carefully built house will slop down into a brown, pulpy mush." (27-28)
Marie-Laure’s life changed when at the age of six she went blind, causing her to become very dependent on the people around her. Her father tried to make her life as
Margaretta Large Fitler came from one of the richest families in the nation, attaining their eight million inheritance from rope-making. It was a “blue-nosed society that advised a girl to get her name in the papers only four times: when you are born, when you make your debut, when you are married, and when you die” (N. pag.). Even when Happy was taken in as blissful and was never seen without a smile on her face there always seemed to be an unspoken sadness that weighted her quiet disposition heavily. Perhaps this came from her mother and father separating when she was only ten, or it could be because her mother being the extremely self-centered woman that she ha...
Caroline was born into a wealthy family in Massachusetts, the daughter of a psychoanalyst and his self-contained painter-wife. She reflects in her memoir that being in her friends’ houses during her school years, she noted that her family was different from the others: they never hug each other,
In the 1840’s, the Perkins’ family worked in the brick-making factory, and they were wealthy for a short period of time. Many businesses collapsed and were bought out, so the wealth didn’t last long. In 1870, the Perkins’ turned to dairy farming to get their money. Shortly after, Frances’ father, Frederick married a woman by the name of Susan Bean. On April 10th, 1880 in Boston, Massachusetts Fannie Coralie Perkins was born. In 1884, when Fannie was four years old, Frederick and Susan had a second child, Ethel (Downey 7). Fannie was very close to her family her entire life. She often spoke of ancestors, she adored and their ways of thinking helped her when she had to make big decisions later on in her life.
Donna May Dyer, named after her uncle Don who was in the WWII at the time, was born August 12th 1945 on a hot Sunday in San Jose, California. Her two sisters, Carol and Beverly, were waiting for her to arrive eagerly. She was born into a loving family of 4. Her father, Andrew Dyer, was a car mechanic during the day and a security guard at night, whereas her mother Winona “Dorothy” Mitchell, worked in retail at Woolworth. They had the most beautiful marriage she had witnessed back then. One her most fond memories of her father was when he'd take her into work with him at a young age to show her off at work. At that time they didn't have car seats so she would stand next to her father and wrap her arms around him to keep steady. He made her feel very safe as they rode together. She loved her mother very much and she even thought of her as her role model even though she was the harsher and stricter parent. She recalled a time when they were over at her friends house for a holiday dinner and she kept on trying to say something but her mother was still talking and she yelled at her mother to shut up, which only got her a swift smack on her bum and she felt utterly humiliated though she knew she deserved it. Holidays were a stressful time for her and her family because they were very busy they had so many dinners and parties to attend, however they loved all of their friends and family so it was all worth it.
Marie was born in Warsaw, Poland on November 7, 1867. Her polish name was Maria Sklodowska but everyone called her Manya. Her parents were teachers and all they talked about how school was school was so important and she needed to study hard. Manya was one of the smartest kids in her school; she finished high school at only 15 years old! When Marie was a teenager she received a gold medal, she worked so hard in school that when it was over she just fell apart. Her father sent her away to her family for a year in the country because of it. When Marie was eight her older sister Zofia, caught typhus fever and had died, about two years later her mother died from tuberculosis, Marie cried her heart out; she had lost the two people she loved most. With all of her families love and su...
Marie, who is a product of an abusive family, is influenced by her past, as she perceives the relationship between Callie and her son, Bo. Saunders writes, describing Marie’s childhood experiences, “At least she’d [Marie] never locked on of them [her children] in a closet while entertaining a literal gravedigger in the parlor” (174). Marie’s mother did not embody the traditional traits of a maternal fig...
Aging and being old was dominated by negative characteristics and conditions such as illness, depression, and isolation for a long time (Eibach, Mock, & Courtney, 2010). At first glance the terms “success” and “aging” seem to be in conflict to each other. When asking people about aging, their answers have many facets that are also found in psychological definitions: successful aging is seen as health, maturity and personal growth, self-acceptance, happiness, generativity, coping, and acceptance of age-related limitations. In the psychological sense successful aging is also often seen as the absence of age-associated characteristics (Strawbridge, Wallhagen, & Cohen, 2002). It seems that successful aging means is not aging.
The story starts out by describing Mme. Loisel and the contrasts between the world she lives in and the one she dreams of. Her life consists of simple clothes, a plain household full of functional things, and simple, healthy food. She has one servant in her house, her husband holds a good, if unglamourous, job, and they are in general a middle class family. This life is...
“Eva come inside!” shouted Jeannine. I was sitting on the porch watching the neighbors play around in the street. I got up and headed inside, Jeannine was making soup for the millionth time. We didn’t have much, just bread and some vegetables from the pitiful garden. The house was very worn, and rustic looking. Hinges were almost falling off the door. I sat down at the table quickly. She handed me a bowl of soup graciously.
She was telling me about how she struggled and managed to complete her education after two kids and added that her mother was a big supporter. She joined in the school as a teacher for a couple of years but then left as her younger son was not doing well health wise. She admitted that she is a very fond of their children and liked to care about everything for them. Her mother died after suffering from cancer 8 years back and after a year her father also died with a heart attack. She has three children and all are
Marry stayed Hartford, Connecticut and attended Bulkeley High School. Her parents were Bill and Sue Cary. She stayed in a small area where everyone was close, but didn’t always get along, so family always meant so much to her. Growing up in a household where family is close and siblings are closer does so much to a person. Marry was the youngest of two daughters so her older sister was not only her sister, but her best friend, idol, and hero. Marry had few friends, but always relied