USELESS MATERIAL

I've had enough of useless classes and assignments given to us at St. Johns. People can say all they want that " THESE CLASSES WILL HELP YOU DOWN THE ROAD IN SOME SORT OF WAY!" "THESE CLASSES ARE TO MAKE EACH PERSON WELL ROUNDED". Do not listen. These classes do nothing. Depending on how we do in these classes dictates our future. That is pretty sad. Sure, doing your work and getting good grades shows that you invested the time into something and showed dedication, but look at what your time is getting invested in. Learning how to calculate the exact side of a triangle, real useful. We should have classes on things that are actually needed, such as on kindness or manners. It sounds stupid, but is needed.

The Nature of Memory and Memoirs

After reading "Researching your Own Life", I have come to many conclusions about what reflecting on your memories and memoirs means. Memories are events stored in your brain. You can go back or retrieve these memories at anytime you'd like. Since memories are your opinion, doing research can make your memories more tangible and more complex. Memory also ties into writing a memoir. Since memoirs are writting solely from reliving and revising past experiences, going back to specific memories can help you to do this. Writing a memoir is a process of researching one's own life, or thinking over past events. It does not involve just thinking and recording, but also revising past events, whether it be adding or omitting certain material, "because to see the past anew is often to view it, even at a great distance, more clearly". You must do extensive research into yourself to discover or change facts, theories, or opinions. The story states that "many of the best memoirs demanded that the writers engage in the wonderfully tedious necessities of research". This involves looking for evidence to confirm your opinion and expand your past experiences. Writing a memoir is like reliving past events, where it does not just explain the past, but also presents a chance to stimulate your memory of the past. Research can expand a story and bring out many new details not yet discovered.