University Memoir Assignment: Life in Story and Personal Analysis

This student's assignment is a two-part memoir. The first part is a creative personal memoir of 1000-1250 words, inspired by literary works read during the semester. The memoir recounts an event from the author's childhood in a Canadian village during Christmas. It describes the author's encounter with a poor, hungry boy accused of theft, and the family's decision to help him and his puppy. The narrative highlights themes of kindness, compassion, and the unexpected bonds that can form between people. The second part of the assignment is a critical analysis of the memoir, drawing inspiration from literary works like Oliver Twist and Hamlet, discussing the values and lessons learned from the experience, and exploring the impact of family and community support during times of crisis. The analysis also reflects on the importance of finding the positive in negative situations.

Running head: MEMOIR
Memoir
Name of Student:
Name of University:
Author’s Note:

2MEMOIR LIFE IN STORY
I believe that experience is the best teacher in life. It is only through our experiences that
we get to know the different lesson of life. I am going to narrate such an incident where I was
taught the importance of being kind and compassionate to people. I remember it was the year
2005 and we used to stay at our beautiful, small cozy house at Merrickville, one of the most
beautiful villages in Canada. The morning used to start with the crocking of the hens and the
evening was adorned by the beautiful rays of the setting sun falling on the river in front of our
house.
I remember that the nights were really cold during the winter and there was a lack of
light. As it was mostly a countryside it did not have a very good set of the electric lights during
that time. So, we mostly used to light up our houses with lamps and candles when the electricity
was out. It was the time of Christmas Eve and we were all very excited. I remember that I used to
be so happy every year during the Christmas Eve. This was because it was the only time of the
year when all my cousins used to pay us a visit and we got the time to enjoy a lot. It was the best
family time that we had.
It was the Christmas time again and like every other year I was very happy. It was about a month
before Christmas and I was very happy and cheered up like every other year. I was busy making
all the arrangement for the celebrations I was accompanying my father and my brother in
collecting the firewood by the forest, gathering food, decorating the house and inviting all the
relatives in our house.
The preparations used to be started in the early morning. It would start when I used to
accompany my brother and father deep in the woods. While passing by we saw that there was a
local council meeting at the village and many of the villagers gathered there. I wanted to go near

3MEMOIR LIFE IN STORY
and see what the matter was. My father had initially refused to say that there was no need to
involving ourselves in some necessary problems. However, I was stubborn and I urged them to
go forward and find out the matter. I saw that there was a small boy standing in the middle
awaiting his punishment.
The trial was being conducted by the village councils on the grounds that he was a thief
and had stolen I to the kitchen of the village chief at night. The boy looked poor, hungry,
homeless and cold. He was standing there with his tiny, rugged puppy. I was very sad by looking
at their condition. I wanted to help them. I realized that they were in a very poor and helpless
condition. The boy did not know what to do and where to go so he had stolen unknowingly into
the house in search of some food.
I wanted to help him desperately. However, I was suffering from a dilemma. I did not
know will it be right to speak in front of the village council. I was also suffering from the
dilemma that what if the boy is really a thief or a secret agent from some enemy. However, I
shared all my thoughts with my father and brother. My father was moved by the kind thought
that came into my mind. He was very happy that I wanted to fight the local council for the sake
of helping this boy. He held my hand and went into the crowd.
We defended that poor boy saying that he was not a thief. He did not know what was
right or what was wrong. He was extremely hungry and cold. So, my father said that he would
compensate if the village chief has suffered through any kind of losses. We agreed to keep the
boy and his puppy at our house. I was extremely happy and I used to make sure that they are not
being ill-treated at home. Slowly and gradually they became a member of our family. The boy
was like my brother and friend. He used to take part in every household work. He always showed

4MEMOIR LIFE IN STORY
his gratitude towards us that we gave him a family. He used to accompany my father at his work
like carrying the wood from the forest, plowing the fields and he also helped my mother with the
household chores.
I had a great time playing with his puppy. I named it snowy as I met him during the onset
of the Christmas Eve. He never went away from my side and used to accompany me everywhere.
He was like my bodyguard! On the night of Christmas, we were all busy celebrating the day with
cakes and candles. Suddenly there was a huge blaze outside and there was smoke all around.
Suddenly everything outside the window was becoming blurred and we could feel a huge blaze
everywhere. My father and uncles went out and saw there was a huge fire.
The lamps that were kept outside had somehow got up sided and it hit the electric wires
kept for the decoration. There was a huge rush everywhere and all were trying to somehow get
out of the house I could only see smoke and huge swirl o fir outside. I could not see anything nor
could breathe. I knew that I had my brother close to me and I was holding his hand before this
incident took place. I somehow took him to the back door and forced him outside the burning
house. I wanted to go out next but I couldn’t. This was because there was huge smoke all around
and I could not leave. However, the little that I could see through my almost closed eyes was that
boy whom we had given shelter and snowy. I could feel the soft paws on snowy over me and that
boy was guarding me like my own elder brother from that toxic smoke. If they wanted they could
have left the house and run for their lives but they didn't. I realized that the feeling which I had
for my little brother was the same that this boy and the dog had for me. Though we were not of
any blood relation still there was such a strong affection that they had for me. I could also hear
snowy barking on the top of his voice for getting someone to help. Though I lost consciousness
after this incident moved me a great deal. I opened my eyes; I saw all my family members were

5MEMOIR LIFE IN STORY
surrounding me and we were at a neighbor’s house. My father and uncles along with the help of
other villagers were trying to reconstruct the house. I could still see snowy sitting by my side and
waging his tail after seeing me open my eyes.
Part two
This writing has been inspired by many of the books that were covered in this class
course. One among them is the work by Charles Dickens called Oliver Twist. This is because the
reference to the wanton homeless and poor boy was seen here. Just as the Oliver Twist did not
have anyone who would take care of him and look after him, the boy in the memoir was also
very similar. He was poor and had never learned any manners or anything. He was very hungry
and so he had stolen into the kitchen only in search of some warmth and food for himself and for
him. It is also inspired by Shakespeare's Hamlet because there was this dilemma or not to be. In
other words, there was a huge confusion in me and my father while deciding whether or not to
give them shelter in our house. I wanted to write about this particular memory as I feel that this is
one of the most memorable incidents that took place in my life. It has also taught me some of the
great values of the lie. It has taught me how to be a kind and good person. I also learned the
faithfulness that people have towards us when we help them. I learned this when snowy and that
boy did not leave my side in the hour of such great danger. This helps in understanding that good
people will always remember the sacrifices or the efforts that we have made for them. They were
so thankful to me and my family that they did not care about their own safety when the whole
house was set on the fire.
They cared for me and for each and every member of my family. The most important
thing that I learned of this is the fact that no matter how much huge is the problem what matters

6MEMOIR LIFE IN STORY
is how your friends and family support you. It is only within their active support that we can face
the problem. The other important thing that I learned is that there will be some positive news at
the end of something negative. In all the novels or stories that have inspired me to write this
memorize the characters somehow reach at a positive end. In other words, there has to be a
silver lining at the end of any dark clouds.
This is evident from the fact that there were so many issues that are being faced by the
boy and his puppy. It was because of me and my family that decided to give a shelter to them
and also cares for them. In the same way, this act of kindness was returned back to me by them
during hours of need (Barrington, 2002).

7MEMOIR LIFE IN STORY
References
Barrington, J. (2002). Writing the memoir. The Eighth Mountain Press.