I really couldn't think of two events specifically that defined who I am. So I am just going to go with when I found out about existentialism, atheism, etc. I guess that could be a personal narrative as it wasn't particularly easy for me. I went through a somewhat depressive bout and felt broken for a bit. It was hard to be humbled to this world and know there was nothing else. I cried over what could of been with my dead relatives and questioned if eternal life was really something you'd want anyway. I mean, that might be something to write about, I guess. I really have no idea whether it's worth using or not.
I don't really have another personal thing that defined me at just one stage of my life... I never radically changed from something to another; it's always been quite gradual. I guess I could write about each death I've experienced from when I was a young child to now? My cousin had died at age 18 with brain cancer while I was 5 so that was very surprising for me. It was also the first time I had witnessed my father cry. It gave a sense of humanity to everyone I knew because people actually "died." Sorry these are so short, I don't really have anything that interesting that I'd write about to the public. Some of the more personal things are staying that way for quite a while.
I understand if you don't want certain aspects of your life to come out in a more public way. That being said, your two suggestions are by no means bad at all. What you need to do now is think about how each can be formed into a sort of story about your life that someone else can relate to.
ReplyDeleteIf you go with the first example, this certainly fits the criteria of how you view the world. What you'd have to ask yourself is was there a particular moment that triggered these personal beliefs? What made you turn toward existentialism and consider its truths? Is there a story there that would go along with the explanation of your coming to that conclusion.
For the other essay idea, I think it certainly would be an interesting thing to write about. Were you very close with this cousin, or was your family? Also, now that you're that age, there might be some sort of interesting reflection looking at your life and thinking about having it being taken away like that. I think it could lead to an interesting comparison or flashing back to when you were five to now.
Just some things to think about. Don't look down on either of those ideas. It's up to you what you want to cover. Be sure you consider your audience and the impact the writing will have.