Memoir

Student 2

Jane Student

Donte McDowell

ENGL-120

15 March 2025

Outline for Personal Memoir

I. Topic or Event: My older sister obtained a tragic death in a car accident.

Where: My house, My church member’s home, and the hospital in Lumberton, NC.

When: 23-24 November 2024

Characters Involved: Myself, my older and younger sisters, my parents, my aunt, and my church members

II. Title: Haunted by the yearning, Haunted by the memories

III. Introduction (How will you begin your story?): A movie night that included my church members and I gathering around a campfire, while drinking hot chocolate and making smores. Moreover, in the midst of this encounter, we all played a game of two truths and one lie, where I incorporated my older sister in one of my lies.

Background Information (if needed): An explanation of the tumultuous relationship my older sister had with my parents and I. For years, my parents and older sister obtained a precarious relationship, where these individuals could not agree on specific topics and were at odds with each other.

Thesis Statement: The death of my sister formulated a sense of yearning in my heart; I yearned for a connection with her, and I yearned for a tranquil presence to comfort my family, yet I knew this was unachievable, as my sister was no longer here and had left the unsaid forsaken.

IV. The Action/The Meaning/Big Ideas (Work your way back to the moment; Use chronological order; Give details, use descriptive language throughout; Provide details using your big ideas on the moment of your event):

A. Having a movie and game night with my church members, where I speak to my sister.

B. Receiving a phone call at 4:00 in the morning from my aunt.

C. Being told my older sister has died from a car accident.

D. Being in mourning with my mom and younger sister.

E. Calling my dad to inform him my sister (his daughter) has died.

F. My aunt, my mom, my younger sister, and I arriving at the hospital to view my older sister’s body.

G. Leaving the hospital to tell my grandmother the tragic news.

H. Seeing my dad in person after knowing my sister has passed away.

I. Reminiscing on the times that could’ve been shared with my sister, and how these events have negatively and positively affected me.

V. Aftermath/Solution/Conclusion (How will you conclude? What did you gain or learn from the experience? Did this event change your perception about life, etc.?):

“Cherishing your loved ones” is an aphorism that has been acclaimed for centuries, yet much truth is embedded into this saying. Loving and being grateful for family and friends is an essential part of life. One may never know when death is approaching; hence, loving and building a connection with your loved ones is very significant. I now have an immense amount of regret in my heart for both my older sister and I, as we took for granted the opportunity to cherish one another. We never called, texted, nor saw each other in person. We never fully grasped or understood the importance of having a relationship with one’s sibling. Oh, how I wish I could reverse time, and accomplish having a relationship with her. Yet, the time is too late, and now I can only ponder upon the what if’s. What if we shopped together, and what if we got our nails done? In another lifetime, these wishes were achieved, yet in the present, I sit here, and I become haunted by the yearning and haunted by the memories.

Student 2

Jane Student

Donte McDowell

ENGL-120

15 March 2025

Outline for Personal Memoir

I. Topic or Event: My older sister obtained a tragic death in a car accident.

Where: My house, My church member’s home, and the hospital in Lumberton, NC.

When: 23-24 November 2024

Characters Involved: Myself, my older and younger sisters, my parents, my aunt, and my church members

II. Title: Haunted by the yearning, Haunted by the memories

III. Introduction (How will you begin your story?): A movie night that included my church members and I gathering around a campfire, while drinking hot chocolate and making smores. Moreover, in the midst of this encounter, we all played a game of two truths and one lie, where I incorporated my older sister in one of my lies.

Background Information (if needed): An explanation of the tumultuous relationship my older sister had with my parents and I. For years, my parents and older sister obtained a precarious relationship, where these individuals could not agree on specific topics and were at odds with each other.

Thesis Statement: The death of my sister formulated a sense of yearning in my heart; I yearned for a connection with her, and I yearned for a tranquil presence to comfort my family, yet I knew this was unachievable, as my sister was no longer here and had left the unsaid forsaken.

IV. The Action/The Meaning/Big Ideas (Work your way back to the moment; Use chronological order; Give details, use descriptive language throughout; Provide details using your big ideas on the moment of your event):

A. Having a movie and game night with my church members, where I speak to my sister.

B. Receiving a phone call at 4:00 in the morning from my aunt.

C. Being told my older sister has died from a car accident.

D. Being in mourning with my mom and younger sister.

E. Calling my dad to inform him my sister (his daughter) has died.

F. My aunt, my mom, my younger sister, and I arriving at the hospital to view my older sister’s body.

G. Leaving the hospital to tell my grandmother the tragic news.

H. Seeing my dad in person after knowing my sister has passed away.

I. Reminiscing on the times that could’ve been shared with my sister, and how these events have negatively and positively affected me.

V. Aftermath/Solution/Conclusion (How will you conclude? What did you gain or learn from the experience? Did this event change your perception about life, etc.?):

“Cherishing your loved ones” is an aphorism that has been acclaimed for centuries, yet much truth is embedded into this saying. Loving and being grateful for family and friends is an essential part of life. One may never know when death is approaching; hence, loving and building a connection with your loved ones is very significant. I now have an immense amount of regret in my heart for both my older sister and I, as we took for granted the opportunity to cherish one another. We never called, texted, nor saw each other in person. We never fully grasped or understood the importance of having a relationship with one’s sibling. Oh, how I wish I could reverse time, and accomplish having a relationship with her. Yet, the time is too late, and now I can only ponder upon the what if’s. What if we shopped together, and what if we got our nails done? In another lifetime, these wishes were achieved, yet in the present, I sit here, and I become haunted by the yearning and haunted by the memories.