A faint beeping and blinding white lights. The warmth of my father’s arms as he carried me, pacing back and forth across the nearly desolate hallway at the dead of night. Dressed in my prized pink and green button-up Tinkerbell pajama set. A nurse passing by, asking my father if there was anything that he or I needed. The door to the room my mother lay in slightly ajar. My mind was curious, eager to know what was happening inside but at the same time victim to the rumored horrors I had heard of childbirth. Countless emotions muddled and clashed, possibly too many to be contained in the mind of a three year old child.
A flashbulb memory is a memory remembered in particularly vivid detail in response to an emotionally significant event—possibly a life-altering accident, a historical event, an illness, or the birth of a baby brother. Flashbulb memories often mark the moment when, simply put, everything changes.
In every memory I now fondly look back on, my brother is always there. From that moment during my brother’s birth, to helping him complete his kindergarten homework that he conveniently remembered about the morning it was due (painstakingly trying to mimic a toddler’s chicken scratch handwriting). From meeting him during recess at the border between the ‘primary’ and ‘intermediate’ playgrounds to switch a lunch item, to once again working together on his 6th grade Mesopotamia project (painstakingly trying to mimic an unimproved chicken scratch handwriting). From ice fishing on a frozen Utah lake, to creating architectural masterpieces with scrap Legos, to late-night chess games, to sticking together at every family event, to every moment I look back on in life—he has been there. And I know I can count on him to be there for every memory I’ll make in the future.
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Hi Mansi! I loved your blog about the importance of your little brother. I liked how you started it off with a vivid recollection of his birth as you and your dad paced back and forth the hospital hallway. Your tensions into the small but meaningful interactions you had with him throughout your childhood made it extremely easy to picture how much he means to you.
ReplyDeleteAs an only child, I do not relate to much of what you discussed in the blog but your vivid storytelling and descriptive phrasing allowed me to visualize what a connection with a younger sibling might feel like. The images of you and your brother when you were younger really tied the blog together. The title, “Thicker than Water,” is also incredibly clever and meaningful as it goes with the phrase that blood is thicker than water. The phrase essentially conveys that familial relationships are extremely important in one’s life and you conveyed that perfectly through your blog.
You also included information about a flashbulb memory which got me thinking about the emotionally significant moments in my life when everything changed. Overall, you were not only able to convey your own story through your blog but you were also able to get me to think about the pivotal points in my life.
Hi Mansi! I really liked how personal this blog was and it made me want to write one similar to this. I love that you started this blog with a detailed recollection of a specific memory, particularly one of the birth of your brother -- it's like you started your blog off with the first moment you were with your brother. I have a brother too, and now that I've read this and really thought about it, I can't exactly recall a memory in which my brother is not present. I really loved how you included both seemingly trivial, small moments as well as larger, more significant life events when recounting your memories with your brother. It reflects that our siblings and families are the people we spend most of our time with, and we are with them in both slow, uneventful moments, and life-altering moments as well. I especially liked how you included memories like helping your brother work on his project in 6th grade because to me, that is a memory that you probably wouldn't have with anyone other than your sibling. I really liked reading your blog!
ReplyDeleteHi Mansi! I really liked the vivid imagery you used to describe every single moment, especially in the very beginning of your blog, where you discussed the birth of your younger brother. It almost felt like I was having the same "flashbulb memory" you were describing, as you mentioned it being a "life-altering event". I also have a brother, and although he is older, I can say he has always been present for a lot of the important moments in my life, too! Although the roles may have been a little reversed for me, I can certainly relate to the idea in your blog that we spend a lot more time with family and our siblings in general than we think we do. Although it never seems like a big deal, there are plenty of life-changing moments that we go by together without even realizing. Overall, I really enjoyed reading your blog and can't wait for more!
ReplyDeleteHi Mansi! I really appreciated how you began by defining "flashbulb memory" and then transitioned into telling us about your own flashbulb memory. I found the transition to be very seamless and the immense amount detail that you included showed us that your brother's birth was a true flashbulb memory for you and how "life-altering" it was for you. I love all the details you included about remembering that night, all the way down to the pajamas you wore and how your dad carried you. Your memories of completing your brother's homework for him and your digs at him for his handwriting are so adorable! I also think that the pictures you included are super cute too!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog and I especially appreciated how you began with an intriguing hook instead of immediately explaining what a flashbulb memory is. I also liked how you varied your diction throughout the blog in order to match the information you were presenting. For example, while introducing your flashbulb memory of your brother being born, you vividly described the situation with imagery. In order to transition from this memory to the definition of a flashbulb memory, you wrote with a more formal and direct tone. Finally, in your last paragraph, to describe the extent to which your brother has impacted your life, you switched to a conversational tone. I have a brother as well, and like you, I also feel that he has been a part of almost everything I have done. He is two years older than me, and although he is now in college and will slowly begin to become less and less of a part of my life, I will never forget the memories that we have been a part of. I also remember working with him on school projects, like you have with your brother. For example, I remember proofreading his Person of American Significance essay and providing feedback on many of his English assignments from high school.
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