Analysis_of_a_Memoir

Analysis of a Memoir Most of the time, the upbringing style of a family plays an important role in shaping the child’s life, resulting in adopting of one or multiple traits displayed by the parents. As A result, the child’s concept of a normal life will be distorted so severely that the behaviors of the parent continue into adulthood. Reading the “My Father’s Life” by Raymond Carver, Raymond and his father both moved a lot and Raymond would always see his father drunk, and he even tried some of his father's whisky when he was younger. The two things Raymond “junior” learned from his father during his child hood are being unstable and alcoholic. Those two inherited traits had impact in his life in a way that he couldn’t settle in one place, “I put it up on my wall, and each time we moved, I took the picture along and put it up on another wall” (Carver 8). He also mentioned that alcohol became a problem of his life,” at a time when I found my self, like my dad, having trouble with alcohol” (Carver 8) The over all message of this memoir is that we should accept and understand our parents instead of becoming overcritical of their shortcomings in time of hardship. The Poem Raymond wrote to create a bond with his father to show gratitude “yet how can I say thank you, I who can’t hold my liquor either and don’t even know the places to fish.” (Carver 9) I think this memoir is interesting because the begging, middle, and end of the story is far reaching, has meaningful moments. It also raises a flag of overcoming a weakness. The element of the Memoir carries considerable discomfort at the begging and then beautiful ending. Raymond used to hate his name, “I was named Raymond Clevie Carver, Jr, and I hated the “junior” part (Carver 1). And “these people kept saying in their beautiful voices out of my childhood. Raymond” (Carver 9) Work cited “ My father’s life, by Raymond Carver (1984), complied by Adam Chiles, Patrice Fleck, Shonette Grant, and Meena A.Nayak. America, America Reading about Family, War, Freedom, and Democracy”