Question: Read the first sentence carefully and analyze. What bearing does it have on the essay?
“Memory is unique to each one of us, and it is familial, tribal, communal, the seepage into our minds of other memories, an intravenous inheritance, the past in our bloodstream, elixir, narcotic, stimulant, poison, antidote.”
This sentence draws the line between reality and memory. Different people can remember the exact same moment in their own unique way and that memory stays with them their entire life. These memories can also effect people in different ways. People tend to think back on certain moments that can trigger an emotional reaction even after the fact. This is what Quinn is saying when he lists of elixir…antidote. Although multiple people may share memories of certain events or moments they have their own personal perception of what happened.
Throughout his essay Quinn talks about trying to trace his family history and their experience with the famine. Family history is often told by word of mouth from one generation to the next. Some may say that it is the responsibility of the older generation to pass on the history to the younger generation. When it comes to recounting huge historical events this idea of memories can make it more complicated. Perception and emotional connection to events can play a huge role in how people tell their story. This can make it hard to get the facts strait. Quinn found in his own research that there really were not many primary sources available relating to the Famine and all of the Irish people who came to the states. Tragic events like this can often create painful memories which survivors prefer not to recount. This can make it hard to paint a complete picture. It is a shame that these memories have faded through the generations but maybe it is better that way. It is not always good to dwell on moments of pain and suffering.
