Steffany’s Reviews > Remembering Ahanagran: A History of Stories > Status Update

In the epilogue.. it truly finishes off the book in an interesting way. White leaves us with one last sentence: "my mother's stories and my mother's silences, have made the world more dense and interesting". This quote does indeed give off what history is. History in complicated, and is something not everyone can truly understand. There are different perspectives and this is why history is dense, and never static

At this part in the book, Richard describes that with his first draft Sarah's reaction was terrible. She had a fear that he would ruin his father's memory. This idea is one that comes with a family history.... biases are everywhere and you want to protect them... there goes the accuracy.

White mentions the idea that public and private lives intermingle. He then moves to explain the idea that Sarah's life was changed by WWII. This is truly interesting. But it most definitely makes sense, with the war, comes changes, and with changes comes a change in the way one lives their life.

This part I find oddly compelling, due to the fact that it talks about how people would use harsh rhetoric when calling to the "jews". This still goes on today, xenophobia, the fear of a new culture, is rampant in many countries, not just the United States. This makes me sick knowing that it probably won't go away.

A part I found interesting was where White discusses old people trying to retell their memory. How interesting the contrast between old and young memory, yet similar in many ways. Details may bury the point they provide a way to illustrate the past.

White discusses how Sarah was too young to understand the politics that was happening in her life. This reminds me of a fellow research students paper, discussing how children do not always understand politics but they can do church.

White describes the use of memory and history and how it is a mix. He then furthers this idea by explaining how this will make him write a better narrative. Indeed I believe it does, being able to have multiple perspectives and sources makes it a better and more accurate narritive.

White describes the use of memory and history and how it is a mix. He then furthers this idea by explaining how this will make him write a better narrative. Indeed I believe it does, being able to have multiple perspectives and sources makes it a better and more accurate narritive.

White discusses how Sara retells her departure from after a long time has passed. He has noticed that her emotions about it have changed. Contradicting as he says the emotions she had at the time.

White talks about how all these stories have judgements on the world. I think this is seriously interesting because if it has judgement her memory has that bias and judgement set into place, leaving her perspective that she provides tainted with judgement.