Memoir Presentations 3

One theme that was illuminated for me during this weeks'presentations was how hard work and dedication will eventually lead to success. There will almost certainly be trials in your way, but you can't let it stop you. In The Secret to Success Eric Thomas describes his method to success. One thing he said that really impacted me is when he said that you have to want to be successful more than you want to breathe. He was emphasizing the importance of setting your goals asa high priority. He said that you have to be able to run on 2 hours of sleep or less to do a good job on whatever you're doing. This mentality of earning your own way and making a life for yourself is similar to that in Scratch Beginnings where a man whose had most of his things provided provided for him, but he tried to make something for himself without the use of his highschool or college degree. Like in Secret to Success he stresses how hard work does pay off. It will be a long road, but those who are persistent will see success.

Another big theme that impacted me is how we perceive those around us. In The Color of Water a black man faces the adversity and teasing that comes along with having a white Jewish mother. He knows that people look at him differently because of his family but he is taught to always just do what you need to do and ignore the things people say about you. In Autobiography of a Face she takes us through what it's like to have no self image associated with how she looks. This makes her self conscious because she can never be sure how she looks and what people think of her. Eventually she doesn't care, she embraces it. We live in a society where we have a lopsided view of what people are "supposed" to look like, who is best at looking like everyone else. Despite this sort of judging she overcame it and recognized her true self.