<p>I have decided to move away from the typical 3 example essay that I have been so obsessed with for the past two weeks and see how I fare with one essay that just focuses on a personal example (inspired by all the college board featured personal example essays that received 12s). Here it is:</p>
<p>Do memories hinder or help people in their effort to learn from the past and succeed in the present?</p>
<p>Memories can either be a hindrance or an aid to people depending on the sort of memory and how they handle it. If one analyzes a memory and sees ones mistakes then one has a lot to gain from the memory, however, if one becomes overly obsessed with the memory then one will never be able to see what is to gain from the memory.</p>
<p>My grandmother experienced both sides of this. 4 years ago, when my aunt and my cousin brother died in a tragic car accident, my grandmother was filled with grief. She cut herself off from the world and locked herself up in her room for hours on end as she cried. She lost all hope and love for the world and would not speak to anyone. Over time everyone else in my family recovered but not my grandmother. Unable to tolerate her state, my uncle reached out to her but she screamed at him and told him to leave but he was relentless. Unfortunately, his tolerance had limits and after a year he couldnt handle seeing her state anymore and he left the house to live elsewhere with his family. My grandmother was unable to relieve herself of the memory and she distanced herself from everyone who loved and cared about her, including her own son.</p>
<p>Over time, though, she realized what she had done and decided that she had to amend her mistakes. She approached my uncle and explained that she understood that he had undertaken a significant amount of grief as well and it was selfish of her to treat him the way she did. Though, it took a while, he forgave her and, together with his family, moved back into the home where they used the memory of my aunt and cousin as a reminder of how quickly life could change and decided to life larger than they had before. My grandmother, eventually, used the memory of my aunt to succeed in her relationships and her life.</p>
<p>The story of my grandmothers recovery has always been close to me and I have always remembered how my grandmother utilized the most tragic of memories to succeed to my own benefit, be it breaking up with my girlfriend or messing up an examination. A memory has the potential to both be a hindrance or a help it only depends on what you make of it.</p>
<p>Just of note: I did this on the computer and I realized that you can type significantly faster than you can write so I avoided going through for big words and just wrote as fast as I could (it took me 9 minutes if it matters).</p>
<p>What do you reckon? Critiques and scores are greatly appreciated?</p>