Final Project Proposal
Just like Momaday who will be my mentor, the focus of my autobiography will focus on the genealogy of my family and the importance that they’ve had in my life. I’ll probably also focus on the environment in some spots, as it has recently allowed me to make several important decisions in my life such as what college I would attend or what my major I would choose.
Momaday focused greatly on the genealogy, and how they’ve essentially affected who he became. Most of the events in my life have all involved my family, and I feel that if anyone of them was even a little different there’s no possible way I would be the same person I am today. Even being away at school, my family is a huge part of my life, as they provide various different types of advice relating to school, my relationships, and my future. They’re always there and always seem to want the best for me so I feel that revolving my autobiography around them will allow me to honor them and it will give me enough emotion and material to write a quality piece of work
Here is a brief sample of what my writing will be like: Being one of two boy cousins, life was always interesting. My cousins never really seemed to have that type of relationship; we always felt more like brothers and sisters. Being an only child I never had the opportunity to be an older or younger sibling.
With my younger female cousins I always took on the role of big brother, if they were going out on a date with a boy, and if I was there I would always want to be one of the first one’s to meet him. I felt like it was my duty to protect my younger cousins and scope out potential dangers for them.
My holidays were never spent with my immediate family; they always consisted of my extended family. Aunts, uncles, and cousin’s filled a different relative’s house depending on the occasion. My house personally is reserved for New Years. If someone wasn’t there it always felt odd not seeing them. After the deaths of my grandparents on both sides of my family, it was clear there was a void. Fortunately my great aunt and uncle stepped in to fill that uneasy feeling we all had at our gatherings.
Research for this project would most likely be me going to my parents, or other family members and getting their input on certain events and to discover more about the origins of my family. A few more questions I have to ask are, how far back do I go? Should I talk about every family member specifically? Despite not being around for most of my life, how much emphasis should I put on my father’s parents? I feel like my family might be too big to talk about everyone individually, but since my autobiography focuses on family, I believe that the major contributors to my life should all be mentioned.
I wonder also about specific places, location–recall that is a key for Momaday’s genalogy as well: how he locates his family. In what ways does place enter into your memory of family? Might specific place, if not specific event, provide a focus for the narrative?