My first story that I listened to was called, “I had this wild thing in my mind that everything that happened on September 11th was my fault.” First of all I decided on this story because ever since I was little I have been fascinated with stories of peoples experiences on September 11th. Second, this title couldn’t help but grab my attention. This story comes from an airport employee who actually checked the hijackers in and as he puts it, “made sure they got on the flight.” His story talks about how he struggled to find the right place to grieve because he didn’t feel like he belonged in any support group, in fact people didn’t want to support him or even speak to him. He couldn’t help but feel as if it was his fault entirely. He ends the story by letting the audience know that he really has come out of the shadows as time has gone on and back into the light.
This first story is only him talking with no interviewer, and I think that is perfect. Someone else interjecting in this story wouldn’t feel right, so to say. There was no background music just him and his words. It was powerful. The audio was done just right so it was like he was sitting with you telling you this story personally.
This story has a powerful message of realizing that blaming yourself for something out of your control only does more damage than making a situation better.
My second Storycorps story is titled, “What do you feel you’ve learned from cancer?” This story is a father and daughter sitting together talking about the daughters cancer experience. To be honest, this was a tough story for me to listen to. While this story is the daughter having cancer, my own story is my father having cancer and ultimately passing from it. The way they converse with each other and talk about the time spent in the hospital is something I can relate to immensely. Which this is of course why I chose this story, because I wanted to hear if their experience was anything like mine. Talking about spending so much time in the hospital that they had to find stuff to do. For example, they would draw on each other with pens from the gift shop downstairs. The story ended with the dad saying he isn’t worried that her cancer is gonna come back because she kicked its butt, and she completely agrees.
I don’t know if I loved this story because I immediately feel what they are trying to convey, or if its just story that anyone would love to hear. I love how this story was recorded by them just having a conversation. The Storycorp being done as a conversation between the two of them demonstrates the intimacy of the situation. It was their bond, and only they know how to talk about the situation. Again, the audio was clear and crisp providing that intimacy that is needed for this story. The message I got out of this was to enjoy the little things in life, with the ones you love most.
I chose stories for this blog that stuck with me. I am always more fascinated in a story that I can relate to or one that is unforgettable, and for me thats what these stories were. They were amazing, from the audio of telling it, to the actual story itself.