My initial understanding of the term hiraeth makes me think of being homesick. A hiraeth seems like it would be the missing puzzle piece that some people talk about. A longing for something you have lost that cannot be replaced or a time you cannot go back to. This makes me think of the way a woman that lost her father at a young age would feel during a father daughter dance at a wedding. Thinking of an example of a hiraeth I could use from my life, while trying to avoid dishing out a sob story, is a bit difficult. Things that come to mind when I think of a home I cannot return to are the things I have lost. Most of us have those things in common. The things that you have lost, I believe, are the things that shape your desires and your behaviors. Do you ever remember simply having something? Imagine you’ve lost a bracelet you’ve had for years. Can you go back and remember every single day that you wore it and the things you did while wearing it? Probably not. Though you can’t remember every single moment you had the bracelet, I’m quite certain you remember the moment you realized you had lost it. It’s the lost things, lost people, and lost qualities that we remember the most. You’ll always remember the things you lost. I’m going to give you a list of things that you may or may not have gone through. Make a note of which events you recall and which events you do not.
-the first time you got an A on a test -the first time you had sex -the first time you helped your parent(s) clean up after dinner -the first time you went to an amusement park -the first time you fell in love -the first time you were truly heartbroken -the first time you did your own wash -the first time a loved one passed away -the first time you finished an essay on time -the first time you failed a class or had to attend summer school -the first time you relapsed or did something you said you would never do Think about which events you recalled. Though which events you recall are based off your values and what is important to you, I’m sure you remembered more of the events in which you lost something than the events in which you might have gained something. We remember losing things because usually when we lose something (innocence, sobriety, a loved one) it impacts us in a new way. It makes us feel something that we’ve never felt before. Loss, based on the severity, changes people. If most of the things you remembered are bolded, you remembered the events in which you lost something. Whether it be innocence, pride, or a loved one, that loss impacted you. That said, my area of focus on my hiraeth assignment will end up being something I have lost, a home that I cannot return to. That is my understanding of the term hiraeth.
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GillianBlog for English Comp 1 Archives
May 2017
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