Analysis Of Confluences By Jennifer Sinor

Jennifer Sinor, Confluences
Introduction
The essay Confluences by Jennifer Sinor was my choice for this reading reflection. First published in the American Scholar in 2008, seemed like a good choice for this assignment since it is a popular essay and attracts the attention of a variety of readers. Being a personal narrative, I was eager to learn about the author’s experiences and share a part of her life. The title seemed intriguing, since I had to search for the meaning of the term ‘confluences’ even before reading the essay. The title revealed nothing about the essay and created a sense of mystery that readers might want to uncover through reading the essay. This was an interesting read and it provided a new perspective into personal narrative

The narrator mentions that her uncle was at one point imagining that more family members were on the trip. Due to the loss of lucid thinking associated with Parkinson’s, the narrator’s uncle is constantly imagining thinks. The narrator’s father corrects him on many occasions and tries to bring him into reality. However, at one point the narrator presents the argument that maybe the uncle’s perception is the true reality. She states that maybe all the family members are actually on the trip and the loneliness is only imagined (Sinor, 2008). She questions the reality and begins to wonder whether the expressions made by her uncle are actually the truth. I found this section quite challenging and I had to reread it several times to ensure that it was just speculation. At one point, I thought that the author’s uncle did not actually die and that this story was imagined. However, in the end, I understood that the narrator was only searching for comfort and that the realization that her uncle was dead was difficult for her to accept, hence the confusion between reality and illusion. In future readings, I will overcome these challenges by taking a slower reading pace to ensure that I grasp all the ideas presented by the author. This will ensure that I am not confused by scene and tone changes, making it easier to follow the

She did this by giving out just a few details of the character’s life throughout the story. For example, one of the things that I really wanted to find out was how the narrator’s uncle died. From the first paragraph, the reader already knows that he is dead, but there is so little information about how he died that one starts to think he was killed by the narrator’s father. However, the author is very careful and withholds this information until the end of the story. Reading through the first paragraph, one might think that he died a violent death or that he fell into the river. However, he actually died a very peaceful death, and the diary reveals that this is exactly what he wanted. Another highlight of this reading was the connection that the author made between Jerry’s death and Aidan’s conception. While one soul left the world, another one was conceived and would soon become part of the family. This offered comfort that even in loss, there was something to look forward to.
Ask the author If I had an opportunity to meet Jennifer Sinor, I would want to know how her father dealt with the death of his brother. I would want to know how the family recovered after they buried Jerry. I would also want to know whether they went to visit the place where Jerry died. In another perspective, I would want to know if Aidan took any of Jerry’s traits,