If you had a chance to travel to any point in your past, where would you travel too? It is a simple question to most of us because we will always remember the important moments in our life. No matter how old we are, a moment significant to us will forever be in our memory. Our memories are priceless, nothing can replace the great events we have experienced in our life. For Hamlet, it is the memories he had with his father before his death. For Alice Walker, her memories growing up with her mother is precious. Adnan on the other hand, his memories to prove his innocent might be his key out of prison. From the three different texts, these characters value their memory which shapes their figure.

A memory of a person is especially more valuable and meaningful when someone you love is gone. Shakespeare does not provide any detail in his play regarding Hamlet’s connection with his father before his death, but he hinted that Hamlet had a loving bond with his father. At the beginning of the play, in Act 1 Scene 2, Hamlet was extremely disgusted at the fact that his mother did not have any memories of his father and married his uncle soon after his father’s death. Claudius even told Hamlet to forget about his father, which made Hamlet even more furious. If we put ourselves in Hamlet’s shoes, it is nearly impossible to forget a significant moment with a parent, who has influenced us growing up. Later in that act, the ghost of King Hamlet seeks his son to avenge him and tells him to “Remember me”(1.5.91) which refreshed Hamlet’s memory with his father. Hamlet values his father, which lead him to his goal to kill his uncle to avenge him.

What someone do for you, will always be remembered. Alice Walker grew up watching her hardworking mom work in hard labor in order to afford a house for her family. However, after Alice moves out of the house to college, her mother downgraded into a smaller apartment. Alice picked up a blue stoneware bowl that she used as a kid from her mother when she was getting rid of her items. Unfortunately, her mother died from a stroke, but Alice’s memories of her mother lived on when she reflected back to the bowl. Alice values the memories between herself and her mother through the connection of the bowl. She remembers her mother’s endless love and determination so she can live a comfortable life.

In the Serial Podcast, Adnan was convicted of first-degree murder on his ex-girlfriend but claims he is innocent. To this day, there is no right answer to whether or not Adnan is actually innocent or guilty. In interviews, Adnan claims that he does not remember specific information on that because it was just a regular day for him. There is no physical evidence that Adnan is the real murder, but the biggest mystery is the lack of memory Adnan recalls on that day. I strongly believe Adnan is trying to hide key information in this case because even if he did or did not commit the murder, the death of his ex-girlfriend is a day that should impact him. Moreover, I believe he values his memory and is not willing to let investigators know what he knows.

September 11 marks the day the shook America. Numerous innocent lives were lost, thousands of friends and family were impacted, and countless people will never forget everything that happened on that day. The attack marked a significant turning point in world history in which terrorism was starting to become a huge global issue in the world. Unfortunately, terrorism seems to be endless as numerous attacks, violence, and threats are happening at this moment worldwide. You can never expect where or when the next terrorist attack will be, making our world scary to live in.

There are multiple reasons that motivate people to commit violence. From mental health to proving oneself to an organization that gave them status, terrorism is one global issue that will not be solved anytime soon. No matter where you go, there can be a terrorist attack right around the corner. For example, on April 15, 2013, two brothers by the name of Tamerlan and Dzhokar Tsarnaev, ignited two bombs by the finish line during the Boston Marathon that caught everyone by surprise. Runners who were participating in that race, supporters and fans at the finish line and viewers at home, will never forget what they witnessed on that moment. Their memory on that day changed their lives as they are living with the fear of terrorism in the future.

There are almost thousands of soldiers putting their life on the line to protect a country from terrorist attacks. Take the Afghanistan War for an example. Numerous soldiers from all parts of the world come together to fight. Soldiers entering the war will forever be changed as the horror and scene of the war will impact their life. Their memory in combat, their memory of the violent atmosphere, and their memory of their first kill will haunt them even after the war. Soldiers who saw their friends and squad mates fall in front of them will be a disturbing memory in which they have to live with for the rest of their life. Some soldiers during and after the war suffer from PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) as their terrifying memory of war impacts their health.

Year one in the post-collapse world in Station Eleven was the beginning of war for survival. The memories most survivors experienced to get through year one haunt them even after nineteen years later. The terrors of the post-apocalypse world in which survivors are forced to kill to merely survive changed all survivors, including Kirsten. In year fifteen, in an interview between Kirsten and Francois Diallon, Kirsten talked about her early years surviving in the post-apocalypse world. We know Kirsten is not good at remembering her past, but she remembered specific detail that happened in year one. She remembers clearly on the first person she ever killed. Her memory of her first kill impacted her as she can recall exactly what happened fourteen years later. Moreover, anyone who suffered from the terrors of the world will forever remember what happened on that specific day for the rest of their life.

I don’t remember much of my childhood when I was living in Scarborough. I remember there was a lot of restrictions growing up because my family suffered financially soon after my dad’s injury. My dad’s life-changing leg fracture forced him out of work from Boeing causing my mom to work around the clock to earn enough money to support my family. I remember a period of time when I didn’t see my mom because she would head to work early in the morning and return late at night. At that time, I did not understand what was happening to my family due to my parents hiding the truth to prevent my brother and I from worrying. However, I eventually found out when I overheard a conversation between my parents.

I was just like every other kid when I was younger. I wanted all the new toys, new baseball equipment, more board games to play at home, but my parents were struggling to maintain all the expenses at that time. My parents would always save whatever they can and use their savings to take my brother and I out for lunch as a family. We eventually moved up to Markham in 2010. My dad started a new career as a day trader in which he succeeded and my mom now have more free time to spend with us. The house I live in today is meaningful to me because it represents a new beginning for me and my family. My parents love my brother and I so they work extremely hard to overcome our problem so I can have a comfortable life. I remember as a kid seeing my parents argue all the time but now living in this house, we have fewer arguments and a way better relationship.

Similarly to My Mother’s Blue Bowl by Alice Walker, the blue silverware bowl was a symbol of her mother’s love. The bowl bought back memories of her mother when Alice was growing up as a kid. She remembers her mom making meals using the same blue bowl and she remembers her knitting and sewing homemade quilts for her and her siblings. Alice also remembers the hard work and determination of her mother, working endlessly, to afford a house so she can live a comfortable life. Alice reflected that her mother placed her and her siblings before herself because she truly loves them.

It is clear that the power of memory influences the behavior and identity of a character. In the novel Station Eleven, survivors in the post-apocalyptic world rely on their memory from the fallen world as a source of comfort and hope. Kirsten for an example, strives to collect gossip magazines when raiding abandoned houses to refresh the image of the world alive in her head. Due to that, the importance of gossip magazines prompted her forward to find more magazines when breaking into another house. In modern movies, it is shown that memory can heavily impact the character just like Kirsten in Station Eleven.

In the 2019 Marvel Film, Avengers: Endgame, half of the population of the world was wiped out due to Thanos’s snap including Peter Parker (Spiderman). When Steve Rogers (Captain America) and a few members of the Avengers seek Tony Stark (Iron Man) for help regarding the possibility to travel back in time and bring everyone back with the Quantum Realm, Tony refused to help. Later that evening, Tony relented when finding a picture of himself and Peter. The picture gave him a flashback prior before the snap. He remembered that he was a fatherly figure for him but failed to protect him against Thanos. Just like Kirsten’s memory with her gossip magazines in Station Eleven, the picture motivated Tony to rejoin the Avengers to bring everyone back including Peter Parker.

In Guardians of the Galaxy, Peter Quill’s Walkman was significant to him because it was the only thing left of his mother. In a scene when he and members of the Guardians escaped from prison, he did not leave until he got his Walkman back. That is how much the Walkman means to him because it was a symbol of his mother. In Station Eleven, Kirsten values her Station Eleven comics as it was a memory of her childhood with Arthur Leander. Just like Peter Quill’s Walkman, the Station Eleven comic was one of the only thing left of her connection with Arthur Leander. Between both characters, they value a significance object as a memory of someone important.

Overall, memory in both Station Eleven and modern movies are treasures for a character. Memories can motivate a character forward such as Tony Stark or can develop meaning in a character’s life such as Peter Quill. Either way, memory help shape a character.