A large part of my identity has been formed by the different worlds I inhabit. My mother is the daughter of a teacher and a peanut farmer from south-west Georgia. My father is the son of a polio survivor and stock broker and a nurse. My ancestry is German, Russian, Irish, and British. It is catholic, protestant, and jewish. My ancestors were British generals in the American Revolution, recent German migrants who cobbled shoes for the Confederacy during the Civil War, first generation Jewish Americans who ran at Penn Relays in 1916, a member of the first female class at Emory University, and the mayor of a small majority-black town in south Georgia during the 1960s. My family history reflects the true “melting pot” of America. My concept for my creative essay is to interview my family members and ask about their personal definitions of revolution what event they think of when they think of a revolution. I am interested in seeing how education, background, and age change definitions of these concepts.
I plan to interview
- Sara Singer: Tia is my grandmother on my mother’s side and was married to my late grandfather, Bill Singer. Tia is from Atlanta, GA and was married to Bill Singer for almost 60 years. They met while attending Emory University in the 1950s and moved to Lumpkin, GA, a small majority black town in south-west Georgia. Tia taught in both public and private schools for about 30 years.
- Lenore Rose: Lenore is my grandmother on my father’s side. Lenore was married to my late grandfather Stanley Rose. Lenore was a nurse for many years and has always lived in New York, NY.
- Marian Singer Rose: Marian is my mother. Marian attended Davidson College , although she was not a member of the Humanities program, where she studied history and USC Law. Marian is from Lumpkin, GA but has lived in the northeast for the last 20 years.
- Michael Rose: Michael is my father. Michael attended Duke University where he studied economics and has worked in various jobs in the financial sector. Michael is from New York, NY.
- Garrett Rose: Garrett is my half-brother and is 27 years old. Garrett graduated from West Point: United States Military Academy, where he studied Political Science, in 2014 and has been serving in the military ever since. Garrett grew up in Portsmouth, NH but has been living in Germany for the last 3 years.
- James Rose: James is my younger brother and is 14 years old. James is a freshman at Nauset Regional High School. James was born in Greenwich, CT but has lived in Wellfleet, MA for most of his life.
