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Narrative Essay
Unit 1, Assignment 1

Jeffrey Wayne Van Egeren

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Document Contents

This document contains the author’s narrative essay involving the topic chosen for a thesis statement. The thesis statement will be on the subject “A Family Reunion”. The final page holds an outline used to perform this essay.
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A Family Reunion

With this assignment, I have chosen “A Family Reunion” to incorporate within my thesis statement. I believe that this topic is best suited for me because my family has never had a happy or joyous reunion that I can remember. The disease of alcoholism runs very deep within the family history, and for that reason, I grew up in a very dysfunctional family setting. With that being stated, I will begin by saying, “Family Reunions are nothing but chaos, arguments, and showing off. Nothing enjoyable or happily memorable ever arises from having times put aside for this said occasion.” My parents were divorced when I was only 4 years old and to this day I still see the burnt images of their final argument instilled within my mind. My mother, rest her soul, had done what she could for our family, regardless of the fact that my father had given absolutely no support for the 9 children. I remember seeing my father, maybe twice, within the time of the divorce and my 12th birthday. My mother had serious health issues; however, she still managed to take care of all 9 of us. Alcoholism, a very cunning disease, runs deep through my family history. I am a recovering alcoholic myself with almost 2 years of sobriety. I have been on and off the wagon several times. When alcohol is introduced into a gathering alcoholic family, the outcome can and will be a seriously unhappy one. At the start, everything seems to go well and manners of everyone stay level within the gathering. However, as time moves forward and the alcohol take its nasty affect, everything becomes out of control. Brothers and sisters forget about the family setting and chaos enters the picture. Everyone forgets the real reason why their mother has asked them together. This goes for any of the holidays as well. Our family really had no set guidelines

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A Family Reunion

for strict obedience and respect for others, not even each other. The more the drinking continued the louder and more offensive everyone would get. Arguments really became the subject of matter at our family reunions. It made no difference if the topic was on sports, work, personal, money, the weather, or even the neighbors. When one brother, or sister had something to say, if was always intervened by another in a provoking way. Which team was the best, who in the family had the best job, who was married to the perfect person, which one of the members had the most money? It just did not matter. The main intent was to start a fight. The arguing stirred up the fights in due time. Whether the fights were verbal or the physical brawl neither was of any concern. Our family could never get along with each other. However, have the gathering and everything was well between everyone. One major event, that I will never forget, was the reunion shortly after we had buried my brother Dale. I am the youngest of the 9 children and Dale was the make shift father that would take me everywhere he would go. After the reunion started, the conversation of my brother’s death began and each individual had the other to blame for it. Shortly after this reunion and all the temperatures cooled down, my mother finally agreed that trying to continue the reunions was of no use. The gatherings were not bringing any of the family back together and should just be left at that. At the age of 12, my father had returned to the picture only to spread the family even further apart. My father’s return was the cause of my mother’s stroke and eventually her death. On that note, I will say that this is the reason I have hatred and completely fill with disgust when family reunions are mentioned. I have never seen any good within such gatherings.
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A Family Reunion
“The Outline”
I. The Divorce A. The Fight 1. Never saw father much 2. No strict up bringing B. The Consequences 1. Mother struggled to make due 2. Serious health issues
II. Alcoholism
A. Family Disease
B. Alcohol had to be present
III. Arguments
A. Verbal
B. Physical