Week 3, Original Prompt

In Lee Martin's essay "Sorry," the narrator describes various broken relationships he had during his childhood: with his mother, father, with Katrina. He says that he was timid like his mother, but never close. His father whipped him often, and he hoped that Katrina, his female neighbor of close age, would not hear the happenings within his home. He gives some history on the possible reasons why his father was always so angry, but he didn't "make peace" with him until later in life "through the grace of my mother's faith in goodness." In the end, he has a chance to change the outcome of his relationship with Katrina but doesn't. Despite the high emotions surrounding these various relationships, Martin utilizes cool prose and reasoning when guiding his reflection. He also incorporates an element of carelessness within his essay- his father lost his hands when he had been “careless” with the corn picker, he was “reckless” when he wrestled with Katrina’s brother, the characters were all careless with their relationships with one another.

Prompt: Attempt to describe a relationship lost or a regret you have while maintaining cool prose about material with such high emotions.