Assignment:
You are to interview a woman 50 and older and write up the interviewm in a 5 page MLA paper. You ask questions intended to elicit information about her life and how it relates to the history of women in the late 20th century. Your paper should be normal margins, 10-12 pt. font, typed and double-spaced. It should include the approximate age of your interviewee-it does not have to include her name.
EXAMPLE QUESTIONS ..........
What's your first, most vivid memory? Going to my grandma and grandpa's farm and making grandma walk me out to the outhouse for fear of a mean bannie rooster would peck me to death. He was afraid of grandma.
What was the apartment or house like that you grew up in? How many bedrooms did it have? Bathrooms? I lived with my mother and father mostly in a house in the city that had 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom. I had to share a room with my older brother that was upstairs.
What was your bedroom like? Very simple. It had 2 beds made of feathers, a desk with a lamp and one dresser for our clothes. Dallas (my brother got the bottom 2 and I got the top 2)
Can you describe the neighborhood you grew up in? Not really. Every chance I got I went to grandma and grandpas and spent time with them. They lived deep in the country. I had one friend out there that lived about 3 miles away on the next farm. His name was Carl.
Tell me about your parents. Where were they born? When were they born? What memories do you have of them? Both parents were born in Richmond, IN. Memories include more of my mother than my father. He was a drunk that stayed out all the time. He only came home when he was ready to pass out or to beat us.
Who was more strict: your mother or your father? Do you have a vivid memory of something you did that you were disciplined for? Since mom was the main one around I would say that she was more strict. I remember one instance when I was about 16 and mom had kicked me out of the house because she was forced to work with dad being gone all the time and I was telling her that I no longer wanted to take care of my little brother because I felt like I was his mother rather than her and that I didn't want to do anymore of the house work. It was her house she should have to clean it. She kicked me out. I was sitting on the porch crying and dad came home (sober for once) and sat on the porch with me, got me calmed down and offered to give me a ride to grandma and grandpa's.
Did your parents have a good marriage? No they had a horrible marriage.
How did your family earn money? How did your family compare to others in the neighborhood - richer, poorer, the same? My family earned money from my mother working in a diner. Dad worked in a mill but we rarely saw his money. We did alright but I would say that we were on the poorer end of society.
What kinds of things did your family spend money on? The necessities and that was it.
How many brothers and sisters do you have? When were they born? What memories do you have of each of them from when you were growing up? Dallas is my older brother. Then there was me. Then came the twins Glenny and Lenny. Lenny died at birth he was still born and Glenny died 6 months later from small pox. Then my little brother Randy came along (the one I didn't want to help take care of) and may years later after mom remarried twice came another little brother Jan. All are still alive except for the twins.
Did you have grandparents? As I mentioned before my grandma and grandpa. They were my mothers parents. Grandma was my best friend. She and I did everything together. I would tell her about boys I would date, we would take walks to the corner store and get a milkshake. Grandma told wonderful bible stories. Me and my brother Dallas loved to wake up early Saturday morning and wake grandpa up and make him tell us stories.
Did you have any pets? I had lots of pets. However my favorite was a little brown dog I called brownie.
What were you like as a child? What did you like to eat? What did you do for fun? What were your favorite toys or games? Did you ever have a secret place or a favorite hiding spot? I would say that I was a typical girl. My favorite thing to eat was anything grandma cooked. I loved to read and play hopscotch. Toys- we didn't have money for toys so I had to use my imagination. Games was anything that I made up. My favorite hiding spot was out at grandma and grandpa's down by the creek.
What did you wear? I wore my hair always in pigtails that were braided. My hair hung past my butt. I wore long skirts or dresses with shoes that buckled.
Did you get an allowance? How much? Did you spend it right away, or save it? What did you buy? We were too poor for me to get an allowance. However when I was old enough and started helping mom in the diner I earned my own money to buy records of Elvis Presley and
I was made to buy my own clothes an help with the house hold expenses.
What responsibilities did you have at home when you were young? Cooking, cleaning, helping younger siblings with homework, laundry, dishes etc...
What kind of school did you go to? Were you a good student? What was your favorite subject? Least
Our house was 12 blocks from school so we were forced to walk. Anybody that lived OVEr twelve blocks could ride the bus. I was a straight
A student for the most part. My favorite subject was history and my least was Math
Who were your friends? Who was your favorite teacher and why? I had two good friends, Dina and Carl. I can't remember the name of my favorite teacher.
Did you have any heroes or role models when you were a child? Just grandma
How did you spend your summer holidays? What were your favorite summer activities? Going to grandma and grandpas and helping out on the farm and swimming in the pond near their house.
Where did your family go on vacations?