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Truths fabric

The Tapestry

As I ponder the enigmatic nature of our existence, I am struck by the infinite possibilities that

lay before us. Life, it seems, is akin to an ever-shifting tapestry, with each thread representing

a singular experience or moment that contributes to the tapestry's intricate design.

Yet, just as a tapestry can be rewoven or altered, so too can our path be transformed by the

choices we make and the circumstances we encounter. In these fleeting moments of decision

and happenstance, we must traverse the labyrinthine threads of life, weaving our individual

stories with care and intention.

But why is it that our memory seems to attempt to embezzle, to distort truth, creating new

threads of reality through our own spindle.

The TRICK

I've come to realize that memories can be tricky, fickle things. Our brains can filter and alter

memories based on our emotions, our beliefs. But aren’t our beliefs just other people’s

ideologies fed to our youthful, unknowing souls. Any information that made any sliver of

sense to me stuck and I’d always be repeating to my friends in the playground, “my dad told

me…, it has to be true”. As I grew older it all became painfully clear; nobody really knows

anything. We all are fakes, liars, storytellers. Right? But is it truly a lie if the lie was spoken

with truth? Truth shed by someone who believes it true. True for you, for them, for the world.

We oscillate in darkness, darkness meaning no light. So, when light filters in we see it as a

truth, our truth, the best truth, the only truth. Gerald Murnane says it best; “the details of what

we call our lives go sometimes to form patterns of meaning not unlike those to be found in

our preferred sort of fiction”. Do we not manufacture this fiction through a lens of hope, of
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perfection, of desire, even ambition. Placed into our minds, a whirlpool of potential, why

wouldn’t we attempt to preserve it?

The TRUTH

Memory, a complex and elusive concept, has been an intriguing subject for many artists,

writers, and scholars throughout history. It is the ability of the mind to store and retrieve

information, impressions, and experiences. Memory serves as a powerful tool for humans to

navigate through their lives, to learn, and to grow. It shapes our identity, informs our

decisions, and helps us make sense of the world around us. Memories, like threads, interlace

to create the fabric of our lives, depicting who we are and what we stand for. They allow us

to revisit our past, to relive moments of joy, sorrow, and all that exists between. Without

memory what are we but empty shells, pieces of a puzzle with all blank sides, meaningless,

alone. In essence, memory is the backbone of our existence, it gives us a sense of continuity,

and it allows us to carry our past with us into the future.

The FOCUS

Aristotle once said that “the aim of art is not to represent the outward appearance of things,

but their inward appearance”. In other words, art should not only depict the physical features

of an object or person, but also its deeper meaning, emotions, and personality. Memory is

much the same. Sometimes distorting the truth and selecting the most important parts of a

memory can be more helpful to understanding the true nature of humanity. This distortion

preserves the truth to a memory, enriching and rejuvenating its place in the mind, perhaps

even shifting it into a more valuable time in a person’s life. Memory glorifies. Or perhaps it

refreshes, it maintains, it protects. But doesn’t this mean that the slight altering of memories

is an unconscious action by the human mind to appeal to long term memory. Couldn’t this

lead to unhappiness with your current situation in life, always striving to reach the
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unreachable memory of past life that has been fabricated and re sown into the tapestry of your

consciousness. Whatever the truth to you, I know that your truth is the only truth that means

anything for you.

The DENOUEMENT

In many ways, memory is a reflection of the human experience itself - complex, multi-

layered, and often illogical. It is both beautiful and tragic, uplifting and painful. And yet, it is

a part of us that we cannot help but cherish and hold dear, even as it slips through our fingers

like sand. But even as memories are malleable and subject to change, they remain an integral

part of who we are as human beings. Our memories shape our perceptions of the world,

influencing how we view ourselves and others. They help us to learn from our experiences, to

grow and evolve as individuals, sown and resown as our tapestry broadens, transforming us

into a portrait of colour and imperfect perfection.

Reflection –

My discursive writing piece, ‘truths fabric’ explores the vague and malleable nature of

collective and selective memory, crafting a link between shared memory, and ideas

completely fabricated by individual thought. Provoked by Zadie smiths ‘that crafty feeling’ in

form, and writers’ styles like Kurt Vonnegut and George Orwell, my discursive aims to

reinterpret Zadie’s consistent use of literary devices, coupled with an unreliable and satirical

form that loses shape and meaning, crafting a more unconventional and provocative piece.

This is to provoke a deeper search for meaning to the reader, truly establishing understanding

of the erratic, subjective nature of memory.

Heavily influenced by Zadie’s consistently unique style of discursive writing, where she

embeds countless metaphor, simile, and other literary devices to enhance her creative voice, I
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aimed to take example from her to refresh my own voice, reconstructing how I write and

interpret. I engaged the reader with consistent rhetorical questioning, establishing an

unreliable and uncertain nature to my piece, searching for greater meaning within a

convoluted subject. Zadie structured her speech with titles for each step of her writing

process, each uniquely relevant, but of varying simplicity and direction. I adapted this

approach into a non-linear and abstract reinterpretation, allowing the reader to reflect on what

the following passage may explore.

Similar to Zadie’s extended metaphor of a house that continuously is being built as her

writing progresses, I crafted a motif of a tapestry that reflects the interconnected nature of

memory, and the vast scale of thought that cannot be interpreted by anyone other than

yourself. I emulated aspects of salmon Rushdie’s quote, reaffirming “memory’s truth”, and

the nature of which memories are subject to change and duplicity. I integrated a personal

anecdote that I was very familiar with, growing up in a household where knowledge was

always shared and explored. I sought to express that although your view of a topic may have

some truth to it, other peoples view also have truth, which should not be disregarded based on

other people’s ideologies. Thus, in emulating Zadie’s crafting of personal voice, I have

attempted to convey the diverse and impressionistic themes of memory, drawing on motifs,

personal anecdotes, and unreliability to better shape memory as a multi layered process, not

just a method of recollection.

I added moments of unconventionality to my writing style, where in one instance I say

‘oscillating in a void of darkness, darkness meaning no light’, which is intentionally

provocative to the reader to cause self-questioning, further heightening the satirical backbone

of my text. I embedded quotes from Australian writer Gerald Murnane, as well as respected

philosopher Aristotle, which seek to provide further backing to perhaps, otherwise,

conceptual gibberish with no proof or thought.

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Ultimately, my discursive work acts as a microcosm of the themes and ideas I have learnt

within my study of Module C texts, aimed to show the inner workings of memory as a both

logical and illogical phenomenon, based almost entirely on the dogma of other people. I

believe my work shapes the concept of memory as something far more complex and

meaningful, reflecting the truth it holds to me, the writer, but perhaps also to you, dear reader.
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