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The power of words: Conversations • “A conversation is a slippery creature. A conversation is a risk. A real conversation changes the people who have it. It’s about exchanging ideas, considering other opinions, shifting positions. That’s why conversations are so difficult: You risk changing yourself, admitting you were wrong, coming to appreciate the other person’s perspective.” - Jennifer Braunschweiger
Write about… • What you think of this quote. Agree/disagree, explain. • Write about a conversation you have had in which you “risked changing yourself, admitted you were wrong, or came to appreciate the other person’s perspective (or they came to appreciate yours!). Be specific in your description of what was said and the change that occurred. • Or (if you can’t think of an idea for the question above), write about a conversation you wish you could have had with someone…something left unsaid …be specific in detailing what it is you wish you had said and why.
“You’re untrustworthy, you’re irresponsible, and you’re a disappointment.” • Do these words describe Jennifer? • How do these words affect Jennifer?
Jennifer writes at the end of this memoir, “If my mom and I had done that deceptively simple thing, talking, negotiating, compromising until we agreed on a set of privileges, then we both would have gotten something we wanted.” • Why are these conversations so difficult? Or are they?