Interview
The interview I conducted was from my grandfather. Born in 1947, he is one of the oldest people I know. My Intention was to know of the Native life after the 1950s, and the nature of its influence on the events that have changed the present society. He is now approaching sixty-seven years and is still as firm and steady as I could remember him to be. Before I commenced my interview, he was quick to comment on how the winter season has changed nowadays. “I see you are all dressed up with wool and warm clothing. When I was your age, we only had a sweater or a single warm clothing to keep us warm. Time does surely change.” I smiled to acknowledge his thoughts, and fastened the zip of my jacket. The day was indeed extremely cold, and he was only dressed in one sweater. He noticed my attention to this and responded, “do not worry about me, am already used to this. I have witnessed many winters before, and am sure I will notice many more to come.” His zeal and motivation to live surely did impress me, and I could not keep from wondering what he did to keep this fit.
I decided I would ask him the question as part of my closing questions. As for now, I had to ask him a few applicable questions about his historical past and the lives they led during the old days. I was at his house, and, unfortunately, my grandmother had gone to the grocery store to get supplements for dinner. He served me hot coffee, and once we got settled, I popped my first question. I asked him how his life was while growing up and the challenges he faced. Sipping his coffee, he replied, “During the 1950s, life was not as easy as people presume it to be in their writing,” (Halliwell 144). I have come across many persons, wishing they were living in the 1950s. I only assume that they are on a rough patch in their lives. To be honest, I was brought up in a farm. My father was a farmer by profession while my mother was a housewife. This was new information to me because I lacked background information about my grandparents. I could not hesitate to ask how they were and what people they were. “Your great grandmother was a particularly unique woman. She was a Christian and had numerous supporters. She was also in charge of mothers union in the state. She was indeed an exceptionally highly rated woman. Your grandfather, on the other hand, was a strict person and more like your father. He was a stout and strict, and made sure every word was followed to the letter. He is responsible for my liking of education, and that is why I pushed your father into studying. I also know the reading habit got passed to my grandchildren.” I smiled at this sentiment since it was true. I was indeed fond of reading and writing. Reading was one of my favorite hobbies.
He took a sip of his coffee again and continued, “One of the things I liked about the native days was the fact that the economy was stable. The economic activities were mostly agriculture and mining. Many people practiced agriculture, as it was the sole income. The people who ventured into doing business were the people living in the cities. The Cities and towns during those days were made of bricks or wood (Halliwell 165). They were not tall structures made of pure glass like today. The elevators in use nowadays were not there. Tall buildings were at most three stories high. One can imagine how it queers it looked like.” At this point while sipping my coffee, I stopped and a picture of the old cities came into my mind. It indeed looked queer and intrinsic.
I had already known of the economic condition, and my attention now shifted to asking on the social and historical background of the 1950s. I was thinking a way to structure these questions, when he rose up and went to the windows. He drew the curtains and closed the windows. A quick glance showed me that it was indeed becoming dark, and the sun would set anytime soon. However, this would not disrupt my interview with the man. When he sat down, I asked him how social life was in the past. I noticed a smile spread across his face as his eyes shifted into a hazy state. It was as if he was transporting his memory to the good old days. “Life then was more communal than nowadays,” he said. “Most stuff and practices were done at a communal level, and people shared what they had. Your concerns were your neighbors’ concerns too. If one had a problem, people would come together and shove efforts in order to help them (Lindop 98). Life nowadays has changed immensely. People are more individuals based and keep to themselves. For example, I have a neighbor across whom we have not talked. I only see him leave and come back from work. Times have indeed changed.”
At this point, his eyes came back to a normal state, and I could detect some loathing to the present state of affairs. I took this juncture to find out about the family history. “Tell me something concerning the family’s origin, and history? Where we lived before moving here?” I asked. During the interview, I was amazed at the memory of my grandfather. He seemed to remember everything in every little detail. “It is remarkably good to ask that. We have been residing here ever since I was a young. The area was underdeveloped, and little buildings were in place. Most people were either farmers or executives (Lindop 97). My father owned a ranch and believes it, or not, this is the same ranch your family is in right now. The country was peaceful at the time, and new people who came were treated courteously. It was indeed memorable times. The area was built by the social cohesion of people and the desire to achieve more. That was it back then; people had more to give than to receive. “At this point, I was certain I had all the information I needed. It was becoming dark outside, and I decided to leave. I finished my coffee and thanked my grandfather profusely for his time. I decided I would come back again since his eyes revealed they had a lot to say. I was not worried; my home was only a 7 minutes away distance.
Works Cited
Halliwell, Martin. American Culture in the 1950s. Edinburgh: Edinburgh Univ. Press, 2007.
Print.
Lindop, Edmund. America in the 1950s. Minneapolis, Minn: Twenty-First Century Books, 2010.
Print.
