Millvina Dean, a 96-year-old woman, is the last living survivor from the Titanic tragedy in 1912. Only 2 months old, she was put in a lifeboat with her mother as the Titanic sank. Her father was “among more than 1,500 who died”(CNN.com). They were riding the Titanic as steerage passengers hoping to make it safely to Kansas City, Missouri. Now Millivina lives in the “southern English city of Southhampton- Titanic’s home port-since she broke her hip two years ago”(CNN.com). Dean is auctioning off her Titanic memorabilia, in order to pay her nursing home fees. One key item she has is “a small wicker suitcase that was filled with clothes”(CNN.com). The auctioneer Andrew Aldridge commented that they “carried their little world in this suitcase”(CNN.com). According to the article, there were 2,200 passengers on board the Titanic; each one having a different story.
Although Dean doesn’t remember the sinking of the ship, she holds a few memorabilia items that remind her of her family during the 1912 tragedy. She is selling"a part of her history" (video). It is probably hard for her to give up these items but it is benefiting her by paying for necessary hospital bills.
Dean was told about this tragedy when she was 8 years old, when her mother was getting remarried. This makes me wonder if anything tragic happened in my life, and I was just never told about it. There could be several memories that we don’t remember or that we were too young to comprehend. Often times memorabilia is the only thing helping us trigger our memory. For instance, my mom gave me pictures of my grandma and I, and I am just a toddler. Although I never knew my grandmother, I am able to look at the pictures and make up my own memories. I reflect and try and determine what my grandmother was like based on this memorabilia. Memorabilia can tell you a lot about a person. Does anyone have special memorabilia that they hold close to their heart? Check out the video of the last titanic survivor!
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