The three authors Jorge Luis Borges, Scott Russell Sanders and EB White all have different stories but somehow tie together. Borges's “The Keeper of the Books,” Sanders's “The Men We Carry in Our Minds,” and White's “Once More to the Lake” all touch on perception in all their stories. Their perceptions profoundly shape their stories, but their memories also influence and obscure their perception. In this essay I hope to demonstrate how memories influence and relate to our perception of our individuality. There are two different types of memory; individual and collective. Individual memory is defined in the article “Individual and Collective Memory” written by Sara Hanneman and Brianna Brandon, as “a personal interpretation of an event in one's life” (Hanneman, Brown). Collective memory, however, as defined by dictionary.com, is “a memory or memories shared or collected by a group, such as a community or culture” (dictionary.com). To compare these two we can look at September 11, 2001. September 11 was a tragedy that shook not only the United States, but the entire world. In one way or another, nearly every person in the United States at the time was affected. Whether or not they had a direct connection was irrelevant; changed the conditions. Even if someone was born after 2001, they are still affected by the changes implemented by the government and in which they are involved to this day due to this catastrophe. How this tragedy is remembered will be different for everyone. No one person will feel the same way as anyone else. How our individual and personal memory handles this situation will influence our collective memory about the situation and may also influence...... middle of paper......ve Memory." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com , nd Web. 11 December 2013. .Hanneman, Sara and Brianna Brandon. “Individual and Collective Memory – Consequences,” nd Web. 11 December 2013. .Sen Mente RSS, 21 July 2012. Web. 14 December 2013. Sundem , Garth "As You Remember, As You Decide: Memory, Part I." Sussex Directories, Inc., 05 October 2010. 11 December 2013.Thomas, Ben "What is Individuality and Where Does It Come From?" , Scientific American Blog Network. “What is individuality and where does it come from? | Guest blog of MIND, Scientific American Blog Network. Scientific American, May 22, 2013. Web. December 15. 2013.