Filip Mroczek October, 15, 2012 Section: D
Memoir Historical Investigation for the Life of Harry Houdini By Filip Mroczek
Primary Source
This is a photograph of Harry Houdini Performing a magic trick were he is locked with chains and locks trying to break free
Secondary Source Harry Houdini, the great magician, started doing magic because of all the books he read about it and about people who could do it. He really got into it which then he started trying. When Houdini met a magician he really wanted to learn from him. The person invited him to come and learn after a long talk with him. The next day, when he went to his house to learn, someone else opened the door. Houdini found out that he died. Then he got so motivated that he started doing magic tricks and trying even very dangerous tricks. He tried so hard that one day, he finally made it to perform in front of a crowd with thousands of people. That is how he became famous.
Summary The book the life of Harry Houdini talks about the magician and the magic tricks he could perform and his childhood. Houdini brought new tricks to the world. He was the most famous magician of all time.
The magic legend, Houdini I have never been on stage in front of so many people watching, and I am a bit stressed. I hope nothing goes wrong, I can see my wife, Bess watching me. My name is Harry Houdini. My family is poor, and magic is my passion. I'm going to tell you a story about my childhood. I was very poor when I was a child. My dad, Mayer Samuel Weiss took good care of me. As a child, I dreamed to be a magician, I would lock myself in a small chest I had when I was alone at home, throw out the key and tried to get out. After a while of trying, when I could not open it, I waited until my dad got home so he would open it for me. He told me not to try again because it will never work. With this advice, I still tried and believed in myself even though it never worked. One day, when I was walking in the streets, I saw a man that I recognized. I thought to myself, is it him, is it surely him, I wasn't sure. I quickly walked up to him and said, "Hey, I recognize you, you are the magician everyone knows about." I said. He looked at me as if I was doing something wrong, and then he replied, "I'm not that person, I''m just a random person you see every day." I was sure it was him now, I knew it. "Listen," I said in a confident voice, "I know it’s you, I know you are the magician. I really want to be like you, I want to know magic, please, teach me, I can pay you". He looked like he wasn't to sure if he should. After a long time staring at me. "I feel you are a good kid.” The man said. “Heres my address, come by tomorrow." Finally, he walked away. I knocked on the old, wooden door, of the address I was given the day before. Nobody answered, I knocked again. Already thinking he was lying about the address, I started to walk away, then some old lady opened the door. I was thinking that maybe she had trouble walking since I saw the crutches she was leaning against with both of her arms. I asked, "Is this were Mark Wilson, the famous magician lives?" "Lived, yes.” She replied “Does not anymore." I asked how that was possible since he gave me the address yesterday, and then she replied, "Mark is dead. He died from a heart attack yesterday." After that, she closed the door. I opened it and asked, "Well, who am I supposed to learn from now, since he is dead?" She answered that Mark was so ambitious that he learned magic by himself and that I am supposed to do the same, and if I will really want to become a magician, Ill be able to teach myself. Next, she closed the door. Trudging home, I felt distress and disappointment. Because of what I heard happened, I got more and more motivated to becoming a magician. I was so angry that I was learning all day. After one month the day came. I got into my chest, locked myself in it and I got out without unlocking. I really got out. I was the most cheerful person one earth. It was the best day of my life. Next, after that successful trick, I tried lots of different things, It took a long time to learn all of the tricks, such as pulling a blanket off the table without making the glasses move, or escaping from a locked box without using a key. I was really into it, and I would try my hardest to accomplish my dream.
And now, here I am, a very popular magician with the best magic performances in the world. That was my childhood story, and that is how I grew up to be who I am. I learned not only magic and tricks, I learned that to accomplish something you really want, you have to try to get it.