Assorted

After contemplating the purpose of a memoir several things came to mind. I believe it can serve to be cathartic for the writer as they can be set free by working through certain events in their life. Furthermore, and perhaps more importantly, I think a memoir can serve as a way to for the writer to tell their story in a vivid way that allows the readers to feel like they are living the experience and perhaps to learn a valuable lesson from their story. Therefore, I chose to analyze two memoirs they were Superman and Me by Sherman Alexie and “Salvation” by Langston Hughes. I concentrated on trying to determine the purpose of each piece in order to indicate what pivotal aspects were employed that either helped or hindered them in achieving that purpose.

In the article titled “The Problem with Memoirs” by Neil Genzlinger, the author begins with a clear and brief introduction about his view and definition of personal memoirs and why today this specific set of writing is problematic for the audience reading this style of writing. Some key points that he addresses in the article are the idea that not every personal should be written and publish a memoir. Many personal memoirs contain a variety of stories in which authors explain and emphasize their life experiences. Often times many write about a favorite childhood memory, surviving cancer or other personal situations. For the author of the article, these types of personal memoirs should not be published in writing because it does not attract

My reflective thoughts on Donald Murray's "All writing is Autobiography", are easily aligned with this work as it continuously offered textual examples to the reader from fiction and non-fictional viewpoints, as to the fundamental notion that all writing is autobiography. Murray without a doubt creates an argument about the affect a person's experience shape the outcome of any work a writer may produce, in which I agree. For example, Donald Murray's poem "Black Ice" is written with an autobiographical voice, although most details did not take place-- he admits, but the poem continued to bring forth an organic rhythm of story telling without any hints of small truths while Murray injects the extra influencing details. Murray

Myths are of great importance in the Navajo community because it is believed that it was a way to connect to the Holy People. The myth helps recognize symbolized supernatural in chants, translates the meaning of songs, and explains the importance of the ritual objects (Lamphere 1969). For example, there is myth of the two heroes who had gone through some misfortunes but thanks to the supernatural’s aid, the two heroes created a

Of all the forms of literature, the most interesting might be the fairytales, or the science fiction thriller about robots. However, there lacks the sense of truth, in a way blocking the reader from true connection with the story. Memoir is real, memoir is true, and memoir can range from any end of the ocean in structure and theme.

A bildungsroman is a novel in which the moral and psychological growth of the protagonist is depicted from the genesis to the denouement of the given work.

In the reading, “Writing About Yourself: The Memoir” by William Zinsser, the author uses organization, examples, and direct advice to develop the purpose and message of the selection. The message of this piece is that writing about oneself and delving into what has made the author who they are gives the writing individuality and distinction. Like the message, the purpose is to encourage writers to write about themselves and what has shaped them without hesitation. To begin with, the author uses a pattern of organization where he introduces an excerpt of a memoir by stating a quality that makes this memoir exemplary. After the excerpt, he will further comment on what makes this memoir memorable for him. For example, the author states, “One secret of the art [the memoir] is detail… a sound or smell—as long as it played a

Narrative: An individual intro outlining their thoughts on the conclusions of their writings, and how individuals understand the meaning of their lives through the process of narrating it (Andrews et al., 2013).

Memoir is a record of events written by a person having intimate knowledge of them and based on personal observation. It is an account of one's personal life and experiences, an autobiography. It is really effective especially in catching the readers because the one who wrote it is also the one who exeprerienced it. When we read a memoir we are reminded of their power to connect us to something beyond ourselves. A memoir invites us to step into a life and an experience that are not ours.

"Metafiction is a term given to fictional writing which self-consciously and systematically draws attention to its status as an artifact in order to pose questions about the relationship between fiction and reality."

In the words of George Orwell, “If thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.” Language has been spoken for over 350,000 years. It has expanded tremendously, but its power has never changed. The use of language shapes peoples' perceptions and the depth of interactions because it can demean, avoid, portray emphasis, persuade, and conceal from simple phrases such as “I feel like” and “just”.

Magical realism and memoir are ostensibly opposing genres—the first is a work of fiction with elements of fantasy infused with reality while the other is a nonfiction account told through narrative. Despite their differences at the surface, at their foundation, both genres are driven by the same force: ambiguity. Because magical realism is a genre that consists of a realistic yet fictional story in which the characters have an acceptance of the fantastical, the lines between what the reader knows to be real and fake are blurred. Within memoir, because the author reconstructs a history without all the concrete facts through old memories, accounts from friends and family, and even photographs, there is much room for error and even confusion,

In many of tradition, a myth carries within it a sense of sacred tradition and primordial relation. These myths are also serving as model for chosen tradition. Myths are extremely complex cultural reality that can be approached and interpreted from various viewpoints. These viewpoints are often related to the whole of

An autobiography is a story of your own life. Even if you think you don’t have much to include in your memoir, you can still make it quite interesting.

Epic: A lengthy narrative poem in grand language celebrating the adventures and accomplishments of a legendary or conventional hero.