Relfective Journey: Exulansis '

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.

The story of my history as a writer is a very long one. My writing has come full circle. I have changed very much throughout the years, both as I grew older and as I discovered more aspects of my own personality. The growth that I see when I look back is incredible, and it all seems to revolve around my emotions. I have always been a very emotional girl who feels things keenly. All of my truly memorable writing, looking back, has come from experiences that struck a chord with my developing self. This assignment has opened my eyes, despite my initial difficulty in writing it. When I was asked to write down my earliest memory of writing, at first I drew a blank. All of a sudden, it became very clear to me, probably because it had some

Moreover, writing about memory which is the groundwork of the traditional autobiographical genre is a problematic endeavor, since it is a project of conflating memory, imagination, and sometimes a conscious misrepresentation of the past. Likewise, it is a way to inscribe the discursive selves that they envision as “true” representations of their selfhoods.

What provokes a person to write about his or her life? What motivates us to read it? Moreover, do men and women tell their life story in the same way? The answers may vary depending on the person who answers the questions. However, one may suggest a reader elects to read an autobiography because there is an interest. This interest allows the reader to draw from the narrator's experience and to gain understanding from the experience. When the reader involves him/herself in the experience, the reader encounters what is known and felt by the narrator. The encounter may provide the reader an opportunity to explore a

Eaton argues, in depth, how the memoir is not very effective in inspiring readers since they, according to Eaton, cannot take the memoir seriously. In order to convey his point of view, he uses many methods to do so, such as providing truthful facts, using quotes as evidence, and choosing a particular writing style for his review.

Introspection in literature is the examination of one’s own consciousness to retell the past; therefore,

What exactly is a self-narrative or in other words an identity? Could it be described as someone’s life story and their individual uniqueness? A self-narrative is a broad topic that has more meaning just one. In order to get a wide range of knowledge about a self-narrative one has to understand the different self-making narratives. In the stories Memory of Water by Emmi Itaranta, Being Prey by Val Plumwood, Nightmare by Malcolm X, express self-making narratives by stating how their experiences have transformed their self-identities originally. This occurs when External and internal beliefs are altered, turning points in our lives occur, creating a self-narrative full of distinctiveness. All of these stories stated above all show

When a student is given the chance to cater their personal stories to the audience, in an academic writing piece; the writing itself will make a change and help that student step out of that "academy", if and when encouraged. As I read this section of the article, I was able to make many connections to recent articles we have read and

When a person composes their work, they allow their ideas to dilate into a story that takes their reader into a journey. The journey is not merely for the reader, but for the author. The author gain a writing experience from their journey that guides when they write other material. All writing experiences are depending on the person. Their writing experience can drive them to regularly add more details to enrich their story. On the other hand, a writer can be compelled to critique their work to enhance it. As a writer, I grasped many lessons from my own experience. One of my most memorable writings was a story in addition to a thought-provoking essay. This memorable writing experience was my research paper for my 12th grade English class.

writing a personal narrative or a story gives you the chance to practice creative skills, capure your own experiences in words, and develop imaginary characters and circumstances. regardless of what kind of narrative your writing, though, there are certain qualities that seperate effective stories from ineffective ones. Strong characterization, vivid use of detail, and the creation of anemotional, conflict- driven plot can al ensure the sucess of a narrative with readers.The incarnations by Susan Barker In life after life,incarnations spins a sinuous tale of soul mates. the letter states that wang has had several past lives, and the letter writer has known wang in each of his past incarnations. only by understanding who he

It began rather calmly in third period College English class in the middle of a warm day in September. The entire class including myself had likely been dreading the idea of typing another paper after the results of the last one, however the idea of typing a narrative instead of an essay offered a slight glimmer of hope at the end of a long dark tunnel. As the time of assigning approached a gentle stir worked its way into and around the frigidly chilled room. Like a shot to the knee with an arrow, our fate was laid before us. We were tasked with writing a personal narrative of three to four pages in length of any topic we choose. Now to some people that may seem like a simple undertaking, however to the majority of the class, the sudden shock of being assigned a paper that wasn’t some form of a compare and or contrast essay was enough to send brain cells into nose dives and levels of panics to heights not seen since Felix Baumgartner threw himself

Narrative used as a linguistic device has the potential to construct and transform the self, communicate identities with disorder to others (Thompson, 2012), and constitutes a social pedagogy about identity and ways of healing (Harter, 2005) that support psychological dialectical therapy. Explaining ones story, triggers sense making strategies allowing individuals to explore self identity in relation to illness, eventually developing a system of understanding where one begins to recognize and understand patterns in behavior (Thompson,

I even wrote about family and friends. My life story had become a book. If the audience can understand my past adventures and experiences, then they too will feel a connection to my writings. As I dug deeper in my life experience ’s I realized that my audience may have been in my shoes in a few of these moments.

My altered views of personal writing and self-disclosure have changed the way I read, write, and teach personal essays. I’ve gained a heightened awareness of the power of personal essays that disclose – the way we can gain valuable insight and access to empathy, the impact of voices that may otherwise be silenced, the true connection that comes from identification and understanding when we read the words of someone who has similar experiences, thoughts, hopes, dreams, or pain. There are long-term – and likely very important – effects of the personal writing that we will be writing today and reading tomorrow. At a time when personal narrative holds such power – power to persuade, to illustrate, and to garner traffic on websites – it’s vital that we start having a different conversation about the personal essay. And in the new conversation, I argue, we have to start with disclosure.

Our autobiographical narratives also support the construction of identity, by using cultural models of self narration as well as drawing on our own experiences, who we associate with, when and where, all have an impact on how we tell our stories (Hewitt, 2007). This serves in understanding how identities are fluid and are always changing from situation to situation, an aspect which anyone from the psychosocial school of thought