Summary:
A memoir is a collection of one's thoughts, happenings, experiences, and even advice.
Memoirs serve to not only entertain a reader, but also that same memoir served as a form of therapy for the writer. Writing about one's life is a stress reliever as well as a re-cap of all the good, bad, and miscellaneous occurrences. This is actually a very healthy activity for the brain and for one's emotions. When one is writing about their life, their choice to write about certain mistakes or regrets shows acceptance and provides closure. Some view memoirs to be narcissistic or vain but many great novels and epics are basically a memoir, a person writing about their life experiences. In the sound clip with Antoinette and Iriel Franklin, they basically just provided us with an oral memoir. They thought back a couple years ago when Hurricane Katrina hit and told us their thoughts, worries, and hardest times. They really made it real for the listener, as if we were living in New Orleans at the time. That was a perfect example of an oral memoir.
Reaction:
I think memoirs are a great way to relieve stress and they are also emotionally healthy. For someone writing about their struggles or hardships, a memoir is a chance for them to come to terms with their problems and accept what has happened. For someone who is reminiscing on a highlight or fun time in their life, it gives them a chance to look back and remember how happy they were at that time. Either way, it's good to re-cap on your life. Whether it's a bad experience that you can learn from or it's just a fun time to remember, it's always good to keep your memories from fading. Writing about and evaluating your own life is far from being conceited or vain, it's simply putting experiences down on paper for others or even yourself to read over and think about.
Questions:
1. Why would someone consider a memoir to be narcissistic or vain?
2. What are the most common type of memoirs, fun experiences or hardships and struggles?
3. What are some examples of famous novels that are actually memoirs?
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