As readers, we want to not only understand what we’re reading, but we also want to find a way to group what we’re reading into a genre. Because of this desire, as readers, we sometimes run into issues when reading complex novels, such as Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson. Carson composed a, what we presume is, a fictional novel made up of poetry. By using poetry, Carson is able to convey meanings more complex than simply using the typical prose form. However, Carson also claims that her novel is an autobiography in the title. This autobiographical statement has been confusing readers since its initial publication. Why do we question Carson titling her novel an autobiography? Likely, this inclination is due to what we’ve been told an autobiography has for the entirety of our academic lives. Typically, for a piece to be considered an autobiography it must contain accurate, truthful, comprehensive, chronological, and in some cases: upbeat content. Carson’s writing takes on a more novel-like structure in terms of how the story is told, but still claims to be some form …show more content…
It’s especially difficult when the novel claims to be an autobiography a handful of times. In the beginning of the novel, there’s a section inside the poem “Tuesday” where Geryon’s mother is speaking on the phone with a friend about Geryon. She says, “Geryon? Fine he’s right here working on his autobiography”(34). In later chapters, the narrator also discusses the use of photographs to assemble Geryon’s autobiography. These examples tease the mind because they allow the reader to entertain the idea that because the word “autobiography” is mentioned in the text, that it is one. The key here is to recognize that referring to a piece of writing, as an autobiography does not make it one. While Autobiography of Red interacts with concepts of autobiographical writing, it follows a structure more akin to novel
When I decide to read a memoir, I imagine sitting down to read the story of someone’s life. I in vision myself learning s...
When inquiring about the comparisons and contrasts between Melville’s Benito Cereno and Frederick Douglass’s Narrative of the Life of an American Slave, Written by Himself, the following question almost inevitably arises: Can a work of fiction and an autobiography be compared at all? Indeed, the structure of the two stories differs greatly. Whereas Douglass’s Narrative adapts a typical pattern of autobiographies, i.e. a chronological order of birth, childhood memories, events that helped shape the narrator etc., Benito Cereno is based on a peculiar three-layered foundation of a central story recounting the main events, a deposition delineating the events prior to the first part, and an ending.
What audience did Dorothy day have in mind when writing her autobiography? Who was she trying to reach and what was her message?
Gay male, lesbian, and transsexual networks/communities, and cultural practices often had their own differences that coincided with meshing similarities. From the late 1940s to the 1960s, these identities were shaped through experiences of “the closet” and living a “double life,” among other factors. Alan Berubé explores the war’s impact on homosexual identity, speaking for both gay males and lesbians in “Marching to a Different Drummer: Lesbian and Gay GIs in World War II.” In “We Walk Alone,” Ann Aldrich helps identify the varying types of lesbians, addressing their intimate relationships with each other that are becoming more visible. Harry Benjamin touches more on the medical and scientific side of transsexualism and the obvious fact that
Imagine what it would have been like to be cooped up in an attic during the Holocaust,with only very little space eight people in one little attic. For the Franks and the Van Danns it was eight people and a cat for most the time. With no one to talk to they have to keep everything in, unless they write it. In “The Diary of Anne Frank” the two families live this way. Anne and Peter were two of the characters who experienced this. Anne is a teenage girl who has a sister and lives during the Holocaust. Anne also had a lot of friends so she was popular; she loved to read and write in her journal. She was very loud and obnoxious. In Act one Scene two ,Peter says “I was always by myself, while you were in a big crowd of people.” This shows that Anne was very popular and is used to people; while Peter was not used to as much attention and people. Then in Act one Scene three, Mr.Van Dann says, “ Why can’t you be more like your sister Margot?” This proves that the Van Danns like Margot more than they like Anne ; it also proves they think Anne is obnoxious.
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl narrates the journey of adolescent Anne Frank during World War II. The diary allows insight into the changes Anne went through during the war after going into hiding to avoid persecution. Over the course of her time in hiding she matured, and used her diary to voice her innermost thoughts and desires. Anne’s diary shows how she came to terms with change as a result of her circumstances, and how she herself changed as a result.
How would you handle the isolation of living in a small attic for two years? In the book The Diary of Anne Frank, by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, Anne Frank had to hide in a small attic above her dad’s office from early July in 1942 to August 4, 1944. Anne hid with her parents, sister, Peter, Peter’s parents, and Dussel. While in hiding, Anne responds to the isolation she faces with anger, sadness, and surprisingly hope. Anne did not have hope since the beginning, but gained it along the way. By responding to the situation in those ways she finds a way to live a mostly happy life even in her situation.
Tan, Amy. “Two Kinds.” Exploring Literature: Writing and Arguing About Fiction, Poetry, Drama and The Essay.4th e. Ed. Frank Madden. New York: Pearson Longman, 2009. 253-261. Print.
Do authors such as Alice Walker connect to their real life experiences into his/her writings? Well, Alice Walker is one of those authors. Alice Walker is a black African-American author and activist. She writes novels, short-stories, poems, and essays. In fact, one of her most famous novel was “The Color Purple”. Walker was also awarded the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award in 1983. This essay will reveal how an author named Alice Walker connects her real life experiences into her writings.
Realism is often portrayed by writers such as Alice Walker. Her poems, essays, short stories, and novels portray her views on feminism and civil rights while giving a realist approach that has provoked readers for many years. Her horrific and brutally honest writing style made the world see a different view of minority women and allowed her to receive the Pulitzer Prize for her novel The Color Purple (“Alice Walker”). She lived a life of poverty and racial discrimination, which led her to become an opinionated feminist. Walker’s realistic writing style portrays her obscure upbringing and her feminist opinions; in her work The Color Purple, she shows the aspects of growing up as a minority woman and the frequency of racial discrimination.
Anne Frank: Beyond the Diary is well organized and gives information about the Frank's lives that was not in Anne's diary. The book gives information with facts, photos, and etc. from Anne's Diary. Gives background information on the war. Charts and maps of Europe to show the war expanding and affecting the lives of Jews. Readers may enjoy Anne Frank: Beyond the Diary. Best of all any age group who's interested in something
In the sources used, the situations that are experienced seems like there is no hope to be found, only fear. Fear will protect us, we hope. Nevertheless, hope is everywhere no matter what. For World War II in The Diary of Anne Frank, Anne Frank is the secret annex’s hope. Anne Frank is a 13-year old girl that has the most hope of surviving the Nazi Invasion. All you can think is, “Ah, the Nazi’s are coming! Run for your lives!” That is what went through many minds during this time period, fear. Fear is a strong ally to have. You can worry all the time and no one will stop you. But, hope can be an even stronger ally, if you believe.
John-Raphael Straude defines autobiography as, “a dialogue of the self with itself in the present about the past for the sake of self-understanding” (Staude 249). Although autobiography may acquire many functions, its aid in understanding oneself is an important one. In particular, autobiography and narrative promote understanding of people’s lives, the world, and improve their sense of connectedness with the world around them.
In the story “Two Kinds”, the author, Amy Tan, intends to make reader think of the meaning behind the story. She doesn’t speak out as an analyzer to illustrate what is the real problem between her and her mother. Instead, she uses her own point of view as a narrator to state what she has experienced and what she feels in her mind all along the story. She has not judged what is right or wrong based on her opinion. Instead of giving instruction of how to solve a family issue, the author chooses to write a narrative diary containing her true feeling toward events during her childhood, which offers reader not only a clear account, but insight on how the narrator feels frustrated due to failing her mother’s expectations which leads to a large conflict between the narrator and her mother.
Personal writing can take several forms, descriptive and narrative being two examples. The two essays, "I Want a Wife" by Judy Brady and "Sister Flowers" by Maya Angelou are prime examples of such writing. Both stories were able to capture my attention and entertain me throughout their entirety. Choosing a preference is always going to be subjective; it is all a matter of how you like to take in information. In fact, personal choice is what inclines you towards a certain title as opposed to another. Some may like to envision their own details, while some rather the images chronicled for them. In fact, the crystal clear details given in a descriptive essay as compared to a narrative, set the two far apart. Although narrative essays can give details without as much wording, the vivid pictures painted by a descriptive essay such as "Sister Flowers" is a superior read since the details make the story come alive.