This week we discussed a lot of interesting ideas in English class. One of the things that really got me thinking was the idea that memoirs are written to come to terms with something that happened in your life. It could be a recent event or it could be from years and years ago. What we were taught was that memoir's were written to come to terms, or accept whatever happened.
Something you may have secretly blamed yourself for, or we're too hard on yourself for is what's typically written about. It's usually some sort of tragic event, which makes it a sad story. For example, if you and a friend got in a car accident when you were driving and they died it would be extremely hard on you. You might find yourself thinking, "Why wasn't that me? Why am I alive?" Most people would probably keep these questions to themselves, or try to ignore them completely. Using either of these strategies is unhealthy and can lead to huge amounts of stress that can last for years. Some writers have discovered that they can get out their thoughts about their particular situation by writing a memoir. While their writing they discover new things they probably never even thought they knew. They find out about what is deep in their brains and they let it come out through their memoirs. Writing your feelings down on paper can lift a huge weight off your shoulder. Just admitting what happened is a great first step. It's almost like a diary. It's a healthy, non-destructive way to help yourself out.
Before this past week in Academy, I had no idea there were such specific ways authors choose to write the way they do. Any piece of writing can change someone's life, especially the authors.
I like the whole thing, but i started asking myself some questions while reading. For example, would writing a memoir be effective in helping someone remember a past experience that they are presently fond of, and simply would like to go back to the time and place? Also, you said that writing a memoir would be like writing a diary. Would looking back and reading an old diary serve the same purpose as a memoir? We have seen that memory is usually inaccurate and distorted, because it's just like that... So would the "memoir" be more poweful or less powerful if it were an old diary as opposed to the conventional memoir? (Powerful in terms of the effect on the author).
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