Premium Essay

Literary Autobiography Analysis

Submitted By
Words 926
Pages 4
A Literary Autobiography My inclination for writing stems from a great love of books, which began in early childhood. My mother started reading to me in infancy, and by the second grade I was reading full-length novels. First it was Nancy Drew mysteries; the classic ones, of course. By the fourth grade I was consuming the entire Chronicles of Narnia in a month, and soon after came the Harry Potter series, which, at the time, was incomparable. I still credit my affinity for languages and proficiency as a writer with this early passion for literature. This was around the same time I first wrote a story. Looking back on it now, the story was dreadful, but to my fourth grade self it was pretty fantastic. My teacher seemed impressed that I had taken the time to write detailed descriptions, and so, overlooking the convoluted and nonsensical plot, used this story to justify giving me the English award upon sixth grade graduation. By this point, I was devouring thick novels in the span of days, and with the encouragement of my parents and teachers, I was …show more content…
Maybe my mother’s recent struggle with cancer or the death of my grandmother began it, but it was the abandonment of the close-knit group of so-called friends with whom I’d grown up which exacerbated my depression. I was lonely, and suddenly quite self-conscious. I no longer liked to share my stories with others, in fear of rejection, and was hypercritical of myself and my writing. I wrote more often, but would usually become disillusioned with an idea after one or two chapters and abandon it, never believing anything was good enough to share. Yet, it was also during this period that I began to take writing more seriously. It was a way to express myself, especially when I felt dejected and angry. I used this time to explore deeper messages and angst, influenced by a newfound interest in history and psychology, and my own

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Autobiography Of Red By Anne Carson: Literary Analysis

...Reading autobiographies can bring a sense of dread to a number of people within the reading community. Although to some, they are the only style of book to read. Autobiographies have a connotation of being a chronological retelling of the author’s life, full of intimate details of the struggles they encountered and they share the commonality of upbeat undertones suggesting that they are in fact successful, which is why they are writing this autobiography. Our brain has been trained to associate these assumptions with autobiographies. When we examine a novel like Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson, our assumptions of what an autobiography is becomes challenged. Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson is not typical life-writing story using opening...

Words: 1112 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Frederick Douglass Narrative Analysis

...Although Frederick Douglass wrote several autobiographies during his lifetime, none continues to have the lasting literary impact of the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. From its publication in 1845 to its present status in the American literary canon, the Narrative has become one of the most highly acclaimed American autobiographies ever written. Published seven years after Douglass' escape from his life as a slave in Maryland, the Narrative put into print circulation a critique of slavery that Douglass had been lecturing on around the country for many years. Yet while the Narrative describes in vivid detail his experiences of being a slave, it also reveals his psychological insights into the slave/master relationship. What Douglass realizes that day is that literacy is equated with not only individual consciousness but also freedom. From that day, Douglass makes it his goal to learn as much as he can, eventually learning how to write, a skill that would provide him with his passport to freedom. What gives the book its complexity is Douglass' ability to incorporate a number of sophisticated literary devices...

Words: 1647 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Comparing Princess De Lafayette And The Confes By Jean Jacques Rousseau

...individuals through the influence of the novel. Princess de Cleves was published in 1678 and tells the story of Mademoiselle de Chartres, who becomes the Princess de Cleves, and her romantic and social exploits in the royal court of King Henry II of France. According to Elizabeth Goldsmith, a professor of French literature at Boston University, Princess de Cleves was the “first psychological novel,” or roman d’analyse in French, because its plot was the first to focus on “developing the inner consciousness of the heroine,” the Princess (33). De Lafayette goes inside the heads of her characters to emphasize their divided cognizance. She stresses the complexities of human emotion and motivation. In addition to this penetrating psychological analysis of characters, De Lafayette offers more general psychological knowledge in the form of aphorisms. In one such instance she remarks, “those of a romantic disposition are always pleased at finding any excuse to speak with their lovers (36).” This observation exists outside of the imitate plot sequence of Princess de Cleves. Its purpose is not to further the story in any meaningful way, but rather to teach the reader about human emotion and behavior. De Lafayette’s intent to write a psychological novel is revealed in book one, when Madame de Chartres warns her daughter that “if [one] judge[s] by appearance… [one] will often be deceived, because what appears to be is hardly ever the case (46).” The novel is unconcerned with appearance and...

Words: 1715 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Discovering Truth in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

...create the pseudonym name Linda Brent. It was under this name the text was published. In later years, her text has been viewed as an important text, speaking truth to the ears of sentimental novel readers in the north, and calling for action against the cruel institution of slavery. Employed as a teacher by Pace University in 1968, Jean Fagan Yellin wrote and published her dissertation. While re-reading Incidents in the 1970s as part of the project and to educate herself in the use of gender as a category of analysis, Yellin became interested in the question of the text's true authorship. Over the next six-years, Yellin found and used historical documents including the Amy Post papers at the University of Rochester (Post was a close friend of Jacobs), state and local historical societies, and the Horniblow and Norcum papers at the North Carolina state archives, to establish both that Harriet Jacobs was the true author of Incidents, and that the narrative was her autobiography. Her edition...

Words: 3336 - Pages: 14

Premium Essay

Malcom X

...Haley coauthored The Autobiography of Malcolm X, and also performed the basic functions of a ghostwriter and biographical amanuensis,[11] writing, compiling, and editing[12] the Autobiography based on more than 50 in-depth interviews he conducted with Malcolm X between 1963 and his subject's 1965 assassination.[13] The two first met in 1959, when Haley wrote an article about the Nation of Islam for Reader's Digest, and again when Haley interviewed Malcolm X for Playboy in 1962.[14] In 1963 the Doubleday publishing company asked Haley to write a book about the life of Malcolm X. American writer and literary critic Harold Bloom writes, "When Haley approached Malcolm with the idea, Malcolm gave him a startled look ..."[15] Haley recalls, "It was one of the few times I have ever seen him uncertain."[15] After Malcolm X was granted permission from Elijah Muhammad, he and Haley commenced work on the Autobiography, a process which began as two-and three-hour interview sessions at Haley's studio in Greenwich Village.[15] Bloom writes, "Malcolm was critical of Haley's middle-class status, as well as his Christian beliefs and twenty years of service in the U.S. Military."[15] When work on the Autobiography began in early 1963, Haley grew frustrated with Malcolm X's tendency to speak only about Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam. Haley reminded him that the book was supposed to be about Malcolm X, not Muhammad or the Nation of Islam, a comment which angered Malcolm X. Haley eventually...

Words: 722 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Still I Rise

...their words, being glared at and having hate directed at her. She keeps telling the other person that I will not let you bring me down and every time you do, I will get stronger and stronger. She references that she creates waves like the moon and the sun, that she is challenging and the other person doesn’t like it. She felt the other person was trying to break her down and be dominating but she was a strong woman and would not let that happen. In the end, she says she is leaving all her negatives in the past and focusing on the future. She is a wanted person and she has pride. Maya Angelou was an author and poet. Still I rise was published in 1978. It was Maya Angelou’s third volume of poetry. She had previously written three autobiographies along with her two volumes of poetry. “And Still I rise” is a collection of thirty-two short poems that are divided in three parts. It focuses on the ability to overcome adversity and the challenges that others inflict upon you. She uses these same...

Words: 1163 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Kamla Das’s `My Story’ and Her Stories in Her Poems: a Study

...KAMLA DAS’S `MY STORY’ AND HER STORIES IN HER POEMS:A STUDY Indian English literature has been making great strides during the last few decades thereby attracting the international attention. Infect, the post-independence period in the history of Indian English writing is generally equated with the modern period. It must be said in the light of all considerations that the post independence Indo- English prose and poetry has characteristics which make it distinctive and different from the writing of the earlier period. Indian women poets writing in English from Toru Dutt to Kamala Das reveal the mind boggling variety of themes as well as style that poetry is capable of offering. It needs to be remembered that poetry written by women need not be viewed only as feminist poetry. For the first time in Indian English poetry, the women poets of post- Independence and postmodern period portrayed in a subversive idiom their desires, lust, sexuality and gestational experiences. They enriched Indian English poetry with a wealth of new themes and experience. They developed a new innovative iconoclastic discourse to portray their repressed desires. Thus a new form of feminist poetry emerged and grew to give they Indian English poetry new strength, new diversity and new potent a new signs of maturity The women poets of the present century have surely and confidently come out of the romantic entanglements, of the claptrap of the past tradition and succeeded in formulating a new tradition...

Words: 1492 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

El Presidente Reaction Paper

...Literary Standards Universality Literature - appeals to everyone, regardless of culture, race, sex, and time which are all considered significant. Artistry Literature has an aesthetic appeal and thus possesses a sense of beauty. Intellectual Value It stimulate critical thinking that enriches mental processes of abstract and reasoning, making man realize the fundamental of truths of life and its nature. Suggestiveness It unravels man’s emotional power to define symbolism, nuances, implied meanings, images and messages, giving and evoking visions above and beyond the plane of ordinary life and experience. Spiritual Value Literature elevates the spirit and the soul and thus has the power to motivate and to inspire. Permanence Literature endures across time and draws out the time factor: Timeliness – occurring at a particular time. Timelessness – remaining invariable throughout time Importance of Literature • •Studying literature is like looking at the mirror of life where man’s experiences, his innermost feelings and thoughts are reflected. • Through literature, we learn the culture of people across time and space•We understand not only the past life of a nation but also its present. • Moreover, we become familiar not only with the culture of neighboring countries but also with that of others living very far from us Literary Approaches Literary Approaches Moral or Humanistic Approach • Literature is viewed to discuss man and its nature. • It presents...

Words: 917 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Examination of 20th Centruy Italian Literature

...committee, composed of three members, all Italian ladder faculty or, with approval of the Graduate Director, of ladder faculty and visiting faculty. The reading list must be submitted for approval to all members of the M.A. exam committee at least one month prior to the exam. The individualized list will follow these guidelines: • It must include between 15 and 25 texts, depending on length and complexity, chosen from the comprehensive list. Students can substitute texts not on that list with individual approval. • The chosen texts must be distributed among at least seven centuries and present a balance of genres. • The list must be organized into three general categories on the following model: A literary genre (e.g., the lyric, the novel, epic, comedy, tragedy, autobiography, etc.) A critical problem or interpretive question (e.g., realism and representation, symbol, myth, allegory, point of view, irony, parody, romanticism,...

Words: 1574 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Essay

...[pic] JPPSS ELA COURSE GUIDE 2011-2012 ENGLISH I The JPPSS Instructional Sequence Guides are aligned with the LA Comprehensive Curriculum. JPPSS Implementation of Activities in the Classroom Incorporation of activities into lesson plans is critical to the successful implementation of the Louisiana Comprehensive Curriculum. The Comprehensive Curriculum indicates one way to align instruction with Louisiana standards, benchmarks, and grade-level expectations. The curriculum is aligned with state content standards, as defined by grade-level expectations (GLEs), and organized into coherent, time-bound units with sample activities and classroom assessments to guide teaching and learning. The units in the curriculum have been arranged so that the content to be assessed will be taught before the state testing dates. While teachers may substitute equivalent activities and assessments based on the instructional needs, learning styles, and interests of their students, the Comprehensive Curriculum should be a primary resource when planning instruction. Grade level expectations—not the textbook—should determine the content to be taught. Textbooks and other instructional materials should be used as resource in teaching the grade level expectations...

Words: 21740 - Pages: 87

Premium Essay

Culture Conundrum: Embracing Other Cultures

...Chapter 5 Socratic) are met. O Day 1 Topical question: W: Overarching Understanding/Question: It is important to see beyond yourself in order to understand others. / Why is cultural perspective important? Big Idea: Culture Standards: SCCR E2.I.1.1: Use a recursive process to develop, refine, and evaluate questions to broaden thinking on a specific idea that directs inquiry for new learning and deeper understanding. SCCR E2.I.3.2: Examine historical, social, cultural, or political context to broaden inquiry and create questions. SCCR E2.RL.5.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text; identify multiple supported interpretations. SCCR E2.RL. 7.1 Trace the development of a common theme across media, modality, and format. SCCR E2.RL. 7.2 Explain how literary texts and related media allude to themes and archetypes from historical and cultural traditions. Major...

Words: 4292 - Pages: 18

Premium Essay

Some Prefer Nettles Summary

...This major work began for me on the reading of Junichirō Tanizaki’s ‘Some Prefer Nettles’. The tale itself, highly symbolic and tinged with an unmistakable pathos, ultimately led me to select as a focus for my major work the Taisho period of Japan, a period of social, political and literary fermentation. The Taisho period was a time of literary reflection on the changes the Meiji period had brought about, it was a period where a great many authors turned their minds towards locating an authentic cultural identity distinct from Western influence. Decidedly thus influenced by this topic, my critical response was to have the purpose of illustrating the tensions that exist between modernity and traditional culture, additionally dealing with the...

Words: 1555 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

English for Literary Work

...describe anything from creative writing to more technical or scientific works, but the term is most commonly used to refer to works of the creative imagination, including works of poetry, drama, fiction, and nonfiction. Generally, most people have their own ideas of what literature is.  When enrolling in a literary course at university, you expect that everything on the reading list will be “literature”.  Similarly, you might expect everything by a known author to be literature, even though the quality of that author's work may vary from publication to publication.  Perhaps you get an idea just from looking at the cover design on a book whether it is “literary” or “pulp”.  Literature then, is a form of demarcation, however fuzzy, based on the premise that all texts are not created equal.  Some have or are given more value than others. Most forays into the question of “what is literature” go into how literature works with the reader, rather than how the author set about writing it.  It is the reception, rather than the writing, which is the object of enquiry.  Largely, what we call “literature” is often a subjective value judgment, and naturally, value judgments, like literary tastes, will change. Etymologically, literature has to do with letters, the written as opposed to the spoken word, though not everything that is written down is literature.  As a classification, it doesn't really have any firm boundary lines.  The poet Shelley wanted to include some legislative statutes of...

Words: 1731 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Philosophy

...New York: Pearson Education, 2001. Youngs, J. William T. American Realities: Historical Episodes-From First Settlements to the Civil War. New York: Longman, 2000. Fanon, Frantz. The Wretched of the Earth. New York: Grove Press, 1963. COURSE DESCRIPTION: A survey of African American literature, introducing students to genres, trends, and major periods of African American literature, ranging from the 17th-, 18th- and 19th- century autobiographies and narratives to 20tth –century works. Authors include: Jupiter Hammon, Briton Hammon, Sojourner Truth, Nat Turner, Claude McKay, Zora Neale Hurston, Sterling Brown, Richard Wright, Lorraine Hansberry, Amiri Baraka, Toni Morrison, Haki Madhubuti, Ton Cade Bambara, and August Wilson. COURSE OBJECTIVES By the end of this course, you will: o be able to distinguish amongst genres of literature; o be familiar with various works by and about African American writers in various literary genres; o be familiar with the Black Aesthetic, as well as other literary theories; o gain...

Words: 3509 - Pages: 15

Premium Essay

What Is Literature

...in which compositional excellence and advancement in the art of writing are higher priorities than are considerations of profit or commercial appeal. * Literature is literally "an acquaintance with letters" as in the first sense given in the Oxford English Dictionary (from the Latin littera meaning "an individual written character (letter)"). The term has generally come to identify a collection of texts. The word literature as a common noun can refer to any form of writing, such as essays or poetry; Literature as a proper noun refers to a whole body of literary work, world-wide or relating to a specific culture... * lit·er·a·ture n. 1. The body of written works of a language, period, or culture. 2. Imaginative or creative writing, especially of recognized artistic value:"Literature must be an analysis of experience and a synthesis of the findings into a unity" 3. The art or occupation of a literary writer. 4. The body of written work produced by scholars or researchers in a given field: medical literature. 5. Printed material: All the available collected literature on the subject. 6. Music: All the compositions of a certain kind or for a specific instrument or ensemble: the symphonic literature. Good literature has something important to say about life. If we take the time to read and understand the literature, it should help us to learn more about life. It may be that we do not agree with what the writer says. Nevertheless,...

Words: 1319 - Pages: 6