In order to lay the foundation of this unit, students first will need to have a basic understanding of autobiographical writing. A good place to start is to have a general discussion about the difference between non-fiction writing and fiction writing. As a class, brainstorm a list of examples of non-fiction books that the students have read. Many students have read
The Diary of Anne Frank
or
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
and can easily describe the features of those texts versus the fictional stories that they have read. To deepen the discussion the class should seek to answer the question:
How do authors present truth using literary features in an autobiography?
Before moving on, you will want to discuss with students the differences between an autobiography and a memoir. As the book they will read is a memoir, it will be important for them to understand the main distinctions between the two. Although both autobiographies and memoirs are based upon the true events of an author's life, an autobiography is a researched account that usually spans an author's entire life giving specific dates and historical information as the story moves through the author's life chronologically. Many times an autobiography reads more like a historical document and can be considered a true work of non-fiction because of its attention to detail and supporting documentation. A memoir doesn't follow the same restrictive rules of documentation as an autobiography and is much more focused upon recounting events as they are remembered by the author. In a memoir the truth that the author is trying to convey to their reader is more of an emotional truth than a factual one and therefore, memoirs feel much more personal to the reader than an autobiography would. Memoirs are usually written to be more episodic than chronological. The story told can focus on one key event in the author's life or a certain formative span of years, but each episode is connected to the whole work through a defining theme.
This unit focuses on memoir because of the opportunity that this sub-genre creates for students to look at how an author combines both the artistry of writing with a truthful account of the events that shaped them. To begin teaching students how to pick out the literary features in a memoir, ask the class to focus on four areas – narrative, characterization, setting, and theme. By focusing the students' attention on the more literary features of the text, students will begin to understand that there is a craft in creating an engaging and powerful memoir that goes beyond just writing the truth.
At this point, you might deepen the discussion by bringing up the controversy surrounding memoir to probe students to reconsider how they perceive truth in literature. To accomplish this, I suggest presenting the students with the case of James Frey's memoir
A Million Little Pieces
, which was heavily criticized most famously by Oprah Winfrey for fabricating the truth in several instances. This is a great example through which to discuss the differences between a memoir and a true autobiography because a memoir is much more literary and not necessarily held to the same standards as a true autobiography. Authors structure their memoirs to recount their memories, but memory is subjective and over time and circumstances can be fluid and changeable. Students debate the importance of telling a true story, and where truth meets fiction in a memoir. As a class we discuss the tools memoirists use to create a piece of literature from their memories.
Part 1 – Resources
To introduce students to autobiographical writing, I suggest using an excerpt from a classic piece from Annie Dillard's
An American Childhood
. The excerpt recounts a childhood experience where she is chased by an angry adult after throwing a snowball. As a class, we would analyze this piece looking for how the author uses narrative, characterization, and setting to forward her theme.
To deepen the students' understanding of autobiography, we would then look at an excerpt from a contemporary piece by Louis Rodriguez called
Always Running
which recounts a similar experience to Dillard's but with a very different lens. In Dillard's experience the running she does is exhilarating and freeing, while Rodriguez's escape from the police is terrifying and humiliating. Both authors present a childhood scene where they are caught doing something they shouldn't, but in Rodriguez's world this scene takes a dark turn that Dillard doesn't encounter in hers. Students will compare and contrast how the two authors' use literary features to accomplish the very different effect conveyed by each piece.
In addressing the controversy around James Frey, there are many different resources available. I suggest giving the students the first two to three pages from his memoir
A Million Little Pieces
which are pretty shocking in their graphic details. This is great fuel for a discussion when students find out that the details of this occurrence have been changed. There are many articles available from various news sources, and also clips from the Oprah Winfrey Show of Oprah interviewing Frey about the inconsistency of his book. One resource you can give to students is the Reader's Note written by Frey to be included in subsequent printings of his memoir. This note justifies his choices in taking creative license with the text. I also suggest using the essay "Oprah, James Frey, and Truth" written by Rev. Dr. Mark Roberts, and "The Truth About Lying" by Joseph Kertes. Both articles directly address the debate surrounding truth versus creativity in memoir, and Frey's book specifically.
Part 1 – Suggestions for Further Reading
There are of course many fine examples of memoir that a teacher could use to teach this unit. I chose
The Color of Water
because I felt that the struggles presented by this author would be most accessible to my students. Another wonderful memoir that could be used to teach this unit is
The Glass Castle
which also allows the reader to carefully analyze the family dynamics that shape the author. This text often sparks heated debate among my students focused upon parenting styles because although the author's parents are both brilliant and artistic, they are also irresponsible and unsuccessful. By tracing the author's experiences throughout the memoir, students can see how her parents' good qualities help to make her a strong adult, while also causing her to face many obstacles throughout her adolescence. Another book that could work well when teaching this unit is
Angela's Ashes
. In addition to once again providing an opportunity to examine family dynamics this text also allows for some cultural and historical research into Irish society, the effects of English government, the Irish Revolution, and the influence of Catholicism on the family.