Monday, March 23, 2009
Post for 3.23.09
The question was posed last class: what was the motivation of the three authors to write the "Self-Improvement" books? The Alger book is written for a specific audience which happened to be the author's sexual choice: young boys. Franklin wrote his autobiography as a letter to his son and hoped "that some of my Descendants may follow the Example & reap the Benefit. (87)" Malcolm X and Alex Haley seem to used the autobiography to aid other African-Amercians out of enslavement from 'the white man.' As much as possible, Malcolm X and Franklin tell their own story (and embellish some parts), but allow the reader to take away what they wish. Whereas, Ragged Dick was worked and created to send a specific massage about right and wrong, success and failure, rich and poor. Franklin and Malcolm X's work draws a stronger parallel between ignorance and enlightenment through knowledge and religion. Faith and discipline accelerate Franklin and Malcolm X's progress. Richard Hunter is progressed by fate and industry. What is the difference between a fictional story based on real events and an autobiography written by someone else? The more important question is: how much actual (based on reality) events and emotions are included in a given work?
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Hi Frank,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your response about the motivations behind each of the 3 self-improvement stories we've read and I think part of their success can be judged on how these stories still resonate today. (Well, at least Franklin and X.) The question I posed about our experience of a narrative's authenticity if someone else writes it is a big one - did you ever read James Frey's "A Million Little Pieces"?
-Ariana