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- Reading responses must be AT LEAST 250 words.
- Include your full name at the end of your comments. Unnamed comments will be deleted.
- From the "Comment As" drop-down menu, choose Anonymous, then click "Publish."
- Reading responses are due by 10pm on the day PRIOR to our discussion of the required reading
Well. Karr does not like liars. I like both readings for this week. Fergusons chapters where continuing the story that she wanted to tell and Karr’s chapter was full of insight on the different liberties that writers take when it comes to memoirs. I want to write about Karr this time because I believe she made some good points. When we start writing about our past how much of that writing is truthful and how much of that is embellished? There’s a difference between a clear memory and a vague memory. Clear memories are simple because somehow you remember everything that happened and because of that you’re able to write everything down. Vague memories however seem to live in a grey area between truth and lies. Great writers have made the mistakes of adding more to the story in order to make the memory sound more interesting than it really was. Karr warns us that if we were to follow the same path than we would be learning sociopathic tendencies. She warns us that despite the fact that there are some civil liberties we could use in memoir if we begin to lie about our memories than we are hurting ourselves because we the writers will never be able to know our real truth. The readers would read about a fake life than a real one. I completely agree with her statements. I also believe that the temptation is too great. There are people out there who believe that their lives aren’t as exciting as others so they add more to make themselves feel good. I can understand the temptation. At the same time how do we really know if were telling the truth or lying to begin with? If I remember hanging out with my best friend on a Saturday afternoon watching a football game when I was ten and find out later that that never happened than did I lie to myself or did I believe that was the truth all along? It’s very difficult to determine what the truth is when it comes to memories that’s why she sends her essay’s to the people she writes about. She does it because she doesn’t trust her own perception. I believe that the truth is a difficult thing to write. It is up to the writer to determine what his own truth is. That is the only way I know that can possibly help us in our own memoirs.
ReplyDeleteWord Count: 410
Juan Garcia Jr
Personally, upon reading "Into Mexico" by Kathryn Ferguson, it was a little difficult to understand the message she was trying to get across. I'm not sure if it was just me, but I read it over a few times and still came to the same result. Yet there was pieces in the literature that caught my attention. I personally enjoyed the comparison of Mexican restaurants from the states and the ones from Mexico. Huge difference if you were to ask me. The smoke and smell of burning wood was the welcoming mat from Mexico. That sounds perfect. I feel welcomed already. Alerting the five senses of touch, see, smell, taste, and hear, Mexican food does it all. I feel for Ferguson because of the incident of the rabbi bite from the dog. I witnessed a similar situation with my uncle as a child and I could imagine the pain and freight they felt. Ferguson apparently liked train rides as she even applied for the job, got hired, only to the company shut down on her. The whole idea of the know-it-all abuleitas made me giggle, grandmothers really do seem to understand and know it. Using home remedies, cooking the best flour tortillas, Mexican grandmothers have a way about going about their actions. On Chapter 2, "The Truth Contract" what? Honestly, in my opinion. When stating and claiming to be writing a Non-fiction piece, I would personally enjoy that the information I am reading is 100% authentic. How dare anyone even believe that you can alter a true story to find it more appealing of a story? It's like writing an amazing piece only to be 82% accurate. Well what's the other 18% that is not true? I really want to know because I don't feel like being lied to. We live in a world full of lies and manipulation and I'd be dammed of the literature I'm reading is any way shape or form, false. A non-fiction piece should be just that, real!
ReplyDelete-Ruben Loa Jr
In Karr’s chapter in Art of a Memoir Karr talks about the importance of telling the truth. Although I do believe a memoir should be a true story I don’t think truth is something we owe to our readers. Karr talks about how leaving certain details out is a form of being untruthful because you want your readers to be able to be in that moment. I don’t agree with this because although morally we should be sticking to the story, writing is an art and it should be what you make it. Leaving out certain elements of a story can be a strategy by the author, or maybe it alter the way the reader will understand the story. On the other hand I don’t agree with adding elements to the story so that it changes it’s dynamics and therefore changes the whole thing. I really liked the part a out false implanted memories. Sometimes it’s hard to figure out if your memory is a legitimate one or something you were told and therefore formed a memory from it. This often happens and that’s why it’s important to do research on the story through your family to gain insight and info. Ferguson’s chapter wasn’t as exciting to me as the first few. I did, however, like the explanation of the difference of Mexican food in the United States and Mexico. I think that this is a clever way to connect with the audience. I like the way her story flows and her attention to detail really saved the story from reading like a grocery list.
ReplyDeleteOlivia Hinojosa
Karr’s chapter is on truth, specifically on truth in memoirs. She essentially tells us that she believes that in memoirs, there should be only truth, or what it is considered the truth to the authors. While she does make a valid point, I personally believe that no matter what you do, as an author you will create a small work of fiction somewhere in your memoir. This is because of the fact that memoirs, as far as my understanding goes, are pieces where you are able to write about experiences/ instances that had an impact on you as a person. These experiences and instances are then subject to your memory and memories, as most people know, are faulty and biased to your own personal experience. So, it is not that we do or do not owe our readers the truth, it is merely that we, as human beings, are likely to create dragons out of lizards.
ReplyDeleteFerguson’s chapters actually matched pretty well with another book that I have to read for another class. Chapter three first caught my attention because of the fact that Ferguson talked about food. To me, food is one of the hardest things to write about because, this is subject to a person’s tastes and this can be more unreliable than memories. For instance, the first time you try a food you can either love it or hate it, then hours, days, weeks, months, or years, later you try it again and you entirely change your opinion on it. Out of these three chapters, I was most impressed with this.
Karina Gonzalez
I am not sure i agree with what Karr has to say about able to choose what percentage of our memoir is true. I think to some extent it is alright to change some of the names of people or even omit some of the actions that took place in the period in which your memoir is being written, but if the writer decides to make things up or change things completely around, to me it just makes the writers unreliable. If we go into a memoir thinking that 25 percent is fiction, i think it will change the way in which we react to this memoir. For example, i sympathize less with a character in a fiction book than with a narrator telling about how own experiences.
ReplyDeleteI think what i like the most about Ferguson is her ability to describe things. Her use of imagery. Reading “Into Mexico” makes me feel like if i am in Mexico, she has the ability to connect me back to the times when id spend hot summers at my grandmother’s house. I can almost smell the smoke she is talking about. Although, i am not gonna lie, id prefer if instead of talking about random events in her life, she would talk about things chronically. That would definitely help catch my attention because right now i feel like i am just reading a bunch of random excerpts. I guess i am barely getting used to this type of writing. I guess she is writing about things in her life that have had an effect on her.
Jennifer Millan
Word Count 264
I really enjoyed the imagery in Ferguson’s 3rd chapter. The way she describes Mexico and how it welcomes her with smoke and its variations of it. I knew the different smells she was talking about, from the smell of burning tires, to firewood for carne asadas to the smell of the wood we use in our fire places. It was refreshing to see and relate so well to that. Reading Kar’s chapter, I laughed maybe too much. Not because the book itself is supposed to be comedic (at least I dont think?) but because she literally spends this whole chapter going off about the importance of truth telling while writing a memoir. She is not down with slightly fabricated stories, she wants cold hard facts and exactly how things went that day and how you felt. Basically the real stuff. And I guess I laughed because as somebody who reads quite a lot of memoirs herself, it never really occurred to me that the narrator could be lying. Just like every other genre, the narrator is never a trustworthy or reliable source. So why believe them even when it is considered non-fiction. Don’t we all embellish our stories? Food for thought I guess. It also reminded me of Moores chapter where he advises us to avoid picking hero or victim in your memoirs because the way I took that was to just be real and not fake about the events you are talking about. Don’t play out to be the hero if you werent or the victim if you werent, just be truthful and let the reader decide.
ReplyDeleteAmanda Victoria Ramirez~
Karr talks about the aspect of truth in this chapter in regards to writing memoir. It is safe to say that most people will get certain facts wrong when writing memoir. Karr mentions some of those things such as, different interpretations of events, misrepresentations of chronology, and the places where events happened. However, these are things common to get wrong. It is one thing to have a slightly different interpretation or remembrance of events it is another to flat out publish lies intending to be deceitful. I think the line is clear and it takes a certain type of person to be publishing lies. I would venture to say most people writing in the genre are not looking to be deceitful. It is a good idea as Karr says to note when a portion of the story “is blurry.” I think it is inevitable that a person will write accounts different than how they actually happened. As we can see by the experiment Karr does in class most people will remember details differently, but staying true to what you remember and doing your best to represent the truth will be the way to go. I like the way Ferguson gives so much detail into the areas she is writing about. She gives great detail describing how the sites, smells, etc., were to her in Mexico. I enjoy reading these chapters it is a good representation of what memoir looks like. One thing Moore mentioned was it is more interesting describing things by their names, and this is true here as Ferguson does so on a variety of occasions.
ReplyDelete-Jesus Alexis Prado
Ferguson’s into Mexico was really cool to read because of how well she used the aspect of imagery. She was so detailed in describing her trip upon arriving in Mexico and it made me feel like I was there. I know I can’t really relate because I never spent much time in Mexico, but for those who did I bet it was nice to see how well she captured the scenery around her. I think the best part was how she included the smells because even if we are not from Mexico, we can relate to the different sights and smells in our area that remind us of home. Overall, I thought Ferguson’s piece was very well written.
ReplyDeleteKarr made some interesting points in her reading, and I think I really grasped what she was saying. When I think memoir, I think nothing but the truth. I feel that when you alter things, you’re taking away from your piece and perhaps from your audience as well. Sure, we might change the names of characters for several reasons, but the events should stay as close to the truth as possible. So what if you don’t think what happened is interesting? I feel it’s the writer’s job to sell it and make the best out of what you have. A little off topic, but Moreira often says that the best writers share the most intimate things, so why should you even attempt to change anything in a memoir? It’s all about you and only you know yourself well enough to stick to the truth and let the story play out to its fullest potential.
Karina Saldivar
Chapter 2 of The Art of Memoir changed my perspective on reading Kathryn Ferguson's memoir. This is because I finished the assigned reading for Karr before I read Ferguson. The importance of an author writing the truth in a memoir was really impressed on me, especially since I was also listening to the audiobook. It is one thing to read the line "That’s me speaking temperately as I can about other writers’ artistic freedom, which I would go to the mat for." (Karr, 10) and then another thing to actually hear Karr speak that line with much restraint in regards to her unhappiness and irritation. But more important than the single fact that some memoir writers are less truthful than others is what is lost because those writers are not completely honest, whether it is that they lie, flat out, or smudge facts or replace blurry memories with nonfiction writing - which, Karr implies, is not only not the same thing but also a cheap cop out. What is lost is the examined life and what results from that examined life, from a visceral, honest, and deep introspection: "For the more haunted among us, only looking back at the past can permit it finally to become past." (Karr, 12-13)
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this, I could not help but wonder as I read Ferguson's memoir, "What is missing? What was added? Did this part that I thought I connected with an actual human action or a piece of contrived story that is passed off as nonfiction?" Suddenly, the disclaimer at the beginning of the book "Some names and details have been changed in consideration of privacy." made me very nervous. I didn't like the feeling of suddenly doubting what I was reading. I wanted to believe in the honesty of the writer and, as the disclaimer does say 'in consideration of privacy,' I am trying to more open. Karr has ruined the memoir for me, but I don't think that's necessarily bad. I have been made more aware of a writer's prerogative which, unfortunately, may also include shaping events for the sake of telling a story rather than sharing an experience.
Doris Tolar
The theme that stood out to me the most in Mary Karr’s second chapter was the difference between memoir authors who tell the truth and the authors who don’t. Mary Karr’s opinions on authors who lie are strong, although she claims not to be the “art police.” Her passion and respect for the memoir genre is reflected through the research done behind the scenes. Anyone can write a fiction book and add whatever they wanted to it but when someone writes a non-fiction memoir it should be differentiated. (unless a proper disclaimer about specifics is added) To be apart of this genre I agree with Mary, extra effort should be put into the work. Resources should be used such as letters, tax returns, and diaries so that specific details can be added to enrich the story. However, the most important take away from writing a memoir is reflecting from your life experiences and growing from them.
ReplyDeleteI found the points at the end of the chapter to be very helpful, especially #1 which dealt with re-creating dialogue. During peer reviews many students suggested that I add more dialogue to my travel piece but I wasn’t too sure how to add dialogue since I couldn’t remember conversations verbatim. Instead, I took it upon myself to re-connect with the characters in my piece and ask them if they recalled the conversation. Some did, some didn’t, and most didn’t even respond but through further research I learned to appreciate the authenticity of what a genuine memoir should entail.
After reading Karr’s chapter it was hard for me to get into Ferguson’s. The imagery was nice but the actual pictures were what really made the chapters come alive for me. The way the chapters are organized and titled is also a little confusing but I’m starting to get used to it.
M. Sarah Sanchez
I did not like the readings, but in all fairness, I still had Ch. 5 of Katheryn Ferguson to read. Mary Karr’s chapter once again covers reflection and how without examination healing of oneself cannot occur (Karr 12). We also see Karr’s method of revising which includes sharing her nearly complete manuscript to verify the story, or “interpretation,” as “I still try to err on the side of generosity toward any character (Karr 23).” We have “memory rifts” which include the following: “unknowable interpretation, chronology, disagreement of place (Karr 15).” In my defense, I would like to argue that memoir writing, aside from writing one’s reality (reality is perception), is about writing ONE’s own reality, and not of others. Even if the facts don’t corroborate entirely, you are coming to terms with the reality you perceived. Although, Karr inviting others into her reality is meant to welcome them into it and begin a dialogue. But for me, it feels Karr is more paranoid about the “truth” than by the story itself. As writers of memoir, I think that is the ultimate question we have to ask ourselves, to what degree is the truth we have truly ours? It’s a gamble we play, but engaging in it is honorable. Ferguson I don’t like because I have difficulty following. I have no clue as to which direction she is taking her memoir, in all fairness, the unifying thread in each memoir is her love for the border region and her experience crossing, but I am having difficulty following along. I need more guidance, and as the reader, I am having trouble seeing the larger narrative that connects Ferguson to the border region.
ReplyDeleteAlejandro Sanchez