Month: October 2016

Life narratives are tools that can be used to dig deeper to further understand the complexities of our society. In “Reading Autobiographies”, the authors, Smith and Watson suggest strategies to keep in mind while reading autobiographies in order to understand them more thoroughly (235). One strategy that I will be focusing on is looking at identity in the memoir of Ryan Knighton, Cockeyed. I will be using the following strategy suggested by Smith and Watson in order to expand on the significance of identity in this particular narrative and how it affects the world in a larger picture:

Smith and Watson explain that when reading autobiographies and analyzing identity in specific, it is important to find evidence and to think about the significance in how the narrator may have struggled to define their identity (244).

In Cockeyed, Knighton initially does not want to accept the reality that he is slowly becoming blind. Knighton refrains from using his cane to see not only because he is in denial, but because he does not want to be labeled by others as a “blind person”. Knighton, initially afraid of other blind people because he feels as though he is defined and institutionalized by them, finally builds the courage to immerse himself in a blind community and comes to the epiphany that “there is no such thing as a blind person” (217). By being around several blind people at the same time together, he realizes that his disability does not define him into a homogenized group because other than their shared disability, they are all different people and have nothing else in common. After this event, Knighton no longer struggles to identify himself, not as a blind person, but as a unique individual who happens to be blind.

Knighton’s realization connects to the issue of stereotyping in terms of people with disabilities. In today’s society, it seems as though people with disabilities are identified only through their disabilities and limitations, and not by their unique characteristics and personalities as people. In this sense, it seems as though disabled people have been dehumanized by society. Labeling identities of disabled people is an issue that needs to see change. Perhaps if society took a look at disabled people through the perspective of the disabled, they would come to understand that these people are in fact just normal people with unique interests, strengths, personalities, and talents.

In Signifying Life Narratives, the author, Couser, states that “autobiography by definition involves self-representation” and thus allows people with disabilities to take a “high degree of control over their own images”(31). However, Couser adds that because the disabled are often devalued, society is less likely to consider them worthy of autobiography (32). Although learning about the disabled through their perspective may be the solution to the issue of generalized stereotyping that they face, it may take a larger effort; as Couser says, “stigma serves to silence the stigmatized” (32).

Unfortunately, people with disabilities have to deal with ignorant people who assume that all people with disabilities must “look” disabled. These ignorant people are suggesting that the disabled must collectively look abnormal, perhaps by looking sad, lost, ugly, unable and unconfident. Knighton, for example, who is a young (at the time), confident, able, and humorous person, explains in his memoir that people tell him that he does not look like a blind guy. Additionally, Jillayna Adamson, a girl who is deaf, explains a similar experience in her blog post, “But You Don’t Look Disabled…”. At the time, Jillayna was 19, and an ignorant boy told her that she didn’t look disabled because she looked too “beautiful”. The comments that inferred that people with disabilities must all look alike and pitiful dumbfounded both Knighton and Adamson, and likely anyone reading their narratives. Although, perhaps eliciting this reaction from the audience is the purpose of the narrative, as a different perspective may help non-disabled people realize their ignorance.

Overall, through analyzing the aspect of identity in a life narrative, one may observe that through the experience of an individual who struggled with defining his identity, one may come to understand the larger worldly issue that it was caused by: Due to ignorance, society has stripped the unique identities of people with disabilities and have identified them into pitiful, homogenized groups. Alas, it may only be through the disabled’s persistence to speak up and have their voices heard, and through the support of others, that society may come to correct its wrongdoings towards these marginalized individuals.

 

 

 

Works Cited

Couser, G. Thomas. Signifying Bodies: Disability in Contemporary Life Writing. Ann Arbor: U of Michigan, 2009. 31-45. Print.

Knighton, Ryan. Cockeyed: A Memoir. New York: Public Affairs, 2006. Print.

Smith, Sidonie, and Julia Watson. Reading Autobiography: A Guide for Interpreting Life Narratives. N.p.: U of Minnesota, 2010. 235-244 Print.

 

 

 

 

A published life narrative is never bare; texts of autobiographies and memoirs are all wrapped in what Smith and Watson call a “paratextual surround” (99)—the “publication, reception and circulation” in which frames a text (99).

The front cover is the first thing a potential reader sees; the way the text of a life narrative is displayed is important, as it is a great factor in what determines the success of a book. The front cover is an aspect of peritext—a subcategory of paratext, which includes what Gillian Whitlock, author of Soft Weapons: Autobiography in Transit, explains as “everything between and on the covers” (11).

Whitlock notes that when examining paratext, it is important to think about a number of questions— one specifically being: “how [does what we see] appeal to readers?” (14).

With this question in mind, I will be analyzing the significance of the peritextual aspect of the front cover of I am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban. As described by Acquarelli et al., a book cover serves “to protect, to decorate, and to promote” (1). Furthermore Acquarelli et al. also state that publishers focus their attention primarily on the aspect of promoting (1). The publishers of Malala’s memoir are American and published it in America for a western audience. A question arises here: What did theses publishers do in order to promote the memoir of an unknown, young girl from Pakistan who wanted to share her story?

The cover of Malala’s memoir consists of a large photograph of her face as she looks into the camera and the bold text of the title is written across underneath her chin. In this photo, Malala’s gaze is peaceful and calm—she looks approachable. However, perhaps it is not only her expression that may appeal to the potential western reader, but her appearance. Malala’s skin is light and glowing, her eyes are large and defined, her eyebrows are neat and symmetrical, her nose and face are quite slim and well proportioned, and almost no blemishes exist on her even complexion. Malala’s face looks beautiful—she fits the American standard of beauty…

Is is this a coincidence?

A year after Malala’s memoir was published, another edition of her story was published—the young reader’s edition. On the cover of this edition, Malala’s face looks recognizably different. On this cover, her skin is slightly darker, her eyes are smaller and not as defined, her nose and face are wider, her eyebrows are not quite symmetrical, and spots and blemishes are visible in her complexion. Malala still looks beautiful, but it is questionable as to whether this version of herself would fit the American standard of beauty.

It seems as though the publishers of Malala’s original memoir saw it necessary to have her face photoshopped. For, in order to increase interest and sales of a memoir of a culturally marginalized, and unknown girl, it is likely that the publishers knew that a western standardized version of a beautiful face would have to be presented in order to appeal to a potential reader and for them to thus want to know who is Malala? The appeal of the reader in the peritext of a book is a vital part of its success and unfortunately, Malala’s true appearance might have had to be sacrificed for this cause.

On another note, perhaps sacrificing Malala’s appearance did have some value in it. She did become famous and she was able to share her story with the western world. With this said, it is likely that because she was already famous and well-known for her cause, it was no longer necessary for her appearance to be altered to fit a shallow standard in her second edition for younger readers.

Maybe it is true that readers should not judge a book by its cover. However, in this case it is clear that analyzing the cover is a completely different story.

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

Acquarelli et al. “Visual Peritext: Covers and Other Visual Presentation Strategies.” Visual Peritext: Covers and Other Visual Presentation Strategies. N.p., 08 July 2010. Web. 05 Oct. 2016.

Smith, Sidonie, and Julia Watson. Reading Autobiography: A Guide for Interpreting Life Narratives. N.p.: U of Minnesota, 2010. Print.

Whitlock, Gillian. Soft Weapons: Autobiography in Transit. Chicago: U of Chicago, 2007. Print.

Yousafzai, Malala, and Christina Lamb. I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot By the Taliban. First edition. Little, Brown, & Company, 2013.

Yousafzai, Malala, and Patricia McCormick. I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World. Young readers edition. Little, Brown and Company, 2014.