Biotext – a form of writing in which the writer discovers him/herself. Fred Wah created a biotext of the Diamond Grill by inserting recipes, historical documents, poetry, and memories from his past. Through overlapping stories, he retold his own version of his family’s history. Indeed, not only is biofiction innovative and mobile, but also opposes the generic norms of novels and autobiographies. Wah states that he used this writing form to prevent Diamond Grill from being “hijacked by ready-made generic expectations…[of] life writing” (Afterword, 184). Besides challenging genre norms, Wah also challenged the rules of language through his ungrammatical, run-off sentences. His biotext’s context and structure definitely resisted predictable forms of narration.

Wah’s unique writing style also emphasizes the Diamond Grill’s main theme of hybridity and what it’s like to “live on the hyphen”:

“That hyphen is a real problem for multiculturalism; it’s usually a sign of impurity…and it’s frequently erased as a reminder that the parts…are not equal to the whole” (Afterword, 178).

To describe his experiences living on the hyphen, Wah incorporates metaphors and anecdotes (short stories about real incidents or people) throughout the book. It begins and ends with descriptions of the restaurant’s doors, which are metaphors for the hyphen separating nationalities. On page one Wah describes how he would kick the kitchen’s large swinging doors with a loud “whap!”. This door separates the kitchen from the restaurant’s dining area, and also resembles a racial divide between the Chinese cooks and the Canadian customers. Indeed, it seems to separate Wah’s Chinese identity (the kitchen) from his Canadian one (the dining room). However, the door can also be a connection. Wah’s love for noisily passing through it portrays how his physical appearance enables him to cross confidently across the divide to the other side. On the other hand, his father’s discretion when passing through the doors depicts how he has to be cautious when crossing to the Western world, due to his purely Chinese identity.

Wah further describes his struggles with living on the hyphen through the anecdote of King’s restaurant. Lawrence King, Shu’s son, was a pure Chinese boy who worked at the Grill with Wah. Wah’s experience visiting King’s restaurant highlights his difference with pure Chinese people, such as his physical Western appearance and inability to speak Chinese. Indeed, Wah describes how his “capability of camouflage” in Canada’s white world allowed him to be “not the target but the gun” (138). This anecdote not only highlights the differences between mixed and pure races, but also how those of mixed races have to deal with negotiating the hyphen.

By incorporating various genres into it (recipes, poetry, etc), the Diamond Grill has become a genre unto itself. Through this biotext, Wah has rebelled against typical narrative techniques to tell his life story in his own way. Nevertheless, he highlights the struggles of living in the hyphen, a hybrid nationality where the parts are just as important as the whole.

This past week, we have been studying about three digital life narrative sites: Facebook, Six Word Memoir, and PostSecret. Through my observations and classroom discussions, I realized that the life narratives of these sites are expressed in very different ways. Firstly, on Facebook people share about their life more openly. This might be because they can alter the privacy settings so that only their friends see their posts. Not only do people post personal statuses of life events, but the majority of them also have profile pictures of themselves and other personal information in the “About” page. The fact that everyone is so open on Facebook might be due to its reputation as a secure and widely-used social networking site. As seen on its own profile page, numerous Facebook stories boister its reputation. One such story, “Facebook Safety” (Dec 4, 2013) talked about how Facebook collaborated with MediaSmarts to create a guide called “Think Before You Share”. By encouraging safe sharing of on-line content among teens, Facebook is portraying itself as a safe and user friendly site. Another story, “How I Used Facebook to Talk About the Reality of Cancer” (Nov 15, 2013) depicted how a BC woman used Facebook to spread awareness of breast cancer. Facebook is not only portrayed as a way to connect with community and strangers, but also as a way to spread important news. Indeed, these stories not only boosts Facebook’s reputation, but also people’s confidence in sharing about their lives.

Unlike Facebook, Six Word Memoir focuses more on life narratives and less on personal facts. It’s confessional, therapeutic atmosphere emerged since the memoir boom of the mid 1990s, when people became interested in hearing diverse life stories. Although bloggers are confined to six words, their stories capture the essence of what they want to say. They can also elaborate more on their story through the site’s “Backstories” function. Besides being focused on life narratives, Six Word is also therapeutic. This can be seen in its categories such as “happiness, work inspirations, and love”. It also mixes the negative topic of pain with hope, and in topics like war, at least half of the posts stir up positivity. Indeed, not only does this site create a common desire to be heard, but also a light-hearted and positive environment for people to share about their life. People see trying to write a six word narrative as a fun game, lightening up the site’s atmosphere. Unlike Six Word Memoir, PostSecret has a more serious tone for expressing life narratives. The site’s black background, name, and anonymous posters give it a mysterious sense. Since some of the secrets also reveal problems in need of help, the site also provides links to counseling services, further enhancing its serious demeanour.

All in all, Facebook, Six Word and PostSecret are three very different environments for people to express their life narratives. Facebook’s reputation as a secure and popular site (supported by Facebook stories) enhances sharing of more confidential information. However, Six Word and PostSecret provides a creative outlet for people to express themselves while staying anonymous. Although both are therapeutic, the first seems more lighthearted, whereas the second seems to deal with darker issues.

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