Elena Munk's Blog ASTU 100

In general, ASTU 100 has taught me various writing tools, how to read scholarly articles and fostered new perspectives. The topics that have stood out to me the most throughout the year were the ideas of reading ethically and the importance of marginalized people representing themselves. However, I found that the issue that changed my perspective the most was the purposes that autobiographies have and how they are framed. The framing and purpose of an autobiography, if not outlined by the author can be highly debatable, however, and whatever the conclusion both contribute to the story written in the pages. Framing can be done by the author themselves or another outside source, such as the publisher, but what it does is it attempts to find a market to sell to (Schaffer and Smith 14; Szorenyi 174). The purpose of a life narrative can reveal and broaden the experiences of one person to that of many, therefore highlighting a social issue, stigma, etc. Most of the works that we read discussed global and cultural issues or challenged previous ways of thinking about certain marginalized groups. The text that I found that highlighted this point very well is I am Rigoberta Menchu. Perhaps this is just because I have already done extended work on her text, but I feel as if her story certainly promotes a certain story. This was one of the first few primary texts that was studied in ASTU 100 and I found that it changed my thought process early on in the course. Although, since I did other research on it, maybe that is part of the reason why the themes it portrays have stayed with me throughout this year. Thinking of an author’s purpose never crossed my mind besides the vague idea that a writer is choosing to share their work for a reason rather than what that reason might be. However, this concept of autobiographies as purposeful for those besides the author has been prevalent through the other texts (some paired with scholarly articles) that we have read in class such as Maggie De Vries’ Missing Sarah, Ryan Knighton’s Cockeyed, and Fred Wah’s Diamond Grill for example.

Menchu’s purpose is to call attention to the injustices happening in her country, not only to herself, but to her fellow people as well. As widely discussed (and criticized) her work was written as a testimonio, which is meant to be understood as a collective story amongst the people (Smith and Watson 282). In the sections of Menchu’s writing that I have read, I have understood that her framing is to make the reader sympathetic to her cause (Schaffer and Smith 14; Szorenyi 179; Whitlock 79). She does this by sharing how she and her people have been oppressed and looked down upon by others. One story of discrimination she shares is how “if an Indian person gets on, [the bus] everyone is disgusted” and how despite being similar economically ladinos look down upon her and her people (Menchu 168). Her purpose to expose inequality in Guatemala is also highlighted through her juxtaposition of her own culture and how her people must fight against their persecution because they are different. For example, she discusses something her father told her about how “a man’s head wasn’t just for wearing a hat (we Indians all wear hats). It…was for thinking about what [they]…should do to try and change things” and by “things” Menchu is referring to the banning of certain ceremonies and cultural practices (Menchu 155).

This change of view for me is significant because it allows me, the reader, to look past the writer and to figure out the key issues or points the writer is trying to convey. Framing, particularly was interesting to study throughout the year because many sources challenged previous framing that has been done that should be changed, like DeVries does in Missing Sarah for example and what Jiwani and Young highlight throughout their article (De Vries; Jiwani and Young). When focusing on the higher level purpose and framing that comes along with a book it furthers the story. This outlook made me, when reading other books to take a further step back from the text to seek a deeper understanding of why the text matters or should matter to the audience.

Works Cited

Jiwani, Y., and M. L. Young. “Missing and Murdered Women: Reproducing Marginality in News Discourse.” Canadian Journal of Communication, vol. 31, no. 4, 2006., pp. 895-917.

Knighton, Ryan. Cockeyed, A Memoir. Toronto: Penguin Canada. 2006.

Menchu Rigoberta. I Rigoberta Menchu: An Indian Woman in Guatemala. Edited by Elisabeth Burgos-Debray. Verso, 1984. PDF. Pp. 164-65

Schaffer, Kay and Sidonie Smith. “Conjunctions: Life Narratives in the Field of Human Rights”. Biography vol. 27, no. 1, 2004, pp. 1-24. Project Muse. doi: 10.1353/bio.2004.0o39

Smith, Sidonie and Watson, Julie. Reading Autobiography: A Guide for Interpreting Life Narratives. 2001 2^nded., University of Minnesota Press, 2010. Web p.282 http://muse.jhu.edu.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/chapter/898065

Szörényi, Anna. “Till Human Voices Wake Us: Responding to Refugee Testimony”. Life Writing. Vol. 6, issue 2. 2009. Pp. 173-191. PDF. DOI: 10.1080/1448452090293092. Accessed Jan. 19, 2017.

Whitlock, Gillian. “Testimony Incarnate: Read My Lips.” Soft Weapons: Autobiography in Transit. University of Chicago Press, 2006. Chicago Scholarship Online. Pp. 69-85 DOI:10.7208/chicago/9780226895277.003.0004

Vries, Maggie De. Missing Sarah: A Memoir of Loss. Toronto: Penguin Canada, 2008. Print.

Wah, Fred. Diamond Grill: 10^th anniversary. Edmonton: NeWest Press, 2008. Print.

the comment section was not allowing me to post, so:

Hi Dr. McNeill, if you are reading or re-reading my blog, I just wanted to let you know I had not noticed until now (Sunday night) that I had left out a citation. I just added it in now- “(Menchu 168)”.
Thank you,
Elena