Life narratives come in many forms, memoirs, blogs, autobiographies, testimonies, and even through stand-up comedians (also a type of writer). Whichever way it is released, through film or writing, the interpretation and understanding will be shaped by the creator and others, such as, critics, reviews, summaries, readers, audiences; they all give an interpretation that shapes the meaning of a life narrative. The writer of a life narrative writes what they want to portray to the people and accommodate the readers so they can understand their ideas, stories, and meanings, but in the end, the interpretation is not done by the writer but by the readers and audiences, so the understanding may not be what the writer wanted or expected it to be. But is the fault for the misunderstanding of the meaning and point the readers?
The World Is Moving Around Me: A Memoir of the Haiti Earthquake by Dany Laferrière is an example of a narrative that has been viewed and interpreted in many ways. As the title suggests the narrative is about the 7-point scale earthquake that took place at Haiti on January 12, 2010. Some have perceived Dany Laferrière’s life narrative to be about “an eyewitness account of the quake and its aftermath” (“The World Is Moving Around Me”) and others say it is looking at the question of “what is the value of culture in the face of a disaster?” (“The World Is Moving Around Me… Quill And Quire”) The life narrative may also be interpreted as revealing how the media has misrepresented the Haitian people and instead shows the “touching portraits, the grief, the grace and humor of the Haitian people” (Hunter and Reader)
The understanding and meaning of the life narrative is to be understood by the readers through their own analysis but also through the examination of others. The readers look at the book reviews, at the critics, and even at the awards claimed. These all shape a person’s interpretation of a life narrative. It helps them to understand why the author is writing the life narrative and what is the message the narrative is trying to address. This may be a reason why life narratives, books, and novels, have reviews and critics placed on the back of the book jacket and if any, awards on the front. It can be a way to reinforcement the writers meaning behind their book and also shape the reader’s interpretation; tell them what to focus on and pick up on as they read.
Another form of life narratives, in a unique format and not one usually see as a life narrative, are comedians a type of writer just with a different medium and representation, their stand-up performances. They tell their life narratives through jokes, insights, and funny observations. When they present their life narratives they, like the “normal” and “usually” type of writers, have to make sure to represent their ideas in the right way, otherwise, it will be understood incorrectly. For a comedian it is less about explaining the humor properly, like the typical writer, instead, it is about emphasis and where you place it. The meaning of their jokes and stories are in their emphasis and where they place the importance, and some people do not identify the emphasis so they just hear it normally without the comedian pointing them in the right direction. Lizz Winstead put it best when she said:
“The second [the joke] comes out of our mouths it is no longer in our control about how it is supposed to be interpreted” (The Green Room)
Reading a comedian’s jokes, stories, and insights does not hold a candle to the meaning behind their acts because it takes away the emphasis that tells you how to read it, like the reviews on the back of a book jacket.
That is one side of the spectrum. The fault for the misunderstanding of a life narratives purpose or the point of a joke is because the audience and readers did not understand, due to the lack of identifying emphasis, or due to the multiple other reviews and critics seen that misrepresent the purpose. The other side says it is never the audience’s fault or the reader’s fault, it is the writer’s fault. For they did not explain, show, or articulate their meaning correctly. As Chris rock said “It’s never the audience’s fault” (“Inside The Actors Studio”) for misunderstanding the joke or point of the story, it is his fault for not presenting it in such a way that it is understood.
Not many see it as the writer’s fault, like Chris Rock, but that does not mean that he is incorrect. The misrepresentation and misunderstanding can happen in many ways, through media, reviews, critics or through readers and audience members. Or it could possibly be the writer’s fault for not articulating their point correctly. The question of where the misunderstanding is occurring and who is at fault for it is one that we readers and writers should keep in mind so that we share the meanings we first intended.
Work Cited
Hunter, Jennifer and The Reader. “The World Is Moving Around Me By Dany Laferrière: Review | Toronto Star”. thestar.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 7 Nov. 2016.
“The World Is Moving Around Me: A Memoir Of The Haiti Earthquake | Quill And Quire”. Quill and Quire. N.p., 2016. Web. 7 Nov. 2016.
http://www.quillandquire.com/review/the-world-is-moving-around-me-a-memoir-of-the-haiti-earthquake/
“The World Is Moving Around Me”. Goodreads. N.p., 2016. Web. 7 Nov. 2016.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15824199-the-world-is-moving-around-me
“Inside The Actors Studio” Chris Rock. Pace University’s New York City campus: James Lipton, 2007. video.
The Green Room with Paul Provenza. The Vanguard, Hollywood, CA: Paul Provenza, 2011. video.