Katelyn A.’s Weblog

Looking back on this semester, I’ve noticed that I have changed greatly. I went from a disorganized and scrambling writer, who could only get around a four on her essays, to a clear and concise writer who happily claims a high six for a paper. It is really amazing how much I have grown over the year and how much this class has helped me in other classes as well as everyday life. Because of Ms. Robinson’s AP Language class I have received laudable merits on papers in other classes, and I believe that I will now be more prepared for the SAT as well as resumes. There are many interesting writers whose works I was obligingly introduced to. I absolutely love Virginia Wolfe, and I loved reading the passage by Horace Mann because it helped me in U.S. History with Blackstock.  Now, thanks to Ms. Robinson’s class I am happy to say that I am no longer nervous about college classes and I look forward to taking Mr. Robinson’s AP English class next year.

Everyday we hear stories: “I totally bombed that Pre-Calc test,” “I caught a grouper so big it could barely fit in the boat,” “She was so mad, that she nearly bit my heat off.” Logically, we do not hold these accounts to the highest levels of factuality, but we do get the gist of what these embellishments mean. Since we endure fallacious and overly-exaggerated stories so often, should we be surprised when memoirists make “use of invented details” (Source B)? One is left to ponder what shapes memoirists’ dedication to the truth – or lack there of, as it seems most often. Are they swayed by how much money a few over done stories will attract, or whether or not the truth can be construed as subjective?
Most will agree that authors’ commitments to honesty fall flat and that memoirists generally like to “invert the truth” so that they can achieve some monetary value from their story. Therefore, the most important objective to consider would probably be the influences on the memoirist; Does “the root of all evil” have a claim on these author? It is obvious that Bill Amend, the author/illustrator of the “Foxtrot” comic strip, would agree that money plays a large role in the standard of truth that a memoirist will use. Amend’s character claims, “If I make [my memoir] really sad and inspirational, Oprah will select it for her book club, and I’ll rank in gajillions” (Source D). The book that the character is alluding to is A Million Little Pieces, a book written by James Frey and endorsed by Oprah, which was sold as a best seller for over a year. James Frey notably embellished many “facts” in his memoir. Frey, like most memoirists, was probably influenced by monetary means—the fact that the book could earn millions would be a seemingly good enough reason to fake a few details. By falsifying accounts Frey helps to demolish the credibility of “truth”; This furthers the chain of author-to-reader deceit and showcases the memoirists’ lack of commitment to truth, even though truth should be one of the most important aspects of a memoir.
Like money, the subjectivity of truth may influence a writer. An embellishment here, a falsity there, and leaving out a boring part every so often… Writers can choose what “truth” they choose to tell, even if it means compressing the facts a bit. That is not too big of a deal since people do it all the time. It does become problematic, however, when a memoirist forgets a fact of high importance (as Patricia Hampl, the Regents’ Professor of English at the University of Minnesota, contests in her book I Could Tell You Stories) (Source F). Memoirists leaving out that they had Mini-Wheats and orange juice for breakfast is not as important as leaving out the substantial event of their parents’ death. Every so often a miniscule fact is bound to be misrepresented r even completely absent due to the pertinence of the event in respect to the story’s overall meaning and fluidity.
However, Reverend Doctor Mark D. Roberts does not agree “[he] do[es] not think that truth is merely a matter of personal perception” (Source C). Roberts believes that truth stands with in factual evidence. That may be right, Reverent, but it is not completely true. Memoirists would not base their writing completely upon fact because fact alone cannot hold significant import. “The Holocaust was a killing of Jews” is not as reverent as a tale packed full of emotion, thoughts, and yes even embellishments all about how a Jewish child survived the tortures of a concentration camp; little details about how the guards looked like devils and how death would be a savior are not completely factual, but they do help to make a memoir more emotionally challenging for a reader.
While many agree that facts are needed in a memoir, they tend to disagree about whether or not facts are the only necessary medium. After carefully examining both sides it can be concluded that personal significance of an event is needed to further where the facts fall short. Even though the subject of truth may seem inane, it is highly influential with today’s concern about future generations and their learning from the past; without personal feelings poured into every historical account (for future generations to imbibe) we would be doomed to repeat the ideals of the Nazis, the Klansmen, the Fascists and to live the rest of eternity as a cold-hearted populous.

Even though I forgot to do many things in my original synthesis paper, I do believe that those problems were fixed this time. I had, absentmindedly, not bothered to relate my topic sentences back to the prompt, and the argumentum opinion was absent. However, this time around I did attempt to tie my topic back to the prompt and to use more of the language of the prompt. By adding in little phrases every so often the opinion should be more obvious. Additionally, I added more to a description that was seriously lacking in details.

Questions for discussion:

Twain links conformity and self-approval in his text “Corn Pone Opinions” by establishing the idea that our opinions are completely shaped by the opinions of others around us. Like a ball of clay, our minds process the information that surrounds us in a way parallelling the way others in our environment would. So, if Sally acts a certain way to a stimulus, then it is likely that her neighbors Jody and Jill will too. “The outside influences are always pouring in upon us, and we are always obeying their orders and accepting their verdicts” (Twain). It matters not that one thinks that one has formed an original opinion, it is only plausible that said opinion was formed upon a basis of others influence; therefore, even our self-approval is based upon the approval of others.  (134)

2.Twain believes that the difference between standards and fashions is that fashions are something that will last a short while and then dissappear while standards will continue on forever. For instance hoop-skirts, the number of used wine glasses at the dinner table, as well as other “perishable” things that we believe are standards when they are actually just fashions. Actual standards, in Twain’s opinions, would be ideas or people who we idealize for a certain task (Shakespeare, and our prose would for instance). The hoop-skirt fashion may seem like a set standard for a time but it does not stay that way forever; on the other hand, Shakespeare is likely to be a reference point for writers and scholars for a much longer duration of time, thus making him a standard. Currently, we still have set standards and attributed fashions, our standards would be linked closely to our morals and or predating idols such as George Washington, Martin Luther King Jr. , as well as many other great and noble people that we will forever look upon with a kind eye because of their prowess. Fashions of the time would likely be our political out crys, our fixation on technology, as well as any other ideal that is likely to expand or become extinct in the next few years. (218)

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