By definition, Memoirs are remembrances of one's personal history, one's life story. It is human nature to "remember" the major events in one's life that "made" the writer who/what he/she is at the time of writing, so a major theme in all memoirs is "Who am I? Who did I become?"
A time of self-reflection brings about memories that are then reflected in the details articulated, the choices among one's recollections that seem most relevant. One way to organize those moments in reflection is to look at "turning points," occasions when the "path" one is "on" takes a turn. This predilection becomes a theme -- "I am a scientist, but as a young person, I thought I would be a musician. The turning point came when I received a chemistry set for my seventh birthday."
Another important and ubiquitous theme in memoirs is the description of persons who entered my life and became role models, mentors, encouragers. "When I went backstage and met Segovia and shook his hand, I wanted the same calluses on my fingers."
Finally, memoirs very often treat the theme of how world events influenced the mise-en-scene of the writer. "The landing on the moon changed my view of religion."
Perhaps one other frequent "theme" in memoirs is the description of how the writer's life was broken into developmental stages.
No comments:
Post a Comment