The Truth: A Writer’s Duty Meaningful literature, in any form, has a purpose. Memoirs in particular often recount incredibly personal and vivid moments in one’s life. William Faulkner’s Nobel Prize speech mentions how literature needs to be uncensored and personal, as it is the writer’s duty to be honest and include all aspects of the subject of their writing, no matter how disturbing or gruesome. These universal truths are exactly that: the truth, and are necessary in order to write from the heart. An American Childhood by Annie Dillard and Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance are both memoirs regarding growing up in America, including many universal truths, supporting Faulkner’s idea that the writer has a duty to include these. The purpose of
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However, this does not necessarily mean to use an excess of details. Although it may be honest, it may be somewhat redundant and irrelevant. Dillard’s memoir is structured differently, essentially focusing on her thoughts and reactions to experiences, making personal details a key part. This memoir can be considered to be too open, to the point of redundancy. Memoirs are typically written about events, with lessons to be learned and mistakes to learn from, which should be thoroughly explained. Dillard explains many different phases and events in her life, writing from the heart and not from the glands, however it does not always achieve the effect that is desired. Despite this, Dillard does pour emotion into her writing in a very personal way. When a conflict did arise, such as shortly after she started high school, she shared her perspective on growing up when she said "Why didn't I settle down, straighten out, shape up?...I thought that joy was a childish condition that had forever departed..." (Dillard 235). This symbol of her growing up and losing her innocence is a side effect of curiosity and exploration that had not yet been realized. Since Dillard decided to give an insight into her mind, it is her duty to include all aspects, even the parts which may not paint her in the best light. Without including this, Dillard would not be doing her memoir justice. It portrays her humanity and inevitable realizations of adolescence and adulthood, which is a shared experience among most people. This can be related to when Vance started high school, when he states “I had nearly failed out of my freshmen year of high school, earning a 2.1 GPA. I didn’t do my homework, I didn’t study, and my attendance was abysmal” (127). It would be easy for Vance to just include the good parts of his life, like attending Yale,
However, this does not necessarily mean to use an excess of details. Although it may be honest, it may be somewhat redundant and irrelevant. Dillard’s memoir is structured differently, essentially focusing on her thoughts and reactions to experiences, making personal details a key part. This memoir can be considered to be too open, to the point of redundancy. Memoirs are typically written about events, with lessons to be learned and mistakes to learn from, which should be thoroughly explained. Dillard explains many different phases and events in her life, writing from the heart and not from the glands, however it does not always achieve the effect that is desired. Despite this, Dillard does pour emotion into her writing in a very personal way. When a conflict did arise, such as shortly after she started high school, she shared her perspective on growing up when she said "Why didn't I settle down, straighten out, shape up?...I thought that joy was a childish condition that had forever departed..." (Dillard 235). This symbol of her growing up and losing her innocence is a side effect of curiosity and exploration that had not yet been realized. Since Dillard decided to give an insight into her mind, it is her duty to include all aspects, even the parts which may not paint her in the best light. Without including this, Dillard would not be doing her memoir justice. It portrays her humanity and inevitable realizations of adolescence and adulthood, which is a shared experience among most people. This can be related to when Vance started high school, when he states “I had nearly failed out of my freshmen year of high school, earning a 2.1 GPA. I didn’t do my homework, I didn’t study, and my attendance was abysmal” (127). It would be easy for Vance to just include the good parts of his life, like attending Yale,