How far can it take you?

I think that the background question to this week’s Explorations question is what does one seek to get out of an autobiography? Is reading an autobiography as escapist as other types of literature? I don’t think it is; I think that instead autobiographies force the reader to reflect upon their own lives. An autobiographical piece doesn’t exactly work as a mirror, but kind of an “opposite mirror;” it forces the reader to reflect on their triumphs in the face of the author’s defeats and acknowledge their weaknesses in face of the author’s greatest strengths. The most powerful biographical works I have ever read dealt with redemption, and evolution from

Ishmael Beah wrote A Long Way Gone to describe his descent into service as a child soldier during the civil war in Sierra Leone. A story like that raises powerful questions for the reader, even one such as myself, sheltered completely from violence and almost all conflict. When I read the book I feel secure knowing that I could never commit violence like that, yet at the same time the book condemns me; I realize things like, when I get really angry and say that I hate something, how callous that really is in light of reading about someone who was indoctrinated to hate as an instinct.

The other great autobiography I have read is E. R. Braithwaite’s, To Sir, With Love. Braithwaite is a poor black teacher in a London slum. The author describes his evolution into a man confident enough to stand for himself against white antagonists, and a reader will also see an evolution in his pupils, who gain the understanding as they age that since they came to respect Braithwaite, respect should override race in every case. This book poses to me questions as to whether or not I could overcome harsh conditions with dignity, even though as I read I can assume righteous indignation against the petty racism so prevalent throughout the book.

So I think that yes, an autobiography does need this sort of drama to carry the same importance. Every person deserves to be remembered, but when you read an autobiography of a person who comes too close to mirroring yourself, you will miss out on the experience of self-reflection that a powerful biographical work can deliver.