The Truth and Nothing but

"There is, after all, a fluidity between who we were to other people, who we thought we were, who we think we were, and who we think we are now."

Our memory recall is in fact, somewhat poor. We often look at memories differently than we did 5 years ago, and we will look at them even differently 5 years from now. Not only do we, ourselves, have different perceptions on memories and situations as the years go by, but so do others surrounding us. In other words, if you and your best friend were to share a situation, he or she would have a different viewpoint on the scenario in comparison to you. Everyone has their own individual angle when they are looking into the mirror.

I think this is what makes fluidity such a complex concept when it comes to writing. When creating a memoir, you have to write the story with several different angles in mind. One, you have to accurately remember the point in your life in which you are writing about. Two, you have to take in consideration of the reader so that they feel something emotionally when reading your piece. Three, you must show that you learned something from the experience and show how this can connect to your audience who is reading you memoir. In the end, memories are very fluid, so it is key to take in consideration all the different point of views.

“If you don’t get out there and define yourself, you’ll be quickly and inaccurately defined by others.”

― Michelle Obama, Becoming

One of my favorite memoirs would be "Becoming" by Michelle Obama (https://becomingmichelleobama.com/). In the memoir, Michelle discusses her personal experiences from her roots, to her life in the White House, and how she found her voice as a mother and a public health advocate. I think Michelle is a very influential and inspiring woman. I think she has done a lot of good for society and the world, which is why this is one of my favorite books to read. You get an inside look into her life and how she thinks which is truly moving. I think if I found out if she blurred the lines between fact and fiction it would change my views a little bit. I think this would go for any memoir. It makes it less emotionally appealing and relatable to read if you know that all of it is not raw and written based on fact. 

I think a memoir is just a long, physical version of a blog post. I think the two platforms share a lot in common. Both share experiences, ideas, and feelings for the audience to grasp onto. If one were to take their chapters of a memoir and make them as blog posts, I feel as if it would be normal. Overall, I think blogs and memoirs are extremely similar to one another and share a lot of the same qualities and concepts when it comes to looking from an audience's point of view.