Week 6: Finding Yourself

Lena Dunham's memoir is at times difficult to read. She paints such an honest picture of herself that I felt like I should stop reading. That I was invading her privacy, despite the fact that this was a published piece of hers. As someone who deals with mental illness, I could understand and relate to the overwhelming presence of it. It is exhausting having this constant argument in your mind. Mental illness is telling you that the world is going to end and that you are unreasonable for thinking that the world is going to end. While the published piece spoke to a more specific feeling, the blog post spoke to me about relationships in general. I am a prideful person and I sometimes let that get in the way of expressing myself. I can definitely relate to the writer's regret of not reconnecting with her cousin because they let their pride hinder them. 

Lena doesn't hide anything with her storytelling. It gives a voyeuristic element to her personal struggle. However, I think her tale is a bit meandering at times and if she wanted to make a more direct impact she should have narrowed the scope of her writing. But she is deft at drawing the reader in and sharing feelings. I didn't have to be told that her mental illness has colored every part of her life, she showcases it in glimpses with her story. Or she gives us details that allow us to infer her feelings. She writes that "One evening, I see her on the subway, and our interaction, warm but disorienting, inspires a poem, the last lines of which are "I guess you are not my mother. You will never be my mother."' She does not directly comment on the complex relationship she has with her therapist but uses her poetic writing to imply the paradoxically intimate but distant link she has to Lisa. With the blog post, the feelings are more relatable but I feel like the writer is lacking in detail. Most of the things we are supposed to feel are because the writer told us to feel them. They write, "For two years she had lived with us and made herself right at home. She was like the older sister that I never had. Someone to lean on and confide in when the times got tough. Not only that, but she was always fun to be around. Most of the memories from those two years are filled with laughter." These details don't really help me feel connected to the relationship. More showing of what their relationship was like would strengthen the story and make it feel more intimate.

I think both authors feel authentic and honest with their storytelling. They express intimate emotions and showcase some really vulnerable tales from their lives. I think anytime you allow that vulnerability to flourish, you will inevitably connect with your audience. Even if your experience is very unique, emotions are universal and we've all experienced them at one point.