The concept of different “I’s,” as defined by Smith and Watson in Reading Autobiography Now: An Updated Guide for Interpreting Life Narratives, offers a unique lens to understand the complexity of self-representation in autobiographical writing. For the author, these I’s reveal the multifaceted nature of identity, and how it is shaped, remembered, and performed. For […]
I have always been a fairly independent person– that was my idea of “self” for a long time. I would find myself having trouble letting people into my life when things got hard because I thought it would create the issue of dependency on others. With this in mind, I made the decision to study […]
The interplay between physiological responses and past experiences lies at the core of autobiographical acts. Drawing on psychological theories like the Schachter-Singer Two-Factor Theory and Lazarus’s Cognitive-Mediational Theory, we can deepen our grasp of how emotions integrated with physiology inform our sense of self and memory. The Schachter-Singer Two-Factor […]
Music has been a very complex form of communication for hundreds of years. Through different genres, lyrics, instruments, and styles, musicians have a way to communicate with their audience in any way they feel comfortable. A major theme that circulates throughout these artists’ music is personal experience. Many times you will find yourself listening to […]
A person I have looked up to the past few years since becoming a fan of his music is Suga, also known as Agust D, also known as Min Yoongi. He is a member of the global sensation, BTS. While I may not speak his language, music transcends pesky boundaries like language. Min Yoongi grew […]
I was seven when I first saw my dad cry. It was a rainy afternoon, and I was sitting in front of the TV glued to the screen when I heard sobs coming from the other end of the room. I peeled my eyes away from the TV and looked to my right to discover […]
It was September 1, 2023—my first week at Syracuse University, six hours away from home, from everything and everyone I loved. I stood there in the crowd, my boyfriend’s arms wrapped around me, my heart heavy and full, finally seeing my favorite artist, Noah Kahan, perform live. As the first notes of “You’re Gonna Go […]
In the essay “Against Catharsis: Writing is Not Therapy,” T Kira Madden invites us to engage with our pasts, not just as passive observers, but as active participants in our own memories. She writes, “Art is a superpower,” allowing a deep, unspoken connection between creator and audience, inviting a dialogue that transcends time and circumstance. This […]
We typically think of some moments in space and time as more significant than others. The day we get married is deemed more significant than a mundane day sitting in the office. In reality, what if our sense of space–and how we derive meaning in space–is all that matters? Does our interpretation of a moment […]
The notion of an “I” preoccupies the Western imagination, and autobiography has been a medium to convey this. Smith and Watson explore this in their theoretical work on autobiography. They approach the notion of autobiography through a largely historical and philosophical lens. They employ a mix of critical theory and texts both “canonical” and contemporary […]