Bell Hook Response

Bell Hooks Response

Summary:

In this short article Hooks talks about an autobiography and the writing that goes into it. She explains how this isn’t really a recalling or story of your life but argues that it is just a set of distinct memories or things that have stood out to you. Hooks also talks about her own life and the memories that went into it. She also mentions the idea that sometimes we create things or memories in our head that really never happened or we may have altered in our mind for some reason.

Synthesis:

I think this article is really something on its own but can relate to Peter Elbows article on voice when she talks about how we choose to think of certain things or remember them by ourselves. That these are our own decisions not that of others.

1.       As You Read:

I can’t think of any memory that I have completely fictionalized but I can recall memories or thinking back on things and believing they happened a certain way. Then through talking with others I discover that it didn’t in fact happen the way I thought it did. Also I can think on memories that are far more vivid to me than others because of the importance or severity such as getting stitches or having surgery done and so forth. These memories are most likely altered but not fictional just because of how I remember them but if I look back on them now I know they weren’t as bad or exactly how I thought they were.

4. Questions and Discussion:

Hooks original goal was to not kill herself from the past but to let go or break its hold on her today. Hooks did not meet this goal but instead a much better goal I would say. Hooks reached a goal of reviving the girl form the past she was able to rescue this girl and release her from being the enemy anymore. I think that Hooks in a way achieved her goal but it was in no way once so ever the way she predicted it to go but instead far better reliving and saving the Gloria from the past.

3.Applying and Exploring:

I think that when we write down a traumatic event or a memory that is more vivid and important to us it comes out a lot different than what happened an how we thought about it in our head. I believe this is because when we write these things down we see them for so much more and realize there significance and just let ourselves go. I think that we begin to let it write us and it just flows onto the paper and we just let everything we can think on or recall touch the paper instead of thinking up main points. Then when this happens the incident becomes so much more real and effective to us. Also it can be altered from before because we tend to lay it all on the line and let it speak for itself.

Thoughts on the Article:

I think that this article was a decent read and was in a sense interesting to think about. I had never thought of writing an autobiography as recognition of memories but instead took it for what I always learned in grade school. This perspective was appealing and interesting to read and after doing so I really agree with Hooks. I am unsure of the relevance to our class with this piece but I was interesting to read and get this new perspective on this type of paper.