Essay Example on Living With Struggle - A Memoir of Historical and Cultural Contexts

Memoir relates to the written account of a person's life, showing the historical account and experiences of a person. Indeed, memoir writing and reading is influenced to a great extent by the historical and cultural aspect and context. For instance, the writers of both "A Homemade Education" and in "On Being Cripple" experience some elements of struggle in their lives. For example, Nancy Maris's memoir "On Being Cripple" depicts how the author struggles with her condition of multiple sclerosis.

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Similarly the Malcolm X's memoir "A Homemade Education" shows how the author received formal education while in prison. As such, the authors of various memoirs often focus on the immediate struggles of their lives that shape their well-being. The most exciting part of both memoirs is that the authors believe that life is beautiful and that nothing can stop them from reaching their full potential if they are determined to do so (Valencia College, 2017).

There are numerous factors that influence memoir content. Such factors are indeed essential in informing the readers' understanding of the work, thus enhancing the easy analysis of the work. As such, memoirs can be viewed to be having a multidisciplinary approach in the analysis.

I have always believed that specific tragic experiences in life are critical in changing the line of thoughts of individuals, thus enabling them to keep the struggles of life. For example, when I failed in the maths test for the first time, I learned to do it differently the next time I took the same test. The struggles of individuals are sometimes more tragic (Fleming, 2017). However, there is often beauty in tragedy because people don't tend to pay attention to those who had it all in life. Struggles shape the story of an individual, making them more experienced in dealing with life experiences.

In McCourt's memoir, he notes that he had been born at a time when his father was unable to find a job at the brink of starvation, sometimes in 1930. He can recall vividly in his memoir that when his father landed on an odd job, he drank the little amount of money he had earned and disappeared from the family, forcing his mother Angela to beg for food and absolutely everything in the streets (McCourt, 1999). In early adulthood, upon earning a college degree, McCourt finds a school where he worked as a teacher, at which point he recalls the childhood experiences of drunken hunger father and the shabby clothes, among others. Such experiences had significantly shaped him into a responsible teacher and father later in life.

In my opinion, the essential aspect of writing a memoir is the ability to present a true account of an individual's life. A person's historical account and experiences often attract a large number of people who are experiencing the same challenges in life. As such, a realistic and true account of oneself could play a significant role in encouraging people to exploit their potentials for a better future. For instance, the education that Malcolm X received in prison considerably changed the trajectory of his life beyond his disability. As such, any prisoner undergoing the same experiences can feel encouraged through reading Malcolm's memoir. The truth in every memoir is essential in a memoir as it keeps the strength to change the views of a person concerning how they tackle their difficulties.

References

McCourt, F. (1999). Angela's Ashes: A Memoir (Vol. 1). Simon and Schuster.

Valencia College. (2017) Historical and Cultural Context. Retrieved from https://valenciacollege.edu/west/arts-and-humanities/writing/historical-cultural.cfm

Fleming, G. (2017, August 20). The importance of historical context in analysis and interpretation. Thought Co. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-historical-context-1857069