Life Writing Critical Memoir and Identity Formation

Question: Discuss about theLife Writingfor Critical Memoir and Identity Formation. Answer: Introduction The memoir Running in the family written by Michael Ondaatje fits into the genre of life writing. In the segment, I shall reflect on the persuasive story What we think of married life that falls under the rubric of Running in the family, penned down by Michael Ondaatje. While narrating the story, Michael Ondaatje explores two motives i.e. cognizance of the world and to entertain the literary audience. The piece, What we think of married life, written by Michael Ondaatje, records the dissensions between his mother and father. His father used to arrive home drunk and feel tipsy throughout the day. In a high-pitched tone, his mother argued with his father. The main differences lay in the personality traits of both the parents. The mother talked in an alarming voice and the father was composed and reticent. Through this interesting piece, the author reflects on an important aspect of the married life. He captures the nuanced shades of the family brawl. In the assignment, he carefully exp lores two purposes of the life writing i.e. the cognizance of the world and to entertain the literary audience. In the story, the author reflects on certain aspects of life such as memory, assumption about others, significance of life and social expectations. In the piece, I have to identify the tone of the author. According to Susan Letham (2012), a British writer, the tone of the author speaks volume. The tone reflects the way she writes, the types of words she choose and the format of the sentences. In the particular piece, What we think of married life, the tone of the author is intense. The story revolves around the family brawl and disagreements that took place between his parents. The tone of the author manifests the trajectory of the story. With an intense delivery of dialogues, the story also assumes a concentrated hue. The tone makes the literary people aware of the content of the story (Mack, 2014). The part of Ondaatje reflects on the family disagreements and tussles. Here, I can relate the content with my experience. My friends family has an alcoholic father who regularly comes home drunk. His mother screams at the top of her voice and engages in argumentative talk with his father. This situation closely relates to the problem that the author wants to depict in his writing. I have chosen a YouTube video that relates to the above discussion. Here, a daughter gives an excerpt of her alcoholic father and the way she tides over the problem. The problem of alcoholism disturbs the milieu of the domestic house (YouTube, 2017). It leads to violent tussles from both sides of the parents, thus hampering the family setting. Reference Letham, S. (2012). Daughter. Publications International Ltd. USA. Mack, N. G. (2014). Critical memoir and identity formation: Being, belonging, becoming. Ondaatje, M. (2013).Running in the Family. Vintage Canada. YouTube. (2017). My dad was an alcoholic | BBC Newsbeat. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsfG1B53780 [Accessed 8 Feb. 2017].