ENG 1510 Hook response

Alex Gilkerson

ENG 1510

October 3, 2012

Summary:

This passage starts off strong and really grabs your attention.  The statement that she wants to “kill herself in writing” is a little strange.  Right off the back you want to read more.  She talks about her life and how horrible it was.  Then she brings in the topic of bio-mythography.  Her writings were definitely a type of these.  Hook told some pretty crazy stories and seemed a little nutty anyway.

Synthesis:

This article seem pretty similar to the previous article we read by Anne Lamott.  I think this because both of them seemed to be a little out there.  They both had strange backgrounds and wrote with a different voice from any other author that I’ve ever read.  Both were very interesting to read.  Those two are absolutely “unique” people.

Questions for Discussions:

1. The way I take it is that she thought she was never good enough for anybody.  And by doing a writing that was considered good, her image of a bad person would be gone.  So by writing something good, she is “killing” her old self.

2. Bio-mythography is a mix between fiction and autobiography.  I definitely think Hook’s work is an example of bio-mythography.  I think this because no one knows if these little stories are true.  Some of them seem kind of far fetched.  But some do sound like they had happened before.

3. The image hook uses is a combination in my point of view.  I feel she wants people to feel sorry for her a little bit and also to think she is a little crazy.  Like I said before, some of her stories seem a little unrealistic and some seem happen able.

Applying and Exploring:

2. I think we can change our identity through text easier than any other way.  You can’t see the person who is writing, you just seem the text.  They could say anything and unless it sounds unbelievable, you will probably think it’s true.  For example, if I said I was born in Asia and am 7 foot tall, you wouldn’t know unless you exactly saw me in person.

Personal Reflection:

This was a very interesting read.  Personally I enjoy reading from the “crazy” kind of people.  Some of the things they say really draw me in.  It is a nice change of pace to read articles like this and the one from Anne Lamott.  I’ve never heard of the term “bio-mythography”, but it is very easy to understand.  I feel you can really relate that to everyday people.  Everyone has that one friend that when they tell stories, some of the things they say you sit there and think, “that has never happened, that is the biggest lie”.  I always knew about this topic, I just never knew the name for it.  Overall, it was a well written article and very easy to follow.