Dialectical Notebook: Hooks

Before You Read:

I consider a autobiography to be a book written by oneself about oneself's life. I believe it's important to have information in an autobiography so that when people read your book they are able to gain a fair amount of knowledge about you, almost as if they knew you. 

Summary:

In her article "Writing Autobiography", Bell Hooks starts off by explaining that her real name is Gloria Jean and how her childhood was full of abuse. She talks of how writing the autobiography helped her find who she really was. Hooks also explains throughout the article how she met a black man and that many of the experiences that she has with him reminds her of her childhood. Hooks talks of how she recollects childhood memories and how writing the autobiography has helped her rescue her memories.

Synthesis:

The first author that this article reminded me of was Diaz because both writers talk of how it is important to keep writing even when there is no hope. In Hooks' article, she is writing because she is trying to relieve the pain of her childhood and tell her story, and Diaz is writing because he wants to turn out a successful novel. However, the both are relatable because they use writing as a way of venting. Another author that came to mind when reading was King. Both authors seem to try and connect with the reader in someway. King views writing as telepathy and Hooks uses her childhood memories to paint a picture in the readers' mind. Another author that seemed to compare to Hooks was Elbow. This is because Hooks uses a very strong voice in her writing and connect with the reader through emotional experiences and moving words. Elbow is one of the leaders in the idea and encouragement of voice.

Response	Quotation
I feel that many writers encounter this problem all the time. The best was to approach this problem is to write an outline of what you want to expect out of your writing and what sources you want to add into it. This will help you from forgetting what your true goals are.	“The longer it took me to begin the process of writing autobiography, the further removed from those memories I was becoming” (Hooks 177).
This quote ultimately sums up why Hooks decides to write her autobiography. Hooks uses the autobiography as a way to express her feeling of her childhood, just as a musician or an artist would represent their emotions in a song or painting.	“The longing to tell one’s story and the process of telling is symbolically a gesture of longing to recover the past in such a way that one experiences both a sense of reunion and a sense of release” (Hooks 178-79).
Sometimes, writing out what we are thinking on paper can help us gain a different perspective of an idea. It can force us to read it differently depending on if we add or take away punctuation or even what type of mood we are in when we read it.	“It had not occurred to me that bringing one’s past, one’s memories together in a complete narrative would allow one to view them from a different perspective, not as singular isolated events but as part of a continuum” (Hooks 179).
This quote was very significant because Hooks is able to finally feel at peace with her life. She is able to read it all out on paper and reflect on it. Writers can do this with even their own writing in order to get an overall idea of what the main point is.	“Remembering was part of a cycle of reunion, a joining of fragments, “the bits and pieces of my heart” that the narrative made whole again” (Hooks 180).

Applying and Exploring Ideas:

If I were to place myself into a discourse community when writing my autobiography, I would view myself as being a middle-class, white american male, who is going to college in order to earn a degree so that I may someday get a job and support myself. I would talk about growing up in a small town and how catholic school probably influenced a lot of how I view things today.

Thoughts:

I really liked this article, it was strange at times but, it was short and to the point. Hooks did a great job of connecting with the reader by explaining her childhood memories.