Sanja Gjenero. "Image ID: 637320." 14 Oct 2006. Online image. Stock.xchang. 24 Jan 2010.
Q- The literary genre to which this book belongs is memoir. One might make a case that it is also history. How do these two genres each contribute to the reader’s understanding of Eliezer’s story? Is memoir a good source of historical "fact"? Why/why not?
I think the big difference between memoir and history is that memoir is based on writer's point of view and history does not include someone's point of view. This book, Night, is based on the true story of the Holocaust; however, obviously it is also including writer's, Eliezer’s point of view such as what he felt and thought. Moreover, his position/status as Jewish affects the story. Since history needs to be objective, it shows both side of the Holocaust such as the Nazis' side and Jewish side. However, because Night is written by Eliezer and it is all based on what he saw, heard, and experienced, it only includes Jewish side.
Although memoir tends to be subjective, it sometimes shows detailed information than the history because it is a very broad objective category. I cannot say memoir is always a good source of historical "fact". Since both memoir and history can be falsified, the most important thing is that each person needs to judge carefully that what is a reliable source as a historical fact.
I definitely agree with you.
ReplyDeleteMemoir tends to be subjective and history has to be objective. =)
I think a memoir can be good or bad. It's important to determine if the facts used in the memoir are correct before you use it as a reliable source. The book Night is a good source to use to show the horrors of the Holocaust.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Ayaka. We need to choose the source carelly, otherwise we could misunderstand a lot.
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