Elements of a Memoir

Multiple Choice

Why does someone write a memoir?

• To tell their whole life story
• To tell how they were feeling when they experienced a certain event
• To tell retell a story someone told them

​What is a Memoir?

A memoir is an account of a real person’s life. The narrator is a character in a story who reflects on the events of his/her life and, usually, draws certain conclusions.

​

A memoir is typically focused on certain incidents in a person’s life, and those incidents make up the individual stories that contribute to the overall work.

English

Memoir

​What is a Memoir? (Continued)

Unlike an autobiography, which recounts particular historical dates and facts about a person’s life, a memoir is a depiction of how that individual remembers his/her own life.

​

The dates and facts in a memoir may not be entirely accurate (though they often are), and they are less important than the memories and the reflections.

English

Memoir

​What is a Memoir? (Continued)

Overall, a narrative could fit into a memoir, but a memoir could not fit into a narrative. Additionally, memoirs will often jump around, include flashbacks/memories, and contain multiple stories and events.

English

Memoir

Multiple Choice

How is a memoir different than an autobiography?

• An autobiography tells more a single event in a persons life
• A memoir is focused on facts
• A memoir is written with a collaborative writer
• A memoir is more concerned with personal truth.

Multiple Choice

All of the following are true about a memoir, except:

• it's autobiographical
• it's chronological
• it's told in first person
• it's emotional

Multiple Choice

How is a memoir different than an autobiography?

• It is not chronological
• It doesn't cover the writer's whole life.
• It's more story like.
• All answers are correct

Multiple Choice

A memoir is more emotional than an autobiography.

• True
• False

Multiple Choice

A memoir has narrative structure, This means it is like reading 

• a book report
• a news article
• a biography
• a story

Multiple Choice

A memoir is written about a person by another person.

• True
• False

Multiple Choice

A look back to an earlier event...

• Flashback

• Foreshadowing

• theme

• conflict

Multiple Choice

The content of a memoir must include

• personal experience
• historical documents
• a fable or fairy tale
• a scientific report

Multiple Choice

The purpose of a memoir is...

• tell a story of an experience

• write about your entire life

• to write about different experiences or events

Multiple Choice

A memoir is considered __________ writing.

• fiction

• nonfiction

Multiple Choice

What point of view is used in a memoir?

• first person

• second person

• third person omniscient

• third person limited

Multiple Choice

Which pronouns indicate first person point of view?

• He, She

• I, Me,

• They, Them

Personal Narrative

A personal narrative is typically written in first-person about something in the narrator’s life. It centers on a certain (single) event and relays the narrator’s thoughts, feelings, and experiences.

​

A personal narrative may contain information about what the narrator read, encountered, or heard, and his reactions to these encounters.

Personal Narrative

Personal Narrative (Continued)

A narrative will develop setting, characterization, speech, and plot, but it is typically limited to the discussion of one particular event or incident.

​

Ultimately, a narrative will zoom into a singular moment and expand it, and some reflections and even themes may be present, but the purpose is to detail an isolated incident.

Personal Narrative

Multiple Choice

Includes one event

• personal narrative

• memoir

• both

Multiple Choice

Is "zoomed in"

• personal narrative

• memoir

• both

Multiple Choice

Has a first person narrator

• personal narrative

• memoir

• both

Multiple Choice

Is a broad overview

• personal narrative

• memoir

• both

Multiple Choice

Includes reflections and conclusions about the experiences

• personal narrative

• memoir

• both

Multiple Choice

Is based off of the author's direct experience in life

• personal narrative

• memoir

• both

Multiple Choice

Is true and real

• personal narrative

• memoir

• both

Multiple Choice

Includes one OR MORE experiences

• personal narrative

• memoir

• both

Multiple Choice

Focuses on the story, not reflections about the story

• personal narrative

• memoir

• both

Multiple Choice

Is based on one theme/lesson that it wants to teach the reader. Uses true events to teach that theme/lesson

• person narrative

• memoir

• both

Multiple Choice

May have a theme, but the focus is on the story, not any theme

• personal narrative

• memoir

• both