20th Century Memoirs free essay sample

An examination of two memoirs which focus on the life of Americans during their adolescent years. This paper details two writings that of Margaret Meades Coming of Age in Samoa as well as Whittaker Chamberss Witness. These two memoirs show different sides of America and Americans. Meades Coming of Age speaks of a time when she was in Samoa studying adolescent children and trying to figure out why American children seem to have such rough childhoods, while Chamberss Witness tells a tale of his adventures as a soviet spy in the 1930s. The first part of this paper examines some of the reasons which make Margaret Meades Coming of Age in Samoa a less effective piece of persuasion, while the second part of this paper examines some of the reasons that Whittaker Chamberss Witness is a compelling memoir composition. Memoirs are effective forms of writing to use for a number of reasons. We will write a custom essay sample on 20th Century Memoirs or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page As a 20th Century American, one can look upon memoirs as both a telling of a time past and a time present; memoirs show a piece of our history, and thus by extension a piece of ones own identity as an American. A less effective form of writing is that of social science argumentation, which asks us to believe various results of tests, polls, and studies. While an effective means of persuasion, it is not quite as stirring as that of the simple memoir, or story of our own people.