On Borrowed Words #2

Hi! Here's your 2nd blog post for On Borrowed Words:

Ilan Stavans discusses his grandmother's memoir. Referring to pages 56-90, he writes her history with his interpretation in mind. Choose one of these two topics to discuss in your blog:

1.) Bobbe Bela longs to leave Poland for Israel (then, Palestine) but never emigrates there. Should she have? Do you think her intentions to move there were legitimate, or only a dream? Is there a similar dream you have in your life, that perhaps keeps you going from day to day, but, will perhaps always be a dream?

2.) Stavans discusses the idea of memoir on p. 58: "Memoirs are subjective, manipulative, driven by our desire to improve our prospects in human memory, and, as rudimentary as it is, Bela's is no exception."

What do you think of this perspective of memoir? If we write about ourselves, are we always editing to make ourselves appear better? Or are we trying to explain our actions? Are there other reasons to write memoir? Are personal diaries or journals the same thing? Why or why not?

Remember to aim for at least 500 words per blog post. :) Have a great weekend. You guys have been doing great work in discussion. Keep at it! <3