((Memory))
From the article
Hobbs, Catherine L. The Elements of Autobiography and Life Narratives. New York: Pearson Longman, 2005.
The article discuses the idea that memory is temporary, and we rely on preexisting categories for memory. It says that memory does not “set” until you learn/use language, which is around age 2. So, any memory you have before that age comes from family discussions and so on. It’s funny then when people say, “Oh, when I was one year old, I climbed out of my crib.” This article concludes that it is not possible that you would remember that. Our brain can easily forget something, only when we re-visit memories does it strengthin them, making them more permanent.
As far as literacy goes, does it make our memory weaker, since we can record everything that happens, by pictures, journals, scarpbooks, videos etc.? For example, my best friend got married a couple months back, and can barley recall much of her wedding; and thats fine with her, beacuse she has it all on video.
test Filed under Uncategorized | Comment (1)
8:32 am - 1-26-2009
Olivia,
This is a really interesting question! As the reading mentioned, in ancient times rhetors were worried that writing would be the end of great thought — that if we wrote things down we’d have no reason to memorize/remember. If we look at memory today though, it’s clear that writing wasn’t the end to great thought. At the same time, I think that technology like videos and such do change our memory in a way (have you ever had a memory and when you look back to pictures or video you realize that the memory you had is different than what was captured?).
-Brittany