Personal narrative, memoir, or

autobiography?What is the difference?

Create a graphic organizerThat distinguishes the differencesin a memoir, a personal narrative

and an autobiography.

Your job today:

To create your graphic organizer you will need the following:

ruler pencil

reading journal

Create the table on the following page in your journal.Memoir Personal narrative Autobiography

MemoirA narrative composed from personal experience and communicated at a high emotional level.Contains a fictional quality even though the story is true.May cover several events with a single theme.Contains both direct experiences, and reflections on other people’s experiences of a particular time.

Personal NarrativeContains elements of narration like setting, characters, and plot.It relays a person’s direct experience of a personal event, or a set of events.Written in first person.Usually covers a single event.

Autobiography

The life story of a person, as told by himself or herself, in first person.From birth until the time of writing.

Memoir Personal narrative Autobiography

High emotional level

Life story of a person

Contains setting, character, and plot

When you complete your assignment, (1) go out in the

hallway, and get your bio poem.Then (2) get a copy of a memoir to read

or look on up on your computer.