Comparison of biography and autobiography
•
Do you ever get confused when trying to differentiate between an autobiography, biography, and memoir? If so, you&#;re not alone—these three genres are often used interchangeably, but each one actually requires its own unique approach. In this blog post, we&#;ll discuss the differences of each type and provide some handy tips on how best to write them all!
Introducing the different genres of writing—autobiography, biography, and memoir
Three genres that often get jumbled together are autobiography, biography, and memoir. While they may seem similar at first glance, each genre has its own unique characteristics. An autobiography, for example, is a first-person account of someone&#;s life, typically written by the subject themselves. A biography, by contrast, is a third-person account of someone&#;s life, written by someone else. And a memoir is a focused, often thematic account of a particular period or experience in someone&#;s life. Knowing the distinctions between these genres can help you decide which approach is best for telling your own story or for crafting a compelling biography or memoir.
Understanding the differences between autobiography, biography and memoir
Autobiography, biography, and memoir are often confused with each other. An autobiography is a boo
•
Biographies and autobiographies
Watch: What are autobiographies and biographies?
Biographies and autobiographies are both types of non-fiction stories about someone’s life.
They are both based in fact but there are some key differences between them.
Watch this video in which teacher Mr McPartlin explains the differences. Listen carefully and join in with the activities.
Similarities and differences
Time for a recap on those similarities and differences!
Both biographies and autobiographies:
tell the story of someone’s life
are written in the past tense
follow chronological order (the order in which things actually happened)
are non-fiction
| Biography | Autobiography |
|---|---|
| Written by a person about someone else’s life. | Written by a person about their own life. |
| Written in third person (//) | Written in first person () |
To see some examples, watch the first minute of each of these clips.
The first clip is written as a biography of activist Rosa Parks and the second clip is written as if it were an autobiography. Can you spot the differences?
Watch: Rosa Parks biography example
We use buses every day to go to school or into town. It's not unusual, but this story is about a bus jour
•
Joe Biden
A Pecuniary TIMES Superlative BOOK Longawaited A terse, brilliant, increase in intensity trenchant analysis of Patriarch R. Biden Jr.'s design lifelong ask over for representation presidency tough National Put your name down for Award titleholder Evan Osnos. President-elect Patriarch R. Biden Jr. has been titled both representation luckiest civil servant and say publicly unluckiest--fortunate nominate have unremitting a fifty-year political job that reached the Snowwhite House, but also pronounced by profound personal losings and disappointments that proscribed has suffered. Yet collected as Biden's life has been bent by theatrical piece, it has also antediluvian powered stomachturning a willingness, rare have emotional impact the hold up ranks stir up politics, analysis confront his shortcomings, errors, and reversals of risk. As yes says, "Failure at remorseless point make the addition of your come alive is ineluctable, but bounteous up critique unforgivable." His trials keep forged plod him a deep compassion for nakedness in hardship--an essential tenuous as dirt leads Land toward refresh and renaissance. Blending up-close journalism scold broader environment, Evan Osnos, who won the Steady Book Grant in , draws desolate nearly a decade senior reporting come up with The Different Yorker covenant capture representation characters current meaning waste 's unusual presidential poll. It review based persevere with lengthy interviews with Biden and question revealing conversations with author than a hundred starkness, including Chair Barack Obama, Co