Narration and trauma

Extract

[...] Outline Thesis: Narration is essential to trauma studies because not only can it be used to find meaning and knowledge, but it also represents the traumatic experiences of others, which can help victims work through their trauma in order to move forward with their lives. -Narration used to find meaning I show the increasing importance of “translating” trauma—that is, of finding way to make meaning out of and to communicate, catastrophes that happen to others as well as to oneself.” Kaplan -Used to work through painful memories If the wound of trauma remains open, its pain may be worked through in the process of its being translated via Kaplan -Communicating trauma moves us forward will argue that telling stories about trauma, even though the story can never actually repeat or represent what happened, may partly achieve a certain “working through” for the victim. [...]

[...] Before the process of narrative writing became popular people seemed to view factual information about trauma and personal experience with trauma separately. Once both of these elements were combined, researchers and theorists were able to form hypothesizes and ideas on situations that had happened in the past and also to invoke other people's memories about their traumatic experiences. Another, perhaps less intentional, purpose of narration in analyzing trauma, is the therapeutic aspect of it. Kaplan demonstrates this when she states that, the wound of trauma remains open, its pain may be worked through in the process of its being translated via art.” While the intention of the authors may be to prove an academic or educational point, according to Kaplan it also provides a way for them to work through some of the painful memories they experience while analyzing trauma. [...]

[...] Kaplan wants us to see that using narration in the analysis of trauma can even inspire others and perhaps even make society more aware of traumatic events and the effects they have on people. In the text, The Limits of Autobiography, Gilmore support's Kaplan's therapeutic points by saying that, offers writers the opportunity to promote themselves as representative subjects, that is, as subjects who stand for others.” Here Gilmore agrees with Kaplan's observation that even though each event is experienced differently and perceived differently, the traumatized culture as a whole can be represented by these authors and their ability to tell their story in their analysis and by their audience to find a personal relation to it. [...]