Donald Murray: ‘All Writing is Autobiography’ Response

The author’s point of view is first person and third person when describing himself from his autobiographical novels. On page 67 of ‘All Writing is Autobiography,’ Murray explains, “…my autobiography exists in the examples of writing I use in this piece and in the text I weave around them.” Later on page 70, the author shares a poem called ‘Black Ice’ with nonfictional aspects to it. “There was no Alex; no one I knew had drowned by falling through the ice until I received the poem; I did not, after loving, stare up to see …” This piece shows his perception of how everything that an author writes is autobiographical, no matter the genre, because the words that are written come from the truth that the author feels within themself. A story that was lived or felt through the author makes the writing autobiographical. All writing is somewhat autobiographical because the feelings that are meant to be displayed through the words that are written are true to the author, and that is what displays the author’s autobiography. The author didn’t sway my mind particularly, I agree with what he describes to be autobiography. The quote that I found to be particularly relevant and relatable is on page 68, which says “We learn not to judge if we are wise, for our judgements boomerang. They return. At top speed and on target.” On the last page of this text, the author writes, “I suspect that when you read my poem, you wrote your own autobiography.” To challenge his point of view, I am not the author of the text, so when reading, the autobiography written in my head was partially written by Murray. An additional thesis would be: there is no autobiography with only one self. I feel I incorporate autobiographical aspects in my writing because the way I write is different from the way another person writes, and in that difference, is where my autobiography is written.