Who am I?

Abstract

An essay on autobiography invites autobiographical reflection. But not to worry. As a student of autobiographies for many years, I know the difference between a moreand a less-interesting life, and I have no inten tion of rehearsing my personal narrative. But I think it may be useful to rehearse the reasons, past and present, that have led to my interest in teaching American autobiographies. Who am I? This, as most college teachers know, is the question uppermost on the minds of most undergraduates. We meet our students at precisely that time when concern for their own identity weighs most heavily. For some, Who am I? means what am I going to do with my life? For others, it means what do I stand for? In what can I or do I believe? How should I live my life? For all, the question is deeply personal and very urgent. Like many of my colleagues, I realized pretty quickly how to take advantage of this living concern. It didn't take me long to use it to get otherwise indifferent stu dents interested, for example, in Homer's heroes: simply ask whether the ambition of Achilles or Diomedes or Hektor is real ly so radically different from their own. Why, after all, would someone really want great glory? Why does someone