There’s been a lot of controversy surrounding the personal essay as of late. As an IB Language & Literature teacher, I know the IB doesn’t particularly like the personal essay and doesn’t suggest it as an acceptable text type on which students can base their Written Tasks. Earlier this year, Jia Tolentino of The New Yorker wrote an article stating that the personal essay is a dying genre. To counter this, Arielle Bernstein of Salon wrote a rebuttal, claiming that while “Tolentino sees the end of a boom, what we are […] experiencing is an evolution — of writers being encouraged to not simply mine personal feelings for a quick click, but to make connections between the personal and the political more explicit.”
Enter Trevor Noah.
Now, anyone who knows me well knows that I am a huge fan of The Daily Show. This is the show I watch in order to get my fill of politics and global news. I was heartbroken when I learned that Jon Stewart would be retiring from TDS in order to pursue a more noble lifestyle (Jon and his wife Tracey run Bufflehead Farm, an animal sanctuary in New Jersey). I didn’t think anyone could possibly take his place and do a decent job of presenting the news with humour, wit, and just a touch (a touch!) of sarcasm.
I guess I was wrong.
Trevor Noah hosted his first show on September 28, 2015 and I was immediately impressed. He was charming, witty, and included just enough sarcasm to make me think, “Yup. OK. This guy can do it.” He had gained another fan.
In 2016, Noah published a collection of personal essays entitled “Born a Crime.” I put it on my list of books to read, but then never got around to checking it out. It wasn’t until I happened to be in our high school library and saw it on a shelf that I was reminded of my promise to myself to read this book. I took it with me on holidays and once again finished it within a couple of days.
Noah has not had an easy life. In fact, it’s incredible to think of who he is now considering all the adversity he faced growing up in South Africa. One particular quote in his book really stood out; I earmarked it so I wouldn’t forget:
“I never let the memory of something painful prevent me from trying something new. If you think too much about the ass-kicking your mom gave you, or the ass-kicking that life gave you, you’ll stop pushing the boundaries and breaking the rules. It’s better to take it, spend some time crying, then wake up the next day and move on. You’ll have a few bruises and they’ll remind you of what happened and that’s okay. But after a while the bruises fade, and they fade for a reason — because now it’s time to get up to some shit again.” (Noah 90-91)
I think these are some really good words to live by. Take life as it comes. Take the punches. Cry. Let it out. Then get up and try again. In my opinion, Noah’s “Born a Crime” is a great place to try something new.
