"I think therefore I am” : memories and individuality in dystopian novels

The basis of this thesis is Jefferson A. Singer and Peter Salovey’s argument of what makes a person “unique, different from all others, is his or her set of personal memories”, also known as “self -defining memories”. As the term explicitly suggests, self- defining memories are an individual’s perso...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Eng, Louisa Siew Lynn
Other Authors: Sim Wai Chew
Format: Final Year Project
Language:English
Published: 2013
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10356/52205
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Institution: Nanyang Technological University
Language: English
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Summary:The basis of this thesis is Jefferson A. Singer and Peter Salovey’s argument of what makes a person “unique, different from all others, is his or her set of personal memories”, also known as “self -defining memories”. As the term explicitly suggests, self- defining memories are an individual’s personal memories which helps him to understand himself better through self –reflection and evaluation, reflecting on his past in order for self improvement. Self improvement lies in the understanding of one’s self as an individual in order for a person to know what makes him unique from the rest of society. Following this line of argument, Rafaella Baccolini emphasizes the need for memory as an “understanding of oneself and of the past, but also of the present and the future”, again highlighting how the individual’s memories serve as a fundamental basis for his identity (Dark Horizons 118).