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Society’s Child – My Autobiography

“Society’s Child – My Autobiography” is an excerpt from “Society’s Child – My Autobiography”, and it’s published in 2009. The writer behind this story is Janis Ian (b. 1951) who is an American folksinger and writer.

     Believe. Believe in yourself. Believe in what you are capable for, this is the moral that Janis Ian possesses and that she believes in herself and her abilities gets her through the concert as we hear in the following.

The whole story is about Janis Ian and how she develops through the story as a girl at the age of 15. In the beginning of the extract we hear about her concert in Encino, California, where she sings her song “Society’s Child”, and the crowd starts screaming out words like Nigger Lover and monkey that makes Janis Ian very sad. She is singing for a crowd that wants her dead, and that scares her much. She runs into the bathroom where she starts crying because she can’t cry at the same time she is singing for the crowd. In the bathroom she has a conversation with her promoter, and she has some memories from when she is younger. Finally she gets the courage to go back at stage and sings for the spectators.

The genre of this story is subjective because of its Janis Ian’s perspective we get. It’s from hers’ point of view we read the story. It’s a non-fiction story and an autobiography as the headline indicates. 

The story is written in past tense and there are flashbacks in the story that makes it easier for the reader to understand the story, because of the reader gets a glimpse of Janis Ian’s earlier life. “… I was one of seven white girls in my whole school…” The story also begins with in media res that makes the reader jump directly into the story without knowing what have happened before the story took place. “… Nigger Lover! Nigger Lover! Nigger Lover!...”

     The story is told by Janis Ian herself, because when she was a little girl she sang and performed and it could maybe be something she had experienced in her earlier days. “… I was standing alone on a stage in Encino, California, halfway through the first verse of my song “Society’s Child…”

The language is informal and easy to read. It’s not old language, but modern fancy and interesting to read. Janis Ian uses spoken language when she for example begins a sentence with “yes” or “well” “… Strangers walked up to me in restaurants and spit in my food…” The sentences capture the reader because of its interesting. “…Well, if I die tonight, you know, if something goes wrong, just tell my folks and my brother I love them…” She uses this language several times so the reader is on the same level as her. Words as “folks” and “nigger” are used, and it shows that there is used slang in the language.

     The audience of this story can be young people, because of the language Janis Ian has chosen. The language is catchy for young people, because of Janis Ian uses words as “nigger”, “monkey, “crazy” etc. The language is modern and the young people of this generation are familiar with these words. The audience is manly her fans or uneducated, but it can also be a special group like the singers. She tries to encourage singers like herself and spread the message about believing. That you as a singer shall believe in yourself even though that you get resistance from for example the spectators as we hear in the story.  

Since it is Janis Ian that is the person in the story, she is famous at a very young age, exactly 15. She has haters and some who loves her. She is a brave girl that believes in herself. Even though the spectators yells and calls her for “monkey”, “Nigger Lover” and other disgusting things, she keeps fighting for what she believes in. “… I squared my shoulders and walked back to center stage, picked up my guitar, adjusted the microphone, and began singing “Society’s Child” again from the top…” This shows that even though she is afraid and frightened, she stands up for what she believes in. She is not alone, her producer Shadow Morton is with her all the time, and helps her to stand up again and go out there, and show the spectators that they can’t beat her.

The topic in this story can be racism because of the spectators, the crowd demeans her in an awful way so she can’t feel comfortable and safe when she goes on the stage and sings. They yell “Nigger Lover” etc.

     The topic can also be “believing” because of Janis Ian believes in herself and her abilities. Although at one point she doubts on herself, the promoter gives her hope and confidence to continue.  

Janis Ian believes and she fights against all the spectators, and it is all worth it I think. It’s shown how it is to stand right in the headwind, but also how it’s to walk right through it and out on the other side. Everything is possible, so you shall never give up. Just be yourself and everything will work out for you in some way. You don’t have to adjust because of other people don’t agree with you. Who knows what miracles you can achieve, when you instead believe?