A biography summarizes the history of a person's life, from birth to death, detailing each stage of the individual's life: childhood, adolescence, academic background, career, personal and family life, marriage, children and their achievements Highlighted
The Biographies Usually include a series of anecdotes, textual quotations or memories of the biographical person, as well as travel experiences and iconic moments. All in the context of the historical context in which that person became alive.
Reading biographies is extremely useful , As they offer readers an account of the person's life and work, as well as a review of the historical, social, political, cultural and economic conditions of the time in which the person of interest lived.
Here are some important uses of biographies:
They allow you to know how a particular society was
Through the biographies the reader can transfer his imagination to the society where the person developed his life, and better understand how people lived then, as well as the customs of a given country within a specific historical and cultural context.
Improve the level of general culture
A cultural network is woven between related themes, and curiosity is encouraged to know more and more about the lives of the characters of interest, within the framework of the appreciation of science and the arts.
In this vein, if you know the nexus of a person with another individual of historical renown, the curiosity is sown to know more and more about the lives of several characters who were part of the same environment.
This brings with it an invaluable nutrition of the general culture in the reader.
Teach history
A biography is someone's story. And all history has a political, historical and social context.
For example, if you want to know about Renaissance art, it is elementary to read the biographies of Michelangelo Buonarroti and Leonardo Da Vinci.
Biographies represent an alternative mechanism for learning history directly, through people's lives.
They are a source of personal inspiration
Faced with an emotional debacle, reading the biography of someone remarkable can provide the tools needed to move forward and stand firm in the fight against adversity.
For example, Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison, unjustly. During the years of imprisonment, the South African leader never imagined that years later he would become the president of his nation and a renowned world leader against racism, poverty and social inequality.
Help overcome fear of failure
Most successful people had a precarious life, characterized by rejection or shortage of material goods.
Many of them lived crucial personal moments, and were able to overcome difficulties, bearing perseverance and constancy at all times.
Reading about the lives of illustrious people can give the reader the necessary tools to face certain moments in their life, and to achieve success, beyond adversity.
References
- History Blog of the Distance University of Madrid (UDIMA) (2013). What is a biography for? Madrid Spain. Recovered from: blogs.udima.es
- De Luca, A. (2014). 7 good reasons to read biographies. Buenos Aires, Argentina. Recovered from: mentesliberadas.com.ar
- Espinal, D. (2016). Why are biographies important? El Heraldo newspaper. Comayaguela D.C., Honduras. Recovered from: elheraldo.hn
- Freelance Writing (2017). Bio - Examples of Professional Bios. Retrieved from: freelancewriting.com
- Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia (2017). Biography. Retrieved from: en.wikipedia.org.