Over the past week we have been working on picking an interviewee for a project on oral histories. The theme for the project is connection to society, and when we interview our subjects, we are supposed to slide that in somehow. My immediate reaction was to do a grandparent, but it was ruled out because we aren't allowed to interview grandparents. So then I thought of people like the minister at my church, my neighbor, a family friend, etc.
Then I found the perfect subject. A good friend of the family, a mom, a successful business woman. She is classy, intimidating, beautiful, sharp, iconic, unique. She wears the right clothes and works out at the gym regularly. She was also diagnosed with breast cancer just over a month ago. I thought it would be perfect. The "before and after" that Studs Terkel used when interviewing average people in Chicago. My event would be the diagnosis of her breast cancer, while Terkel's was World War II.
But then I put myself in her shoes. If I had just finished my first round of chemotherapy and was just starting to lose my hair, and I was still getting used to the idea of being sick with a disease that could potentially kill me, the only person I would talk to would be a therapist. Probably not even family. So why would she ever tell me how she was feeling? I'm just a teenager doing a school project, and that's her life. Some might say that by interviewing her I would connect her to society, open her up and let her know that everyone genuinely cares and wants to hear her story. But I think I would be doing her a disservice by singling her out, when all she wants to do right now is blend in and go back to the "before" when she was healthy.
Carolyn-
ReplyDeleteIt's great that you thought deeply about who you are going to interview before you actually started lining up an interview. I think sometimes people get too caught up in the idea of having a "great story" and forget that the people we're writing about are actual people and not just characters in a book. On the other hand, though, we shouldn't pick someone just because we don't think we could offend them in any way during the interview. It's a pretty hard balance to find between these two things, but it seems like you've got a pretty solid grasp on it. (I'm still working on figuring out the same thing!)
It's very thoughtful and considerate for you to think of how this woman would feel as a potential interviewee. I do think she would be an excellent choice for an oral history subject in terms of seeing how having a life-threatening illness has changed her perspective on life, and the degree to which she feels connected to American society being a cancer patient. If she is a good family friend, and someone you already have somewhat of a relationship with, I bet it wouldn't hurt just to ask her if she would be okay with you interviewing her. Like Ellie, I'm also struggling a bit with finding an interviewee, you are not alone!
ReplyDeleteCarolyn,
ReplyDeleteI think you made the best and most respectful decision not to concentrate on her struggle with cancer. Being diagnosed with cancer a mere month ago, cancer is not what defines her (or anyone, for that matter). However, I think it could be really interesting and less invasive to ask questions about her connectedness in the cancer-survivor community. There's a lot of support out there and people going through the same thing, and her involvement in this community is a very unique interview subject. Just some advice, and good luck!