Biography - BrainPop UK
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00:00Hey, what's up, robot?
00:16You're writing a biography?
00:17Of who?
00:19Little Jimmy?
00:20Has that guy even done anything worth writing about?
00:31Wow, I had no idea.
00:35Dear Tim and Moby,
00:37I have to write a biography for English class and I'm not sure what to do.
00:41Can you help?
00:43Sincerely, Benny.
00:45Benny, it's your lucky day. Moby and I would love to help!
00:49Simply put, a biography is the story of someone's life.
00:52But, of course, there are many different kinds of biographies.
00:57Some are long, scholarly works that take years of painstaking research to produce.
01:02Some are written quickly and cheaply to cash in on the fame of a popular celebrity.
01:07And others fall somewhere in the middle.
01:10They're reliable and well-researched, but not too dense or difficult to read.
01:16Right, there's also autobiography, in which someone tells their own story.
01:21Sometimes called memoirs, autobiographies allow people to reflect on their lives
01:26and share their memories, thoughts, and feelings.
01:29Meanwhile, biographical dictionaries contain brief descriptions of the lives of lots of people.
01:35And biographies can even take the form of movies, websites, and TV shows.
01:41Right, your biography of Little Jimmy. I was just getting to that.
01:45If you're writing a biography, you're going to have to do a whole bunch of research,
01:49including both primary and secondary sources.
01:54Primary sources are materials that contain original, first-hand information about the subject.
02:00In your case, these might include interviews with Little Jimmy,
02:03things he wrote, or documents pertaining to his life.
02:07And secondary sources are basically interpretations of primary sources.
02:12These can include newspaper and magazine articles, other biographies, stuff like that.
02:18You can also conduct interviews with people who know Little Jimmy, or other experts on his life.
02:24Finally, you should research the time and place where your subject lived,
02:28and learn about the people, books, music, and other things that influenced him or her.
02:33Yep, once you've finished your research, it's time to start writing.
02:37But writing a biography can be tricky, and it's a lot more than just a list of dates, times, and events.
02:44Well, sure, creating a timeline can help you keep your information straight.
02:49But when you write a biography, you want to tell a compelling story.
02:54You should start by coming up with a thesis statement, or a main point.
02:59If you're having trouble, looking for patterns in your subject's life can help.
03:04For example, will your biography tell the story of a robot who spent his whole life working tirelessly to achieve his dreams?
03:11Is it about a robot who went through a dramatic series of ups and downs before finally finding happiness?
03:18Or is it the tragic tale of a robot who had everything, only to lose it all?
03:24No, it doesn't have to fall into one of those categories. I'm just throwing out examples.
03:30Anyway, to keep it interesting, you should stick to the key events of your subject's life.
03:36Like, you don't have to spend pages detailing everything little Jimmy did in fifth grade.
03:42Instead, focus on his time with the Beatles, and his experience at the Robot Olympics.
03:48And be sure to include plenty of interesting details.
03:52Glad you asked. There are a number of questions you can answer when you're writing a biography.
03:58Like, what influence did your subject have on the people around him, and what influence did they have on him?
04:06How would the world be different if he'd never been born? What adjectives describe him best?
04:11How did his childhood shape the rest of his life?
04:15If you're stumped, you can always read through published biographies and examine how the author approaches her subject.
04:22You ready to write? Terrific!
04:26Yeah, that's about what I expected.