Personal narratives are seen and heard everyday. When turning on the news and someone is being interviewed about what they witnessed, when opening newspapers or magazines; stories are always being told. It is an important form of art and literature in every culture and helps shape history. Personal narratives tell the story of a significant moment in an author's life and how it has altered them. Many authors write personal narratives in forms of autobiographies but they are also heard in music. Artists can recount events in their lives through song writing and go on to share it with their audiences. In like manner, popular American hip-hop duo, Macklemore and Ryan-Lewis are noted for their use of storylines in their music. In 2010 they created a mix tape and named it "Otherside" which uses accounts of Macklemore's experiences with drug abuse. "Otherside" has a powerful impact on listeners and is similar to the impression left on audiences after reading, English novelist, painter and poet, John Berger's, Hiroshima. The short story describes the interrelationship of words and images from survivors of the horrific Hiroshima bombings. Macklemore's "Otherside" and John Berger's Hiroshima both work to create a better understanding of the power of personal narrative by using imagery, reflection, and language.

       The use of visual imagery adds vigor to a personal narrative. In "Otherside," Macklemore tells the story of his struggle with substance abuse in a very vivid and personal way. It is told in a realistic manner that his young listening audience would understand. Macklemore gives a detailed narration of the major events that occurred in his addiction. For example he says, "His eyelids closed shut, sat back in the chair clutchin' that cup, girlfriend came and a couple hours later said his name shook him but he never got up." (Macklemore and Ryan Lewis). The listener can immediately imagine an individual sitting in that situation and what it may have looked like because of the way he expresses it. This quote helps illustrate his use of thorough detail to generate a visual to adhere with the listener and creates empathy for the artist. Similarly, in Berger's Hiroshima, Berger uses horrific, but  realistic and raw descriptions of the events that occurred, to create an image that remains with the reader. For example, he says when telling one of the survivors stories, "I was walking along the Hihiyama Bridge about 3 pm on the 7th August. A woman, who looked like an expectant mother, was dead. At her side, a girl of about three years of age brought her some water in an empty can she had found." (Berger, page 132) The reader has immediate emotions to this image and the sorrow that came from this moment in history. This is important because Berger is achieving his goal in evoking emotion to create a greater awareness of what happened in history that day, which adds power to his personal narrative. Powerful imagery conjures emotions and leaves a lasting impression on the audience, which builds the personal narrative up.

       In most personal narratives, the author will reflect on the story told. In "Otherside," Macklemore raps about how his drug abuse ruined his creativity and his drive to have a career. He reflects on the wider problem in that the hip-hop community has with drug abuse and how it can't be glorified, nothing good comes from use. He says, "The fact of it is most people that rap like this talkin' about some shit they haven't lived, surprise you know the drill, trapped in a box, declined record sales, follow the formula violence, drugs, and, sex sells, so we try to sound like someone else." (Macklemore and Ryan Lewis) Macklemore creates an awareness of what artists are doing in the music industry today to sell records but are influencing their listeners to make poor decisions. This is important that he reflects on this from his personal experience because some listeners could be in the same situation and he could change their lives because of his personal narrative. John Berger also tries to teach important life lessons throughout Hiroshima. After every individual survivor account, he reflects back on that story and then all the reflections overall to conclude the work. He says, "Only by looking beyond or away can one come to believe that such evil is relative, and therefore under certain conditions justifiable. In reality  --  the reality to which the survivors and the dead bear witness  --  it can never be justified." (Berger, 134)  This is an important message of peace and a culminating statement to the reader that will stay with them after reading Hiroshima. John Berger's reflection was important because he made such an impactful statement that could have inspired many to change their evil ways. By Berger and Macklemore reflecting on their personal experiences, they are giving their audiences valuable lessons and messages that are important to the reader's everyday life.

       Word choice in personal narratives is important because it can make a piece successful with the reader or a failure, depending on the audience. Macklemore's use of language in "Otherside" is simple and quick. He uses many slang terms and pop culture references so that he can gain the attention of a young audience, who hopefully will learn from his own personal mistakes. Macklemore is also excellent at pronouncing every word he performs and says it in a manner that makes you believe he means everything he says, unlike some performing artists today. When he says, "He rolled up, asked him what he was sippin' on, he said lean, You want to hit it, dawg? That's the same stuff, Weezy's sippin' huh?" (Macklemore and Ryan Lewis) Phrases like "rolled up", "lean", and "dawg" immediately indicate that his target audience for this message is youth. This language also helps draw that target audience in. John Berger also uses language to relate to his audience in when writing Hiroshima, but from a different approach. Berger uses raw and alarming words that are hard to read but keep the reader from turning away. His word usage captivates his audience and makes them want to continue reading so they can fully comprehend what happened that day in Hiroshima, Japan. For example he says, "Time and again, the sober eyewitness accounts recall the surprise and horror of Dante's verses about inferno. The temperature at the center of the Hiroshima fireball was 300,000 degrees centigrade. The survivors are called in Japanese hibaskuska  --  'those who have seen hell.'" (Berger, page 130) The beginning use of phrases like "sober eyewitnesses", "Dante's verses of Inferno" and "hell", create an image in the reader's mind that is something they do not want to turn away from, but rather respect by continuing to read and educated themselves on the historic event. Berger has achieved one of the objectives of his personal narrative of getting notable respect and observance of Hiroshima. Berger and Macklemore's choice of language created a success out of their works and brought attention to their messages making their personal narratives forceful.

       John Berger and Macklemore both work through different mediums but what they are doing parallels with each other. The one similarity they do have is writing. They both wrote personal narratives that touched their audiences in some notable way or they would not be known today. They work towards the same goal of educating their listener or reader through personal experiences. Their use of self-reflection on the event helps to divulge the life lesson learned from their experience.  Detailed use of imagery leaves a lasting impression with the reader, helps them remember the story told by the author and how they can learn from their mistakes. Language use can create success or failure in a personal narrative in whether it gets the attention of your target audience and if it resonates with them. Both Macklemore and John Berger did all these things, creating strong personal narratives. A personal narrative prevents a reader from de-humanizing an issue or an event. The author helps the reader better see all sides of what happened. Personal narratives can speak for themselves, requiring little explanation while teaching powerful life lessons. 

