BIOGRAPHY TEXT

Definition of Biography Text

A biography is simply an account or detailed description about the life of a

person. It entails basic facts, such as childhood, education, career, relationships,
family, and death. Biography is a literary genre that portrays the experiences of
all these events occurring in the life of a person, mostly in a chronological
order. Unlike a resume or profile, a biography provides a life story of a subject,
highlighting different aspects of his of her life. A person who writes
biographies, is called as a “biographer.”

The Function of Biography Text (Social Function/Purpose of Biography Text)

The function of writing biographies is to provide details regarding the life of a

person or a thing in an entertaining but informative manner. By the end of a
biography, readers feel like they are well-acquainted with the subject.
Biographies are often non-fictional, but many biographers also use novel-like
format, because a story line would be more entertaining with the inclusion of
strong exposition, rising conflict, and then climax. Besides, the most
inspirational life stories could motivate and put confidence into the readers.

- To know a person’s story about his/her life outside of any accomplishments

this person may be known for.

- To give many information easily and educate the readers.

Types Of Biography TextThere are three types of biography text;

1. AutobiographyAn autobiography tells the story of a person’s own life. While

that person writes his own account, he or she may take guidance from a
ghostwriter or collaborator.
2. BiographyA biography narrates the life story of a person, as written by
another person or writer. It is further divided into five categories:

a. Popular biography

b. Historical biography

c. Literary biography

d. Reference biography

e. Fictional biography

3. Memoir This is a more focused writing than an autobiography or a biography.

In a memoir, a writer narrates the details of a particular event or situation that
occurred in his or her lifetime.

The Structure of Biography Text

1.Orientation (Description)The orientation of biography text is the opening

paragraph, tells the readers about background information of the person. Such
as; full name, date of birth, address.

2. Events Chronological order.

This section is the part of events or events experienced by the person. Contains
an explanation such as problem solving, career, and various events that have
been experienced by the character to bring them to a success.

3. Re-orientation (Closing)It consist of conclusion or a comment or the writer.

Tell about the achievement or the contribution of the person. This section
contains the views of the author of the narrated person. This section is optional,
so it may or may not.
Biography Text Features / Language Features of Biography TextUse of Simple
Past TenseA simple form of events that occurred in the past. Use the second
verb form (verb 2).

e.g. : - The family then moved to his stepfather’s home country.

- He was born on August 4, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Learn Here: Simple Past Tense

Temporal Sequence and Temporal ConjunctionAs a link between one sentence

with another sentence in chronological order.

e.g. : His parents separated when he was two years old.

Focus on Specific PersonJust focus to tells a person biography.

Use of Action verbs.A group of words that describe something the character
actively does.

e.g. : the family then moved to his stepfather's home country.

Examples of Biography Text Short Biography Text About Albert Einsten Albert
Einstein was born near the end of the 1800s in Ulf, Germany. He graduated
from the University of Zurich in Switzerland at age 26. That was also when he
did his famous work in physics. Fourteen years later he won the Nobel Prize for
Physics.

For the next ten years he lived in Germany and traveled a lot to talk to other
scientists. Then in the early 1930s he had to leave Germany because of Hitler
and the Nazi party. He moved to the United States. From that time until his
death he lived in Princeton, New Jersey. He died at the age of 74.

Long Biography Text of Jokowi

Joko Widodo, byname Jokowi, (born June 21, 1961, Surakarta, Central Java,
Indonesia), Indonesianbusinessman, politician, and government official who
served as governor of Jakarta (2012–14) and as president of Indonesia (2014– ).
Joko Widodo, commonly called Jokowi, who attracted international attention
with his populist style of campaigning and his anticorruption platform, became
the first Indonesian president who did not have a military background or belong
to one of the country’s prominent political families. His success at the polls was
viewed by many analysts as marking the beginning of a new, more democratic
era of Indonesian politics.

Jokowi was born and raised in Surakarta, a city in the centre of Java northeast of
Yogyakarta. His father was a wood seller who plied his trade in the city’s
streets, and throughout much of Jokowi’s childhood he and his family lived in
illegally built shacks near the city’s flood-prone Solo River. Later, when he
entered politics, his populist appeal was rooted in part to those humble
beginnings.

Jokowi applied himself at school and won admittance to Gadjah Mada

University in Yogyakarta, from which he graduated (1985) with a degree in
forestry engineering. For several years he worked for a state-owned pulp mill in
the Aceh region of northern Sumatra, and he later established his own furniture
factory in Surakarta. By 2002 he had become a highly successful furniture
exporter, with showrooms on several continents, as well as chairman of a local
branch of the country’s influential furniture manufacturers’ association.

In 2005 Jokowi, as a member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle

(Partai Demokrasi Indonesia-Perjuangan; PDI-P), won election as mayor of
Surakarta—the first person to be directly elected to that post. He was
extraordinarily effective in reducing crime and attracting foreign tourists to the
city. His habit of making spontaneous visits to poor neighbourhoods and his
refusal to accept a salary for his public service contributed to his reputation for
humility and honesty. In 2010 Jokowi was reelected mayor with more than 90
percent of the vote. He was later ranked as the third best mayor in the world by
the international City Mayors Foundation. During his gubernatorial run in
Jakarta in 2012, Jokowi began to be widely compared in the media to U.S.
President Barack Obama, in part because there was a physical resemblance but
also because Jokowi largely fit the Obama mold as a charismatic nontraditional
politician. Jokowi ousted the incumbent, Fauzi Bowo, in the second round of
that election, and, as governor of Jakarta, he launched programs aimed at
improving Jakartans’ access to health care and education.

In 2014 the PDI-P selected Jokowi to be its candidate for the Indonesian
presidential election, which was held on July 9. He was swept to victory with
more than 53 percent of the popular vote, defeating former general Prabowo
Subianto. Though Subianto alleged that there had been widespread vote rigging
and formally challenged the election result, the country’s Constitutional Court
unanimously rejected his claim in August, clearing the way for Jokowi to take
office on October 20. As Jokowi entered the presidency, he identified clamping-
down on corruption as among his top priorities and as a necessary step to attract
more foreign direct investment to the country. He also pushed a nine-point plan
for Indonesia that emphasized helping the poor by improving public services,
implementing land reforms, and developing more-affordable housing, among
other measures.