How Michelle Obama presents herself

In the preface to the memoir Becoming, Michelle Obama offers readers a glimpse of how she sees herself, and how she aims to present herself to her audience. She draws attention to her achievements and stresses that she is a person who is still evolving and that she sees her development as an ongoing process.

Firstly, Obama tries to present herself as relatable and approachable. She talks about her childhood when her “aspirations were simple” (l.1). She then mentions some of her roles with which other readers might identify: “I’ve been a bride, a stressed-out new mother, a daughter torn up by grief” (l. 13). Later in the essay, she also mentions enjoying normal things, such as making her own toast and being able to sit outside by herself.

Obama also points to the difficulties caused by her identity as an African-American woman: “I’ve been a working-class black student at a fancy mostly white college. I’ve been the only woman, the...