Horsley Social Identity

Sullivan speaks of a homosexuals’ desire to cover-up. His own personal feel of emotional rejection fuels his attempts to do things that gave the perception of what he was not. “So I decided, consciously or subconsciously, to construct a trajectory of my life that would remove me from their company; give me an excuse, provide a dignified way out” (Sullivan). His “dignified way out” included creative writing, and theatre. He also goes into detail of how some of his fellow classmates would cover up by joining sport teams, attempting to make themselves fit the norm. This way he gained respect while still being self-consciously different.

The social identity matrix project was a complex task to complete in general. Complex in the sense that it was not hard, but more so of me having to think about each of the different the identity categories that had to be filled out. Personally, I have not ever sat down to contemplate about each of the different categories. For example, the only time that each of these categories have ever became relevant is when I have had an experience with someone else bringing it to attention. Whether, it was my race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual identity. While, it does not surprise me how complex it was for me to focus on things I do not talk about but I fully understand each of the categories. Above all, I know who I am and I can only hope people see the person I portray to be.

Satire is especially used to criticize people’s morals and outlooks on life. Algernon is very fashionable man, and is always overly dressed. This can be humorous but it also ridicules that type of picky lifestyle because young Englishmen of the time also worried too much about their clothes. As Lady Bracknell points out, Algernon “is nothing but he looks every thing”. According to Jack, Algernon is very prideful which is made clear from Algernon’s claim to being “immensely over-educated”. His view that relatives are “a tedious pack of

Social norms and expectations have the capacity to constrain people to live within a certain standard. When this standard becomes overwhelming, people tend to look for ways to temporarily escape their lives. Fortunately, there are several possible options that grant such escape, wearing social masks being one of them. Social masks allow people to hide their true identities from others as they live their desired lives, protecting their real social images. In Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, Jack’s and Algy’s method of bunburying strongly correlates to this mean of escape. As readers analyze how bunburying works towards Jack’s and Algy’s advantage, it becomes clear that bunburying fundamentally gives these two characters a social mask that allows them to become distinctly different characters.

“These scholars note that Victorians often bowed to conformity, concealing their true natures and tastes and pretending to adhere to social norms. Some Victorians passed themselves off as more pious or moral than they really were. But in reality, pornographic literature and prostitution were common phenomena during the late nineteenth century, showing that some Victorians only pretended to lead chaste lives.”(Joyce Moss)

“The Importance of Being Earnest,” a satirical play written by Oscar Wilde, discusses a vast variety of criticisms regarding the late Victorian societal period. In this comedic drama, focusing on and analyzing certain minor characters leads to a more effective interpretation of the messages attempting to be portrayed to the audience. For example, through the persona of Lady Bracknell, Wilde effectively mocks the concept of marriage for social status rather than love. Additionally, interpreting the roles of the lower class servants allows the readers to internalize the desperate need for social reform that the author felt at the time period. Finally, the entire concept of Bunburyism, or masquerading as an alternate persona, satirizes the hypocrisy of the Victorian Era.

Burton once said, “I think the atmosphere that I grew up in, yes, there was a subtext of normalcy. I don’t even know what the word means, but it’s stuck in my brain. It’s weird. I don’t know if it’s specifically American, or American in the time I grew up, but there’s a very strong sense of categorization and conformity.” This experience of having to conform is reflected in Burton’s work. For example, in Edward Scissorhands Edward, who dressed in dark colors, conformed to the neighborhood by putting on brighter colored clothes and changing his style. Using lighting, angles, and sound Burton’s unique style conveys that one should not have to hide one’s differences to be accepted.

Among the words used to describe the elitist Victorians, “hypocrites” may very well be the most popular. This supposed generation of “Do-Gooders,” with their heightened sense of morality, repressed sexuality and increased piety, were actually far from perfect. They had an exceptional list of standards by which they claimed to dutifully abide, but more often than not fell short of. The Victorians were, in the words of literary critic Walter Houghton, brilliant actors able to “[conceal] or [suppress] their true convictions and their natural tastes” (146). The matter of Victorian hypocrisy, as it has come to be known, has been scrutinized by a plethora of critics and authors alike. However, the moral façade that has come to be associated with the Victorian era was perhaps first criticized in Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Apart from being an exceptional Gothic work, Stevenson’s novella is an excellent critique of the hypocrisy that dominated the Victorian era. In his novella, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson uses the characters of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to expose the double standards and moral pretensions that governed Victorian society.

The cross-dresser was an oddity. He was odd but not yet pathologized per se. This story illustrates the transitional stage between a time when sexuality was less of a public preoccupation to one where it became central to one 's position and acceptability in society.

Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff are both high-class protagonists in society but are lying about their lives to preserve their reputations. “You have invented a very useful younger brother called Ernest, in order that you may be able to come up to town . . . I have invented an invaluable permanent invalid called Bunbury . . . ” (Wilde 1498). Ernest is Jack’s fictional brother, who always gets into mischief and uses him an excuse to go into town. Likewise, Algernon uses Bunbury, his fictitious and ill friend, to allow him to go to the country. These characters enable these gentlemen to retreat from their social obligations. Missing an essential reception to aid their “brother” or “friend,” gives the appearance that they are caring men, which is an admirable trait among the rich, but they are not. The name “Bunbury” is an interesting name

My social identity plays a huge part in shaping and defining my role as a leader. The way I view myself combined with the way that others view me frames the narrative of my opportunities to be a leader in many ways. Of my various social identity characteristics, the two that play the largest part in my life are my gender and appearance as a woman and my economic standing as lower middle class.

Cecily and Gwendolen were perfectly happy to become attached to something that appears to be true and real rather than taking a closer look to expose the genuine nature of Jack and Algernon proves that the two young women were more attached to the name of both men, and did not consider their actions and words to verify them not being earnest – exposing both women as superficial. Algernon’s occupation with his outer appearance and Lady Bracknell’s need to look good in the eyes of others proves them both to be superficially committed to their external manifestations. It is possible that Wilde was revealing what the upper class life resulted in, and that as one rises higher in status one loses themselves, becoming preoccupied with what others want and what others think, forgetting one’s true

A strong element related to the decadent movement is the dandyism, the social phenomenon, meaning a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and leisurely hobbies, pursued with the appearance of nonchalance in a cult of Self.[5] A first determination of dandyism is shown when old Lord Fermor says to his nephew Henry Wotton "Well, Harry, what brings you out so early? I thought you dandies never got up till two, and were not visible till five." [6] Lord Henry Wotton is fully a dandy, most of the qualities found at him. His modality of choosing the people he comes into strengthens the claim that Henry is a dandy, " I choose my

Identity is a major theme in both my life as well as the play Fences as I, like Troy and his family, tend to derive my life decisions and ideas from my background. Personally, my culture and age are the main aspects of my identity that impact me the most. Like Troy, culture plays a big role in my life as I follow a strict guideline in terms of what is expected of me. For example, my parents have raised me in a way that requires me to complete certain chores before I can proceed with my life in a leisurely way. Also, good grades and academic success is crucial in my household which ultimately mold my decisions.

My family shaped my personal and social identity at a micro level by being the first set of influencers the moment I was born. My personal identity is significantly influenced by my family through the approach that my parents have taken to raise and nurture me. The results of my parents raising me is shown through the behaviour and beliefs that I embody. For example, because of my family I have always been aware that there is a God. In consequence, my compliant behaviour towards religion has already been constructed at a young age. Moreover, my social identity’s structure was shaped by my family through they way they have socially interacted with me. My micro level interactions with my family throughout time has created a deeply rooted influence within me. The influence that my family has had on my social identity is demonstrated in the way that I respond in certain social situations. For example, through behavioural observation as a child I have learned not to speak back to my parents when they are lecturing me.