How Does Adichie 's Collection Explore The Notion Of Identity?

In present day societal beliefs, one rather let humanity shapes his or her identity by conforming into society’s decorum in order to be assimilated with others, while one rather shapes his or her own identity by displaying confidence and independence for who he or she is. The speaker in “Identity,” by Julio Noboa Polanco, deliberates between choosing an identity as an ugly weed over the identity as a flower, while the speaker in “Lone Dog,” by Irene Rutherford McLeod, utters about himself or herself as a dog. Both speakers in “Identity” and “Lone Dog” use figurative language and sound to express their identities as a sense of freedom, constituting their own identities of subjectivity rather than letting others shape their identities with no

In A Tale For the Time Being, Ozeki Ruth uses the character of Nao to portray the struggles of negotiating between two distinct cultures and what it means to live on a hyphen. The hyphen represents disconnection and connection simultaneously. Liu defines hyphenated identity as “involving the coexistence, rather than the merging of two cultures” (33). In other words, two distinct entities belong together, but never successfully merge into one because the individual finds it difficult to fully associate with either of the two cultures. In Ozeki’s novel we witness how bicultural experiences shape Nao’s sense of identity and belonging as she grapples with the complexities of moving from one country to another.

Thesis: Identity is constructed through the character’s change/realisation of social ideals and personal experiences throughout the text.

Despite being a very diverse literature genre in terms of influence and inspiration, North American literature encompasses many works that share some very common thematic elements. Though there are several themes shared, one in particular can be found in most any work – the importance of identity. Particularly in some selected pieces yet to be named, identity is a very important element, not only because it is a necessity for a main character in any work of literature, but because these works express ideas about identity as being very individualistic – as opposed to being a mere result of cultural surroundings. Zora Neal Hurtson’s Their

Over the course of your life, you come to struggle with the philosophical idea of personal identity; the thing that makes you, you. Oneself may shape their identity around aspects of their life that they have no control over like race and physical traits, as well as decisions that are made throughout their lives like affiliations and religion. Your personal identity can be seen through your passions and interactions with others. An individual’s search for their identity is something that may occur in everyone’s’ life. In the novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie highlights the theme of how the search for identity is always prevalent, through the conflicted characters of Junior and Mary throughout the novel.

     I have thought about many different ways to organize this paper and have come to the conclusion that the best way to approach the topic is on a book-by-book basis. My perceptions of the gender biases in these books vary greatly and I did not want to begin altering my views on each so that they would fit into certain contrived connections. What interests me most in these stories is how the authors utilize certain character’s within their given environment. Their instincts and reactions are a wonderful window into how the authors perceive these “people” would interact with their surroundings and often are either rewarded or punished by the author through consequences in the plot for

Popular culture is often a reflection of society; both literature and the media have the capacity to cement ideas in the minds of readers and viewers. In many cases, the notions and stories glorified by the media refrain from sharing a true depiction of society and are narrow-minded in their focus. Recently, the feminist movement has denounced popular culture for its ignorance, fighting for a more realistic portrait to be painted by those with the power to reach millions. Specifically, both Roxane Gay’s Bad Feminist and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “The Danger of a Single Story” share how the classic gender stereotypes seen in popular culture are unable to capture the full spectrum of stories that define society, and are limiting in their portrayals of women. Moreover, both authors share personal stories, reference prominent world figures, and cite relevant statistics in their works. Therefore, in both Bad Feminist and “The Danger of a Single Story”, Roxane Gay and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie appeal to readers pathos, logos, and ethos in order to construct the argument that the single story of women in popular culture is stereotypical and restrictive.

Personal identity is a way one sees themselves and is related to their image and self esteem. It is an important aspect of a person 's life. The story "What You Pawn I will Redeem" by Sherman Alexie describes a homeless Indian man Jackson form Spokane, Washington who wants to connect with his past and ancestral roots. One day he sees his grandmother 's regalia in a pawnshop, recognizes it, makes a bond with it; and does all he can to get the regalia back. The story is about this character Jackson; and the events that happen with him for twenty-four hour period. The main themes of the story revolve around generosity, friendship, belief, self-identity, culture, and plight of a homeless. The other story "Sonny 's Blues" by James Baldwin is about jazz musician from Harlem, NY who struggles through his addiction to drugs and music and his relation with his brother. The story revolves around home and family, responsibility of an elder brother to his younger brother, attachment to music, and reconciliation. Among these themes, this paper is going to analyze how personal identity is so important for a these main characters, and how they achieve them in their own methods. Along the way, the paper will be illustrating the hopes and desires of these two characters; their perplexity and predicament of their situation; their personal lifestyle and its influences; and their relationship to family and friends.

Personal identity is a way one sees themselves and is related to their image and self esteem. It guides them through their life as to what they want to do and get out of life. It is also an indication of a person 's individualism and self-satisfaction. It is an important aspect of a person 's life. Every person identifies themselves to certain groups, organizations, culture, ethnicity, characters, goals or to things. The story "What You Pawn I Will Redeem" by Sherman Alexie describes a homeless Indian man Jackson from Spokane, Washington who wants to connect with his past and ancestral roots. One day he sees his grandmother 's regalia in a pawnshop, recognizes it, makes a bond with it; and tries his best to get the regalia back. The story is about this character Jackson; and the events that happen to him for twenty-four hour period. The main themes of the story revolve around generosity, friendship, belief, self-identity, culture, and plight of a homeless. The other story "Sonny 's Blues" by James Baldwin is about jazz musician from Harlem, NY who struggles through his addiction to drugs and music and his relationship with his older brother, the narrator of the story. The story revolves around home, family, the responsibility of an elder brother to his younger brother, attachment to music, and reconciliation. Among these themes, this paper is going to analyze how personal identity is so important for a these main characters, and how they achieve them in their own methods.

Identity can be shown through a set of characteristics that are definitely recognizable or known about a certain person in the story, usually being the author. In the literary pieces we have read so far this year, the writers’ voices are being influenced by the ignorance, ethnocentrism, and biases. A lack of knowledge can help to form a person’s voice and

Identity can be defined in many different ways, for example how you dress, or simply how you as an individual view yourself. Many people in the world we live in struggle heavily with finding out who they truly are as an individual, due to many contributing factors. Family, friends, and the society and what they view as normal and different can make or break a person and their view of themselves and their identity. These instances can be seen in both Cal’s and Anthea’s stories and the struggles they both encounter going through life and realizing who they are as individuals, not only that but what is seen throughout their stories that are similar but also different. In Ali Smith’s Girl meets Boy and Jeffrey Eugenides Middlesex, the characters

Having two considerably different cultures can cause a strife with one’s identity. In “No Name Woman,” Maxine Kingston’s mother tells her a story of her aunt that committed adultery which therefore led to her segregation from her own family and villagers. Kingston’s mother asserts that the story should not be told by anyone and the story’s purpose was to strike fear in her daughter. Then, Kingston explores the different scenarios that could have led to her aunt’s suppressed suicide. Through the use of characterization of her aunt’s desolation, animated imagery and diction, Kingston demonstrates the difficulty of finding an identity when different cultures conflict with each other.

A gender reading is perhaps one of the more basic ways to view a text. Gender inequality is a prominent issue not only in society, but also in films. In modern day society, we have reached a time where feminine expectations are no longer for women to be traditionally delicate, dependent, and weak. Instead they

Almost all teens experience some sort of an identity crisis. They struggle with finding a clearer sense of themselves. Arnold Spirit Jr., a 14-year-old reservation Indian, faces an identity crisis when he leaves his reservation to go to school in Reardan, a town inhibited by white people. To begin, Arnold moves between different settings, and when he does, there is a change in his identity. Moreover, there is a change in his character as he moves between cities. Finally, Arnold experiences an identity crisis as well as conflicts with his community. In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, the author uses literary elements to emphasize that one’s racial and ethnic identity changes depending on the social surrounding.

About three years ago, I attended a lecture given by Zimbabwean writer, Chenjerai Hove. He was an exile from his home country, he told us the story of his life, shared some of his work, and gave us a window into the mind of an exiled person. There was one anecdote of his that really stuck with me. He said he was once editing a woman’s novel. In the novel, the main character is a woman who is being abused by her husband. By the end of the novel, the main character remains in the abusive relationship. Hove asked the author why the character did not leave her husband or do something to escape her situation. The author said that she wanted to portray real life. According to her, women do not escape from abusive relationships. This response upset Hove. He asked us what the point of writing was, if not to change, challenge, or argue against something. I remember leaving very impressed by him in general, and I was sad to hear that he passed away last year. On a positive note, this anecdote made me judge the quality of literature based on his belief on what literature should do. I also found this advocacy for change in this class’ texts. In I, Rigobera Menchu: An Indian Woman in Guatemala, an autobiography, The First Wife: A Tale of Polygamy by Paulina Chiziane, and "Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship And Colonial Discourses" by Chandra Talpade Mohanty, the authors seek to change how women are