When it comes to the topic of identity, many people believe others shouldn’t try to change their peers, and their peers shouldn’t try to change others because it can change their sense of personality. And this is expressed in two different but yet similar in theme stories. In the short story By any Other Name, written by Samantha Rama Rau, there were two sisters that were recently just moved to a new British-run school, they are Indian and are very nervous to go to a school with primarily British kids. But first they have to go to the main desk and talk to the teacher. When they walk into the room and introduce themselves to the teacher, the teacher then states, “‘Oh, my dears, those are much too hard for me. Suppose we give you pretty English names. …show more content…
Here, the teacher expresses the tone of dishonor by wanting the sisters to change their names. This helps develop the identity of the two sisters, by proving to them that identity is not only your name but the value of it and what it represents. So when someone tries to change your name it can hurt you and a different level, but the teacher doesn’t just want a new name but she wants them to act differently as well. And especially to young people this kind of change can affect them deeply and change their sense of personality. In the short story Two Brothers, written by Leo Tolstoy are two men that are brothers went hiking and come across a situation that makes them eventually have to make different choices that lead to different paths and different ways of happiness. After their long long journey and long time of no contact thy meet again and when they do the younger brother says to the elder, “‘I do not regret having gone into the forest and up the mountain,’ replied the younger brother. "I may have nothing now, but I shall always have something to remember, while you have no memories at all.’”(Tolstoy
The two sisters,Premila and Santha in the short story “By Any Other Name” shows on how people in their new school would mistreated them due to their ethnicity. Both Premila and Santha went to a Anglo-Indian day school in Zorinabad where a teacher decided to changed their names to Pamela and Cynthia. Pamela was Premila and Cynthia was Santha ,the teacher decided to change their names because they were too difficult for her to pronounce.The Indian children sat in the back of the classroom and the
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
In summary, this reading passage talks about the relationship between one's name and his or her personal and cultural identities. Richard Crasta, the author of reading, introduces the relations between name and three types of personal and cultural identities: The cultural background, the wishes of parents, and the impressions even biases on personality. From my personal experiences, most of Crasta's contentions are plausible, yet some are subjective and obsolete.
Veronica Roth openly insisted, “I belong to the people I love, and they belong to me--they, and the love and loyalty I give them, form my identity far more than any word or group ever could”( Allegiant). Veronica examines that the overall influence family has among a person’s character and identity as they grow up and begin to comprehend the world strongly shapes an individual. Due to the overwhelming amount of time childhood and life is spent among family, people begin to pick up the similar habits, characteristics, and feelings as their loved ones. Despite whether the one’s around an individual teach them how they would like to live their life, or what path of life and difficulties they would rather avoid, family always has a major impact on someone’s identity. Although Hyeonseo’s identity in The Girl With Seven Names by Hyeonseo Lee is incessantly evolving throughout all three parts of the novel, her family manipulates her identity significantly more than the remaining parts of her erratic life in Part One as she is growing up and learning about her country, in Part Two as she starts her new daunting life away from her home country, and in Part Three when she is dealing with the consequences of her mother and brother’s perilous escape.
Identity is formed by the influence of various physical and psychological experiences that occurs throughout an individual’s life and reforms their identity. One’s identity is not made through a single event alone but through a series of events that changes it. Moreover, some events are more influential and powerful in the shaping of one 's identity. Identity, as defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is “The qualities, beliefs, etc., that make a particular person or group different from others”. In "Project Classroom Makeover", by Cathy Davidson, the author highlights how students ' developed their identities through various cognitive thinking skills and the freedom to be creative. In "The Naked Citadel", by Susan Faludi, identities are shaped through traditions, rules, and obedience. However, it is not to say that character cannot be formed by both the use of intellectual abilities and long standing practices. The creation and reforming of our identity changes throughout an individual 's life because of the impact of creative thinking, traditions, and relationships.
Suppose we give you pretty English names wouldn’t that be more jolly”(Rau, Pg71). At that moment, Santha saw herself losing her self- belief on her ability to adjust into the school system. She felt that having to choose another name aside from her given name made her inferior and it felt like her real name was meaningless and lacked integrity. Santha didn't last more than a week in the school, because Premila came into her class one day and told her to gather up her things because of they were going home for good, Premila couldn't take the degradation being passed to her.Premila explained to her Mother “She said it was because indians cheat”(Rau,Pg75).The generalizing and dehumanization of the Indian culture through language hurt santha and, her sister so much hereby leaving a bad taste of the school to them. It made them feel like they did not belong there .This supports the Bosmajian theory that name can also be used to dehumanize: and separate human beings. Santha was just a child, but she did not fully understand how Indians was being treated in another society and, she was handed a first hand experience in the school. Santha’s sister acted the exact way Bosmajian wishes more people would act. He wishes for those who will find themselves in such situation to act upon it and not allow it to continue because with time it can turn into a norm.He also wanted individuals that are
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.
In order to find his identity he went against his parent’s wishes in attending Columbia, but instead attending Yale. But before he set off for college he went through the legal process of changing his name. To his surprise it was a very mechanical task. His reasoning to the judge for the change “I hate the name Gogol, “he says I’ve always hated it.” “Very well”, the judge says stamping and signing the form, then returning it to the clerk. He is told the notice of the new name must be given to all other agencies, and that it’s his responsibility to notify the Registry of Motor Vehicles, banks, schools” (102). Although the moment in the courtroom was not as momentous as he had imagined, he stepped in there as Gogol Gangouli and left as Nikhil Gangouli in twenty minutes. A moment he waited eighteen years for finally arrived. Now that he is free of his parents and his old name, he can now be confident, especially with women in introducing himself without anticipating unwelcomed questions about his name.
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.
The question of identity is always a difficult one for those living in a culture or group, yet belonging to another. This difficulty frequently remains in the mind of most immigrants, especially the second generations who were born in a country other than their parents. Younger generations feel as if they are forced to change to fit the social standards despite previous culture or group. Furthermore those who wish to adopt a new identity of a group or culture haven't yet been fully accepted by original members due to their former identity.
Identity can be different for everyone because of everyone’s individuality, how they were raised, and what they believe and know. To me, identity is an aspect of yourself that can change any day because of your environment and the people and culture you choose to surround yourself with. Some of the most important factors that contribute to one’s identity include their environment and their mindset, or mainly the way they choose to view things. These factors are prominent in Pan’s Labyrinth and Simple Arithmetic. Put together, the two texts explore and communicate the theme that you cannot force a person’s identity to change, and that you have to let people grow on their own.
Identity is a socially and historically constructed concept. An individual learns about their own identity through interactions with family, peers, organizations, media, and educational institutions. Education and identity are two closely related topics. On average, most Americans will spend a fourth of their life in educational institutions. During this time period students are growing and maturing, but most importantly they are discovering themselves. Students realize their qualities, determine their morals, and establish their beliefs during this time of instruction. Undoubtedly, education forms and challenges a person’s identity throughout the years.
An individual’s identity is reflected in many aspects of their character. On of the aspects which affect a person’s identity is culture; culture plays a major role in the formation of an individual's character. It imposes customs which ultimately manifest through a person’s identity. The clear link between culture and identity suggests that conflict with one’s culture may affect a person’s sense of self. Jhumpa Lahiri explores this type of conflict in the novel The Namesake, in which Gogol Ganguli is stuck between two cultures the Bengali traditions of his parents and the American culture he grows up with. The novel explores Gogol’s conflict with both cultures and how it ultimately impacts the development of his identity.
In Amin Maalouf’s book “In the Name of Identity” Maalouf emphasizes that we should not judge people on one singular identity. He argues that, “Identity can’t be compartmentalized. You can’t divide it up into halves or thirds or any other separate segments. I haven’t got several identities: I’ve got just one, made up of many components in mixture that is unique to me, just as other people’s identity is unique to them as individuals.” The essence of Maalouf’s argument is that one should not define another based solely on a singular component of their identity but rather their identity as a whole.
Our identity can sometimes be shaped by the way others see us. As we have seen, the way in which others view us can have some sort of impact on how we see ourselves. There are also other contributing factors such as our years of adolescence, the basic human need of wanting to belong and maturing; all play an equally important part in the forming of our character and who we are. On balance it appears that there is not only one influence in the shaping of our identity, but there are many.