The Importance Of Identity

Intellectual. Spirited. Collegiate. Daughter. Son. Identities are everywhere and in todays society we can truly create our own identity; be who we want to be. Identity is the condition or character as to who a person or what a thing is; the qualities or beliefs that distinguish or identify a person or thing. Identity is created from our hearts and who we are, but also who we want to be because we create our own identity. Maya Angelou writes about the ability to change identities beautifully in “Graduation”, while Bob Greene gets the true stories on the subject in “Cut” and lastly Mark Twain shows the horrid truth on the identity that man has chosen before in “The Lowest Animal”. Our identities can change when we change who we become.

When people from spanish-speaking countries come to America they try to be like everyone else. Language is one of the most important things you can have in life and no one should be able to take this away, however sometimes people lose values of what they want and have in life. Your identity is what makes you unique and what makes everyone different, and there is nothing wrong with being attuned with your roots, you should not give up on your ancestors that easily. In “And Then I Went To School”by Joe Suina, “Daughter of Invention” by Julia Alvarez, and “Aria” by Richard Rodriguez, language and power complicates how people see themselves and the world by making them question their identity and history.

What is identity? Does it define who you are? Does it make you more or less of a person? Is identity what you see when you look in a mirror? Identity is one of the building blocks of who you are. It’s the basis that gives us a starting point to how we want ourselves to be. For some, it might take a short amount of time, but for most, it might take several years. It’s all one long journey that you take to find yourself.

One of the most powerful components of an identity is a shared history - shared experiences as well, or shared trauma. Historical events, periods of time, wars, and traumas all have the power not only to shape someone’s identity, but to help them identify with others who have experienced the same thing. While I would not argue that there is any component of identity that is more significant than the others (language, religion, geography, et. al.), I would say that a shared history or shared trauma can be one of the most impactful. In a way, these experiences have the power to change an identity forever. We can find examples of this across history, but one of the most notable is in the case of Ukraine. The dissolution of the Soviet Union in

The identity of one’s self, as well as the curriculum they were exposed to in school can highly have an effect on the student as they choose to advance their education. Which is why I will be talking about how one’s identity is impacted by the curriculum circumstances one is brought upon. Specifically, both Jean Anyon, and James Paul Gee speak of different factors that can have an impact on the student. Gee mentions identity kit, and enculturation, while Anyon mentions the different curriculum knowledge taught upon different social classes.

In the novel Americanah written by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, it can be agreed that the author has used characters such as Ifemelu and Obinze and the issues that they face throughout their lives in order to discuss certain situations that society faces. Situations that affect ones relationships and identity in terms of how you see yourself as a person with the status that society has given you.

beliefs. Sober uses the example of lightning. He points out that according to the Greeks,

McCarthy, Sarah J., and Elizabeth Birr Moje. 2002. "Identity Matters." Reading Research Quarterly 37 (2): 228–238.

How does identity shape our lives? Identity is shaped by a person’s experience in their culture and their future. The things that shape a person’s identity are media, family, and environment.

Identity has always been an interesting topic. There are many ways one’s identity is created. When narrowing the topics, it comes down to three main points: others’ opinions, friends and family, and one’s culture.

In the dictionary, identity is “the state or fact of being the same”, yet identity is much more than that (“Identity”). Life is a journey in which people define themselves as an individual in order to develop a sense of identity. However, the question is what is identity? Thomas Merton said in his novel, Contemplation in a World of Action, “A person does not simply “receive” his or her identity. Identity is much more than the name of features one is born with. Identity is something people must create for themselves by making choices that are significant and that require a courageous commitment in the face of challenges. Identity means having ideas and values that one lives by.” Identity is something people establish for themselves as supported in the literatures of Brent Staples, Nancy Mairs, and Truman Capote.

In recent discussions of identity, what makes up your identity has been a controversial issue. On one hand, some argue that identity is found in your culture and how your culture makes you. On the other hand, some say identity is found in events that make you who you are. In “The Girl with the Red Dot”, Ranjant Nellore gives a definition of identity. She states it as “the condition of being oneself and not another.”

One’s identity does not influence one’s future goals and expectations. Every individual disregarding their ethnic background, has the opportunity for a bright and successful future and one’s skin color nor race affect the chances of this happening. In this controversial image, three new born babies are portrayed lying next to each other, possibly in a hospital. Two of these babies lay on the side and one baby is in the middle. The two are very paled skinned and have a bot of light brown hair. The child lying on the right has a blue and yellow toy car and a white raddle placed next to him. These two babies seem to be excited to see the world with their tiny innocent eyes. They entered the world having no burdens nor problems weighing heavy on their shoulders. However, the opposite could be said for the baby lying in the center. All three are wearing white diapers but only the middle child’s diaper is hidden beneath his cloth. He is wearing a grey housekeeper’s uniform, black shoes and a

We live in a world where we are constantly dealing with the question of identity. Here is one of many definitions of the word “Identity” from the Merriam-Webster dictionary,

In late nineteenth-century America, racial identification was a rigid system. Besides appearance, both heritage and mannerisms were factors that dictated the race of a person. State laws specified that heritage determines race. Specifically, laws of “hypodescent” were created, in which ‘One drop of black blood’ trumped seven drops of ‘white’” (Sandweiss 7). This was a defined law used to restrict the rights of people who had an African American ancestor on the grounds that they were not racially pure. Someone may also may have perceived a racially-ambiguous person’s race through their mannerisms or language. Sandweiss states that “Todd” may have been able to take on a different personality or pick up on different phrases to make his race more believable. If a person did not act as others believed they should according to their race, they were treated differently and existed on a separate, lower hierarchical rung on the social ladder, as depicted in Twain’s Pudd’nhead Wilson. Sandweiss states that a person may not look black, but “...a turn of phrase, or even a porter’s uniform” could “...relegate one to a public identity as a black person…” (Sandweiss 143). Other than appearance, a person seemingly had to pass a list of checkpoints in order to receive the privileges of being white, such as speaking with a sophisticated or familiar diction.