Among carpenters, it is a well-known fact that building a house upon a solid foundation is imperative. When beginning the construction of a home, the foundation is always the first step leading to success, for without it, the house will become unstable. During extreme weather, such as floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and other conditions, a slight fault in the foundation of a home will most likely guarantee significant damage, if not complete destruction. Similar to a house, a person’s identity must rest upon a firm foundation; otherwise, it may not be capable of withstanding the ominous conditions of the world. When trials and burdens threaten to crumble people’s identities, their foundations must stand their ground and overcome the various tribulations. Although there are billions of inhabitants of the world, no two people share the same identity; rather, each person has unique memories, stories, events, and artifacts influencing who they have become. Some people’s identities may reflect a difficult childhood of discrimination, poverty, and hatred similar to the one described by Malcolm X in his article, “Nightmare.” Other people may associate with Katie Pederson and her article, “Identity,” in which they are defined through a simple artifact such as an identification card. In addition, numerous unfortunate people may struggle from the devastating effects of memory loss similar to those Floyd Skloot experienced, and they are helpless as their memories and identity slowly slip away from them. Still other people may find themselves desperately searching for acceptance and identity similar to the homeless man in Gina Berriault’s article, “Who Is It Can Tell Me Who I Am.” Unlike the homeless man and Malcolm X, I was fortuna... ... middle of paper ... ...the farm, and they remain the role models whom I adore. Through the experiences at my grandparents’ farm, I have gained a variety of valuable life lessons which I still uphold, and these have ultimately formed the unwavering foundation of my identity. Works Cited Berriault, Gina. “Who Is It Can Tell Me Who I Am?” Intersections: An Introduction to the Liberal Arts. Ed. Peggy Fitch. Littleton, MA: Tapestry, 2011. 37-44. Print. Pederson, Katie. “Identity.” Intersections: An Introduction to the Liberal Arts. Ed. Peggy Fitch. Littleton, MA: Tapestry, 2011. 67-68. Print. Skloot, Floyd. “In the Shadow of Memory.” Intersections: An Introduction to the Liberal Arts. Ed. Peggy Fitch. Littleton, MA: Tapestry, 2011. 79-84. Print. Malcolm X. “Nightmare.” Intersections: An Introduction to the Liberal Arts. Ed. Peggy Fitch. Littleton, MA: Tapestry, 2011. 90-99. Print.
Goldman, Peter. The Death and Life of Malcolm X. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1979.
The RMMDI is based on the fundamental concept of intersectionality, or the theory that multiple social identities (e.g. race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, etc.) interact to shape the lived experience of social issues, especially marginalization and oppression (Crenshaw, 1991). The RMMDI helps to illuminate the intersectional nature of the effects of the graffiti incident, as well as the advantages of using an intersectional approach for creating the case resolution. In the RMMDI, individuals hold self-perceptions of their own identities (e.g. race, gender, sexual orientation, etc.) that influence their cognitive appraisal of the self; in essence, these self-perceptions help individuals answer the critical question of “Who am I?” that is necessary for the development of self-authorship (Baxter Magolda, 2001, as cited in Patton, et al., 2016). Individuals also use their self-perceptions of their multiple identities to craft identity constructs and identity expressions. The characters who were emotionally and psychologically affected by the graffiti hold various racial, gender, sexual orientation, and national identities, and express these identities
This essay will be unpacking and analysing the different elements that create my own intersectionality in my life. This essay will be discussing how class, gender/sex and race have influenced who I am and the experiences I have had throughout my life, and how various structures impact these experiences, with reference to the Crenshaw and Dill and Zambara articles, I will connect their thoughts and ideas to the intersectionality of my own life.
Identity is an important theme in many stories. Especially in the The Outsiders, Eleanor and Park, and“Flowers for Algernon.” In The Outsiders identity is tied heavily to which gang a person belongs to. In the novel, Eleanor and Park, identity is portrayed through gender and race. Also, in the short story, “Flowers for Algernon,” the main character identifies with his level of intelligence. Although, one common trend expressed is how jubilance is felt when the characters are free of how they are told they should identify. I will be analysing identity in these stories is represented through the characters, and how this proves how easily the characters find identify in themselves when they detach how they are to identify by society.
As I walk to the front of the classroom, time seems to slow to a crawl. I take a glance at a sea of blank faces staring back at me. You would have thought I would be use to this sensation by now. I know what to expect and have been through these motions a hundred times, but as I walk up to the stage, determined not to cower in defeat, the notecards I grasp firmly in defiance quiver slightly exposing my sense of dread. So while I often triumph over this battle, I now stood atop that classroom stage preparing to recite the merits of James Madison that I had poured myself over the past few weeks. I had the lingering thought that throughout the sea of faces there were those who were paying less attention to what I was saying and more attention to how I was saying it.
Lebow, Richard Ned. "The Future of Memory." American Academy of Political and Social 617 (2008): 25-41. JSTOR. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.
“Identity cannot be found or fabricated but emerges from within when one has the courage to let go.” (by Doug Cooper.) Some people assume the identity of a person could be changed by the surrounding conflicts. Others think identities may never change. Whatever the truth is, identities are masks with a person’s thoughts and personalities put into them. Sometimes, identities can be lost or redefined. War of the Wall by Toni Cade Bambara and Names/Nombres by Julia Alvarez shows how identities are portrayed in the real world. Both texts involve the loss or redefinition of one’s identity.
In Stuart Hall’s “Ethnicity: Identity and Difference,” he claims that identity is a volatile social process through which one comes to see the self. Hall argues that identity is not a thing rather a process “…that happens over time, that is never absolutely stable, that is subject to the play of history, and the play of difference.” These factors are constantly entering the individual in a never-ending cycle, re-establishing and affirming who one is.
middle of paper ... ... Westport, CT: Greenwood Press [cited 12 September 2011]. Available from: http://www.questiaschool.com>.
In his 1971 paper “Personal Identity”, Derek Parfit posits that it is possible and indeed desirable to free important questions from presuppositions about personal identity without losing all that matter. In working out how to do so, Parfit comes to the conclusion that “the question of identity has no importance” (Parfit, 1971, p. 4.2:3). In this essay, I will attempt to show that Parfit’s thesis is a valid one, with positive implications for human behaviour. The first section of the essay will examine the thesis in further detail, and the second will assess how Parfit’s claims fare in the face of criticism. Problems of personal identity generally involve questions about what makes one the person one is and what it takes for the same person to exist at separate times (Olson, 2010).
A person’s identity is shaped by many different aspects. Family, culture, friends, personal interests and surrounding environments are all factors that tend to help shape a person’s identity. Some factors may have more of an influence than others and some may not have any influence at all. As a person grows up in a family, they are influenced by many aspects of their life. Family and culture may influence a person’s sense of responsibilities, ethics and morals, tastes in music, humor and sports, and many other aspects of life. Friends and surrounding environments may influence a person’s taste in clothing, music, speech, and social activities. Personal interests are what truly set individuals apart. An individual is not a puppet on the string of their puppet-master, nor a chess piece on their master’s game board, individuals choose their own paths in life. They accomplish, or strive to accomplish, goals that they have set for themselves throughout their lifetime. Individuals are different from any other individual in the world because they live their own life rather than following a crowd of puppets. A person’s identity is defined by what shaped it in the first place, why they chose to be who they are, and what makes them different from everybody else in the world. I feel that I have developed most of my identity from my own dreams, fantasies, friends, and idols.
My semester one project has been an exploration of my identity through cathartic action, humour and the presence of the body. Materially, I have focused primarily on digital manipulations, text, humour and isolated objects of the everyday. Text and language have been manipulated throughout the project as I explored humour and my voice in response to the duality and innuendo of the English language. Observational humour, particularly, become more prevalent in my practice as a means of exploring the obvious and absurd.
Zora Neal Hurston’s book, Their Eyes Were Watching God, reveals one of life’s most relevant purposes that stretches across cultures and relates to every aspect of enlightenment. The novel examines the life of the strong-willed Janie Crawford, as she goes down the path of self-discovery by way of her past relationships. Ideas regarding the path of liberation date all the way back to the teachings of Siddhartha. Yet, its concept is still recycled in the twenty-first century, as it inspires all humanity to look beyond the “horizon,” as Janie explains. Self-identification, or self-fulfillment, is a theme that persists throughout the book, remaining a quest for Janie Crawford to discover, from the time she begins to tell the story to her best friend, Pheoby Watson. Hurston makes a point at the beginning of the novel to separate the male and female identities from one another. This is important for the reader to note. The theme for identity, as it relates to Janie, carefully unfolds as the story goes on to expand the depths of the female interior.
Throughout the The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Alex Haley, the author, makes his main determination to analyze how the structure style, and content contribute to the power and beauty of the text. His purpose to engage the reader by allowing details and imagery to communicate Malcolm X’s Development. The author sets a strong emphasis on the details of Malcolm X’s life throughout this book, so that readers understand how Malcolm X becomes the person he is. Other factors that are an incredible impact on the text in this book are central ideas such as separation vs. integration, systemic oppression and racial identity. They provide the author's purpose to rely on a stronger platform of detailed ideas. These Central ideas help the reader get a closer look on Malcolm’s Development and set compressions of the past versus today in the mindset of those central ideas. Most importantly,
Haley, Alex and Malcolm X. “Saved.” Reading and Writing the College Experience. Huron Valley Publishing: Ypsilanti, 2003. 203 – 214.