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Impact of culture on identity
Role of culture in formation of identity
Assess the relevance of culture in shaping ones own identity
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The Children's Story, Everyday Use, and Percepolis are examples of cultural experiences impacting, shaping, and influencing personal identity because they all tell a story of different children growing up around different things that cause them to change throughout the story. Not only in these stories but in our everyday life, society greatly impacts and shapes our personal identity. For example, in Everyday Use, Dee/Wanero grew up in a household where her mother refuses to change and chooses to live in the past. Dee decided to be the first in her family to go to college. She cherishes her heritage and wants to actually make a change unlike her mother and sister (Walker, 1973). By Dee being able to do the opposite of what her family does
Heritage is one of the most important factors that represents where a person came from. In “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, this short story characterizes not only the symbolism of heritage, but also separates the difference between what heritage really means and what it may be portrayed as. Throughout the story, it reveals an African-American family living in small home and struggling financially. Dee is a well-educated woman who struggles to understand her family's heritage because she is embarrassed of her mother and sister, Mama and Maggie. Unlike Dee, Mama and Maggie do not have an education, but they understand and appreciate their family's background. In “Everyday Use,” the quilts, handicrafts, and Dee’s transformation helps the reader interpret that Walker exposed symbolism of heritage in two distinctive point of views.
In the stories “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty and “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, you see two different ways that women are seen and the different times that they are living in. For example in one story we have a college student who comes back home for the first time and has a different outlook on life now. In the other story we have an older lady who is willing to endure whatever to make sure that her loved one is taken care of. Even though these two stories are very different in the way the roles of women are seen, they show how women roles in society are seen from the past and present and how something have changed but are still the same.
There are many factors that lead to the development of an individual’s identity. Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” illustrates an extreme change in Gregor Samsa’s external identity and the overall outward effect it has on the development of his family. While James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues” illustrates a young man struggling to find his identity while being pushed around by what society and his family wants him to be. Both of these characters exhibit an underlying struggle of alienation but both also demonstrate a craving for belongingness. This conflict of trying to belong to something as well as satisfying the needs of society, has directly impacted their own individuality and the lives of the people around them.
One of the biggest fears in today's world is the idea of not fitting into society. Evan Hunter's story “On the Sidewalk Bleeding,” explores the theme of the importance of personal identity. This will be shown through an analysis of how external reality plays a critical role in defining who people are, how personal identity is a crucial aspect of how individuals grow and the fact that no matter how hard you try, you can never erase the troubles of your past.
For as long as I can remember, I have traveled between two houses. I live with my mom and every Tuesday and Thursday I visit my dad. Often when I describe my situation people assume I must be “broken” or “troubled” because my family isn’t normal. However, this is my normal and it would be strange to me if this was not how I lived my life. An identity has a dictionary definition, but is difficult to define. My identity has been and continues to be shaped by the social forces of gender, technology, and family.
In her book, Difference Matters, Brenda Allen discusses the importance of identity in an individual and in society. She addresses specific factors, from age to social class, that affect society. In her first chapter, more specifically, she talks about these factors as a whole in introducing the why differences matter. She then lays out the issues associated with differences in society. There are misinterpretations and misconceptions that become problematic between the relationship with individuals and society. This chapter is perfect for my topic because it shows that people differ from
How does a person’s culture or the stereotypes they face during their lifetime impact their future dreams or desires? Through the writings of Sherman Alexie and Bobbie Ann Mason, the influences their cultures impressed upon them are observed. Author, poet, and screenwriter Alexie writes in his essay from 1997 “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me” of life on the Spokane Indian Reservation and describes how he used his love of books to not only escape the biases of his own race but to succeed in the non-Indian world (47). In her 1999 excerpt “Being Country” from her book Clear Springs: A Memoir, author and essayist Mason explores life on her family’s farm in rural Kentucky. She writes of a lifestyle that revolved around the food they grew but was also dependent upon the vagaries of nature for their existence. Moreover, she explains how this way of life caused her to dream of a different life. (106-107). Even though Alexie and Mason came from diverse cultures, they both grew up in stereotypical societies and shared an exposure to similar outside influences that further shaped their personal identities throughout their young lives. As a result, they both envisioned futures that aspired to be different from the customs and beliefs found in their everyday lives.
Every child searches for individuality; what makes everyone unique? As a child, surroundings will shape who a person becomes. So a child raised in secure suburbs might be more trusting than a child who lives in a large city. Different environments will without a doubt put people in uncomfortable and sometimes unfortunate circumstances. Environment as a whole is what affects how a child behaves, thinks, and reacts to certain situations. In the novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou exposes her own struggle to find identity as she endured racial hardships and sexual abuse.
...ath; it is that child’s choice on which road. It is with the forces of family, friends, media, and school that influence a child’s identity. In the words of Amiri Baraka “It is in knowing your history and where you come from, is what determines who you are” meaning your heritage is a reflection of your identity. In Alice Walker’s stories, she illustrates the importance of knowing your heritage through the character of the mother. Kincaid also gave way to the daughter knowing her heritage, by her mother giving her life challenges that she dealt with at her age, thereby guiding her daughter into not making the same mistakes as she had. Both works of literature helps readers understand that a person's state of mind is full of thoughts about who they are and what they want to be. People can try to modify their identity as much as they want, but that can never change.
“Pay no mind to what other people say; whatever makes an individual happy is what he or she should do.” This quote comes from my grandmother, who tries her best to teach me about an individual’s personal identity. An individual’s identity represents who he or she truly is; it is something that allows a specific person to stand out from the crowd. During an individual’s life, he or she will come across many obstacles that will shape her or his being and will further shape her or him into someone with particular traits, or an identity. During my life, I grew up with six older siblings who each had voices and opinions quite different than mine. Although I felt different from everyone else, there was always one person who I related to, my grandmother. All throughout the years of growing up and going through changes, I always seemed to be filled with encouraging words of wisdom from my grandmother, and, most importantly, she was very accepting of the paths I had chosen to follow despite the fact that they were different from my family’s paths. Throughout the book The Norton Mix, which is an anthology of different texts, many aspects of identity are explored. The selection that I believe relates to me the most in this book is “Professions for Women” by Virginia Woolf, a 1931 speech about Woolf's work as a writer. Another text that I believe presents many characters with different identity aspects is the novel Hairstyles of the Damned, by Joe Meno; the novel is about a teenage boy searching for his identity. After analyzing both texts and listening attentively to my grandmother’s advice, I have concluded that everyone needs to understand that no two identities are alike, and individuals should follow their dreams no matter what...
perfectly describe the relevance of change regarding one’s character and personal identity. An individual is not, and never will be constant, inconsistently changing at any given moment, but regularly being affected by the people and things around them. Therefore, who a person is and who they will become can be greatly influenced by the external factors that they are exposed to. Their interests and general beliefs, family, and culture and time period all contribute and transform their character, and who they will become.
Third Culture Kids like me make it up as we go along.” Growing up in Helsinki, Luxembourg, Brussels and London, with a Finnish mother and a Senegalese father, Faye has had great difficulty identifying as part of any particular culture. She considers her parents’ home cultures as merely places that she has family and places with nostalgia, but considers herself an outsider wherever she goes. She considers these various places a part of her identity. Yet, she provides a clear distinction between home and identity. To her, identity is attached to emotional connections. Whereas home is an emotional place – a physical location in which one truly belongs (Faye). The constant traveling and relocation that many TCKs undergo, prevent them from finding this particular location, forcing them to blend this difference between identity and home such that to many, the two ideas are
Dee wants to emerge as dependent on her African heritage. She changes her family’s name to more African style name, Wangero. Dee also changes her fashion style to a more traditional African style. Dee depends on her new heritage as history, while her mother dependence of it is practical use. Dee pushes away her mother’s traditional values, but keeps the history of them instead of their everyday use.
The story 'Everyday Use', written by Alice Walker, is a story of heritage, pride, and learning what kind of person you really are. In the exposition, the story opens with background information about Dee and Maggie's life, which is being told by Mama. The reader learns that Dee was the type of child that had received everything that she wanted, while Maggie was the complete opposite. The crisis, which occurs later in the story, happens when Dee all of a sudden comes home a different person than she was when she left. During the Climax, Mama realizes that she has often neglected her other child, Maggie, by always giving Dee what she wants. Therefore, in the resolution, Mama defends Maggie by telling Dee that she cannot have the household items that she wants just to show others, instead of putting them to use like Maggie.
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.