Identity And Personal Identity

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A person’s identity develops over time, which help separate one’s identification from others. There is a clear conception that identity is reflected off an individual’s experiences in life. Identity distinguishes the character or personality that makes an individual different from others. Furthermore, the experience is one’s personal encounters that lead to a gain of knowledge. Whether an experience is negative or positive it plays a significant role in how personal identity is shaped. Like James Baldwin mention: “identity would seem to be arrived at by the way in which the person faces and uses his experience”. Baldwin made it clear how identity is manifested and very understandable to say he is right because people can relate to experiencing. …show more content…

Furthermore, adversity is a difficult or misfortune situation an individual face. People tend to face adversity when they least aspect it, however, adversity is not bad. You can overcome adversity to create a better life. In the article “Eight Simple, Short Words,” by Elie Wiesel was about his experience as a kid in a concentration camp in Auschwitz, Poland. Wiesel was 15 years old when he and his family was captured by Nazis, in addition, places on a long traumatizing train ride. The train was crowded with other people, that suffered starvation, hallucinations, and fear of the unknown. Wiesel mentions at “the moment when I left my mother. There was no time to think, and I already felt my father’s hand press against mines: we were alone” (Wiesel 305). After witnessing his mother and sister being moved to another line. Facing this adverse situation made him feel more paranoid of separation. Furthermore, “The Joy of reading And Writing: Superman and Me,” by Sherman Alexie. In this article, Alexie knew Indian kids were expected by other people to be stupid. He was facing this adversity growing up as an Indian boy, and this didn’t stop him from making a dream. It made Alexie gain more confidence in himself, not to mention, he said, “I refused to fail. I was smart. I was arrogant. I was lucky” (Alexie 36). Adversity comes in all shapes and forms when facing it, but the best part is how an individual emerges from …show more content…

Not to mention, a personal interaction can be a verbal or non-verbal message that creates a feeling or thought. Just like change and adversity, a personal interaction has its pros and cons when facing it. In the article, “Just Walk on By: A Black Man Ponders His Power To Alter Public Space,” by Brent Staples is about an educated black male. An is life of living in cities and how he seen by other public. As Staples describes himself as a “youngish black man – a broad six feet two inches with a beard and billowing hair” (Staples 260). When walking in cities late night, he was seen and antagonized as a predator to women. This affected his personal interaction with the public at night, which this experience forces him to change of walking the streets and identity. Furthermore, he mentions that he has “to take precautions to make myself less threating. I move about care, particularly late in the evening. I give a wide berth to nervous people in the subway platform during wee hours, particularly when I have exchange business clothes for jeans” (Staples 263). He knows to live life without making people fear him and not judge who he is. Staples had no choice to make minor changes when being in public. Furthermore, in the article “Leave Your Name at the Border,” by Manuel Munoz is another article that identifies one’s identity. Munoz knows when living in America people would tend to pronounce a Mexican name

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