Personal Essay: Personal Identity
explanatory Essay
770 words
Who am I? Wrestling with identity— our history, our culture, our language— is central to being human, and there’s no better way to come to grips with questions of identity than through the crossing of borders. The transcendence of borders reveals the fluid nature of identity, it challenges absurd notions of rigid nationalities, and highlights our common humanity. It is no coincidence, then, that my experience as an immigrant has shaped my academic journey and pushed me to pursue graduate studies.
I was born in Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico, to the unlikely couple of a German american mother and a Mexican father. At the time that my parents decided to leave Mexico, my native state of Sinaloa was in the midst of a growing trend of proliferate narco
…show more content…
In this essay, the author
- Explains that wrestling with identity is central to being human. the transcendence of borders reveals the fluid nature of identity, challenges absurd notions of rigid nationalities, and highlights our common humanity.
- Explains that they were born in culiacán, sinaloa, mexico, to a german-american mother and mexican-born father. the mexican economy was bleak, and their parents wondered how they would raise their 10 children.
- Describes how they plunged into american society with a mixed sense of joy for the present and nostalgia for their past.
- Describes how their identity was challenged in the homogenous community of mostly white, christian, and non-recent-immigrant americans at the university of portland.
- Describes the transnationalist mindset that culminated in a research project which they carried out in germany through the sponsorship of the fulbright fellowship.
- Describes how they fell right into the work force and engaged with the outermost edges of our society through their practice in the field of social work.
- Opines that their unique background as an immigrant makes them an excellent candidate to succeed as a student at uofo.
I was part of the Center On Migration, Citizenship and Development (COMCAD) program, where students carried out independent research projects related to transnational trends around the globe. I investigated the integration process of Turkish immigrants through the German school system. While in Germany, I felt myself listening to my Latin American pulse, and I became connected with the Inter-American Studies department at Bielefeld University. I attended symposiums and lectures on issues pertaining to the Americas, to include not just Latin America, but transnationalist trends across the U.S. and Canada as well.
When I returned to Portland, I fell right into the work force, and through my practice in the field of Social Work I engaged with the outermost edges of our society. People of all backgrounds— refugees, single parents, drug addicts, prison inmates—all committed to finding a sense of belonging and dignity in the world. Finding ways to empower my fellow human beings required creativity, solidarity and knowledge about each individual’s sense of identity and
Related
- analytical
- explanatory
- opinion
- Social Identity Essayanalytical essayInstitutions and their influence in the self and social identity Social institutions, like educational and religious groups, enhance rule obedience and contribute to the formation of identity and sense of belonging to certain groups. People possess a set of beliefs that condition their everyday behavior, like one can think that education is the most important four our future, while other people might believe that staying at home and raising their children is their reality. However, our beliefs are influenced by the groups that we interact. For instance, if we join a feminist movement, we might start reflecting a positive attitude towards gender equality.
In this essay, the author
- Explains how social institutions, like educational and religious groups, enhance rule obedience and contribute to the formation of identity and sense of belonging to certain groups.
- Illustrates how institutions and other groups influence, not only our concepts of reality but also the way people see themselves in society.
- Explains how each institution exerts different influences in the way we understand society and ourselves, and how belonging to an institution reinforces shared attitudes or life perspectives.
- Argues that goffman's view of reality is complex, since society has a structure, despite subjective ideas. role theory affirms that people perform their roles, as actors in society.
1028 wordsRead More - Immigration in USAexplanatory essayKnott , Kim, and Seán McLoughlin, eds. Diasporas Concepts, Intersections, Identities. New York : Zed Books, 2010. Print.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that the united states of america is the best place for immigration. the history proved that america was the dream land, the place of chances.
- Explains that immigration to america began when christopher columbus discovered the new land now called the american continent. immigration increased in the 17th century when people came from europe, africa, and asia to the new land.
- Explains that between 1850 and 1930, about 5 million germans immigrated to the united states, while 3.5 million british and 4.5 million irish entered america. before 1845 most irish immigrants were protestants.
- Explains that congress changed the nation's basic policy about immigration from 1930 to 2000. the supreme court decided immigration would be under federal jurisdiction in 1875, and congress created the "quota system."
- Explains that the government has put provisions designed to encourage migration of certain kinds of workers who have lost the skills from the current population.
- Explains that congress abandoned the quota system and the acceptance of immigration, based on the "need" relative to each immigrant's postulants. the new system is limited in large part to immigration from mexico and central and south america.
- Explains that the united states has a history of excepting the people who chose america to immigrate because america is the land of chances.
- Opines that immigrants provide america with many advantages, such as variety of their cultures, their desire to work hard and take specific jobs that americans would refuse.
- Explains that america has the largest number of immigrants, 1million more every year than any other country. the government tries to change this to raise the number more than 50% but some people say the immigrant’s takes their jobs and some will lose them.
- Explains that immigration laws in the united states limit the number of immigrants admitted each year. annual numerical limits are calculated based on a complex formula.
- Explains the annual limit to the total number of legal migrants is 675,000, which includes foreign nationals who get immigrant visas at the consulate offices abroad, and those who control the situation in the united states.
- Explains that the annual limit is divided into three categories: family, employment, and diversity visas. the white house is developing a draft proposal to allow illegal immigrants to become legal permanent residents in just eight years.
- Explains that the draft law is being developed as members of both houses of congress are formulating their own immigration bills.
- Explains that the bill reflects many of the provisions for 2007 bipartisan a draft law, which was led by senator ted kennedy, sen. john mccain, and ultimately failed.
- Explains that the draft law proposes a new plan to allow homeland security to take donations from people, enterprises, and local and state governments to improve the ports of entry and security features along the border.
- Citesschrag, peter, wellman, christopher, and phillip cole. debating the ethics of immigration is there a right ti exclude?
- Describes lee, erika, and judy yung's angel island immigrant gateway to america.
1379 wordsRead More - Essay About Assimilationexplanatory essayMany immigrants come to the US looking for the American dream, and with that dream give their children a better life. I 'm a first generation immigrant that came from a small south American country named Ecuador. With the almost six years of being in this country I have learned many aspects of American culture, and even embraced some as my own. This particular event in my life is strongly related to sociological concepts as immigration, race, ethnicity, and assimilation.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that race is a social construct and not biological phenomenon. it is the classification of people according to physical attributes that society treats as significant.
- Explains that their ethnicity has clashed with the traditional cultural values that they uphold in the us, especially how education after high school affects one's independence.
- Explains that assimilation is the process in which a person's culture resembles the culture of the majority.
- Explains that sociological concepts such as immigration, race, ethnicity, and assimilation have enriched their understanding on the importance of sociology and how it has affected them from the first moment they stepped foot in this country.
- Explains that many immigrants come to the us looking for the american dream, and with that dream give their children a better life.
1051 wordsRead More - Latino Immigration In Roberto Suro's Strangers Among Usanalytical essayRoberto Suro, the author of “Strangers Among Us”, wrote arguably one of the most sincere and informative immigration related narratives. Suro’s analysis and observations of the emergence of social and economic immigrant contribution go into great depth and explanation of exactly how Latino Immigration is slowly but surely transforming America. Suro’s narrative gives an in depth look at various Latino groups and how each group adapted and intertwined with American societies around the nation. Each Latino group regardless of immigrating location had its own separate story and journey as they each have immigrated to an American generation that is seeing economic changes with an overall unsympathetic American attitude towards immigrants. Immigrating to another nation forms
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how suro argues that the only way for immigration to be successfully talked about is in the form of tradeoffs.
- Analyzes how roberto suro's four-part narrative touches the majority of topics within immigration, but some of his arguments and suggestions create some gray-areas.
- Analyzes how roberto suro, a successful second-generation latino himself, wants the american dream to flourish and be accessible to immigrants who are willing to make the effort to work, thrive, and survive even in these difficult economic times.
- Analyzes roberto suro's sincere and informative immigration related narrative "strangers among us" and explains how latino immigration is slowly but surely transforming america.
939 wordsRead More - The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao: A Summaryanalytical essayHall, Stuart. "Cultural Identity and Diaspora." (First published in the journal Framework (vol. 36) . N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2014. .
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how yunior's hopes that lola’s daughter, isis, can bring an end to the dreaded fuk by seeking out information from the past enforce the tremendous importance that history plays in our present lives.
- Analyzes how yunior's narration helps us understand the long-term impacts of the regime.
- Analyzes aarbakke's between here and there: aspects of the diasporic experience in the brief wondrous life of oscar wao.
- Analyzes how junot diaz uses postmodern narratives to depict the unique, nuanced perspectives of a generation of youths whose identities are both divergent from their parent culture and deeply rooted in its ideals and inescapable history.
- Analyzes how the hybridity of diaz's style throughout the novel demonstrates the effect of the diaspora on its descendants in a different way.
- Analyzes the shifts from english to spanish throughout the novel that demonstrate the synthesis of cultures that existed in the diaspora.
- Analyzes hall's "cultural identity and diaspora," published in the journal framework (vol. 36). hanna, monica.
2365 wordsRead More - Personal Identity Essayanalytical essayThe philosophical problem of personal identity pertains to questions that arise about ourselves by virtue of our being persons. There is no single question that will sum up the problem, but rather a multitude of questions that are loosely connected to each other. Within this essay, the four most prominent problems will be explained and addressed. One of the most familiar is the question of “Who am I?” This regards to what makes one a unique individual. Another familiar question is, “What is it to be a person?” This concerns the necessary criteria for something to count as a person as opposed to a non-person. There is also the problem of persistence, relating to personal identity over time. An example of this would be to glance upon an old photograph of a childhood class, point and say, “That's me.” The questions arises of, “What makes you that one instead of one of the others?” The last problem to be explained is the one of evidence. How do we find out who is who? There are two separate sources of evidence used often in philosophy: first-person memory, pertaining to one remembering an action or event and therefore being the person who did such, and physical continuity, where if the one who performed the action or witnessed the event looks like you, then it is you.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the philosophical problem of personal identity pertains to questions that arise about ourselves by virtue of our being persons.
- Argues that locke's theory demands too much of an individual, and that his description of memory and personal identity violates the law of transitivity.
- Analyzes locke's argument that personal identity is defined by memory, which reverses the order of causation. memories are ultimately beyond verification, meaning that memory is fallible to the point where one can have false memories.
- Opines that locke's theory of personal identity fails in many ways, but it is significant in the fact that it was the first to separate the individual issue from the larger topic of identity in general.
- Argues that locke's theory of identity is consistent with the idea of purdurentism, which states that consciousness is independent of material substances.
1058 wordsRead More - My Personal Identity Essayexplanatory essayI remember my first conversation with a public health professor concerning my career goals. He listed various reasons I should go into medicine. He listed that I was a black Nigerian woman with a heavy accent, he told me how society disregarded people like me. He also said that I was a little lower than African-American women and my only escape from this social prison was for me to go to medical school to ensure respect from society. My encounter with this public health professor was the first time I became aware of my social identity as a black Nigerian woman, an able-body heterosexual, a working class young adult and a cis-gender Christian.
In this essay, the author
- Recalls their first conversation with a public health professor regarding their career goals. he told them that society disregarded people like them and that their only escape from this social prison was to go to medical school.
- Explains that their social identity as a black working class female, young adult makes them part of the target group for these social identities in america.
- Explains that they are aware of their identity as a black nigerian christian female. they resist being identified as black american because they were ostracized by their middle school’s black american classmates.
- Opines that they are least aware of their social identities as a heterosexual, cis-gender, and able-bodied young adult because they belong to the agent group for these identities in the american society.
- Explains that it was easy to identify their status for social group memberships as a black female, heterosexual, christian, and able-bodied. the history of america makes it apparent that blacks are the target in this culture.
- Explains that they realized their multiple targeted identities intensified their experience of oppression when they arrived in the united states at twelve years old.
- Explains their default response when triggered for being part of their black social membership group is release. they believe insecure people are racist and oppressed people oppress others.
- Describes their response to triggers as part of their agent social membership group as a heterosexual. they endeavor to understand their challenges from their perspective and experiences.
- States that they are a black nigerian female, able-body christian, young-adult, and cis-gender, working-class heterosexual. they expect society to shoot out their loud missiles of oppression, but refuse to be placed in the societal boundaries.
1155 wordsRead More - At birth everyone is given a set of identities but as they grow up and find their place in the world with people they love those identities will change. I believe that changing identities throughout life will help a person develop into a better person. If a person has identified as multiple different things in his or her past then he or she will be more willing to accept and appreciate those who are different. I grew up being taught to always treat others the way I wanted to be treated and at times that can be hard, but I have always strived to be a kind and caring person.
In this essay, the author
- Narrates how they were taught that being a christian was the most important part of their life and that the amount of money they had was not so important.
- Narrates how they were taught that being white was to their advantage because of the way whites treated blacks in history.
- Opines that they had a successful education experience but there were different things that could have been changed to better their experience.
- Explains that they have grown and changed as a person and feel that class and race are the most salient in their life.
- Opines that their experiences growing up were not normal, but they gave them the confidence to try different things and know that they would always be accepted.
- Opines that changing identities throughout life will help a person develop into better people. they grew up being taught to always treat others the way they wanted to be treated.
1407 wordsRead More - Personal Identity: Philosophical Viewsexplanatory essayPersonal Identity: Philosophical Views Alan Watts once said, "Trying to define yourself is like trying to bite your own teeth. " The task of personal identity is to define a quality of a human which makes him or her a unique self. The person whose identity is in question must realize themselves, and other people must identify this person. In other words, what makes John unique from Bob?
In this essay, the author
- Defines personal identity as a person x who has the same identity.
- Explains that a person has personal identity only if they have the same identity.
- Explains that the term "soul" is a difficult one, as it is thought by many to be an invisible spirit.
- Opines that elvis and john are not the same.
- Explains that one has a conscious self if he or she has the same identity.
- Explains that it is a circular definition. they use the definiens in the summary.
- Opines that a person may be drunk and does some action does not make him or her.
- Describes the characteristics of the same person whether they are four or forty.
- Explains that a river is analogous to one. if you were to see one every day, you'd see it.
- Explains that the soul theory's main problem is that it is immaterial.
- Explains the task of personal identity is to define a quality of human being which makes him or her unique self.
- Explains that if one's body is changed, is one the same person?
- Opines that one has ever seen, felt, touched, smelled, or tasted a soul, since we have no clear and distinct idea of it.
1388 wordsRead More - Being Human SKEER, CRASH! The person driving in front of you just swerved off the road and slammed head-on with a telephone pole, what would you do? A couple of years ago I was put into this situation, with a friend of mine, and completely froze in my tracks. Jeff told me “Mitchell we have to help, this guy could be dead for all we know”. I was a little reluctant but it didn’t take me long too agreed.
In this essay, the author
- Narrates how they froze in their tracks when a man's car was destroyed and jeff comforted him until the first responders showed up. jeff is the most trustworthy, loyal, compassionate, and caring person they know.
- Opines that jeff has taught them how to care for others by thinking about others before themselves. they say they are constantly doing good deeds whenever they can.
- Opines that jeff has taught them to strive for what they want, but most importantly, to be who they are.
- Opines that most people, or at least high schoolers, never actually show who they are. they thank jeff for teaching them this and all of the life lessons he has taught them.
- Opines that jeff has taught them how to put others before themselves, to push for what they want in life, and to show who they are on the inside.
1167 wordsRead More