Essay about Identity
Name: Minh Tran
Class: English 101
Professor: Chocos
Umass Boston
---●--Have you ever thought about who you are or what you identity are? Many people
think that they can decide to become whatever they want. In other words, they think
they can make their identity by themselves. Indeed, our identity is the combination of
what we make and what we are given. We can make our identity, but there are many
significant factors that seriously affect the way we make it. This idea has been
presented in many writings, especially in “who are you?” of Bartholomae and “The Loss
of the Creature” of Walker Percy. Both authors clearly show us their opinions about how
these factors can impact our life and our identity by giving examples, facts and
explanations. Although both ideals have different circumstances and examples, the
main meaning is the same about how other factors affect our identity and the way of
who we are.
First, Bartholomae admits that there are so many factors that can influence our
identity from outside such as, gender, race and social class. The most serious factor
that influences our identity is gender. It clearly shows the differences between our action
and behavior. The author explains that, “our culture has devised elaborate sets of roles
for females and males.” Well, different genders have different role, behavior and identity
is right. For example, boy and girl have different behavior and interest because they are
treated differently in the school and home. Not only does gender affect our identity, but
race also can change our thinking and behavior. For instance, because of living in a
white dominated society, many black people have been treated badly, and they have
many difficulties to make their identity in this society. In addition, the most important
factor that seriously impacts the way of who we are is social class. According to the
author,”the different opportunities available to rich and poor are important factors in
making an identity”. An illustration of this is being born in a poor or a rich family can
totally change the life style and opportunity of a person. Poor people can have different
identity, and they have fewer opportunities in education, job, religion and other factors.
Second, differ from the Bartholomae’s opinion, another author, Walker Percy
focuses more on the inside factors that have many impacts on making identity. In
chapter “The Loss of the Creature”, the author points out many examples in order to
prove that we have seriously been affected by other people’s opinions. By the first
example about travelling in Grand Canyon, the author shows that people cannot have
their own choice and make their decision because they are controlled by other people
opinions. He writes that, “If the place is seen by a million sightseers, a single sightseer
does not receive value P but a millionth part of value P”(p. 1). P is the experience, the
beauty of Grand Canyon that a sightseer just can collect a very small part of it. Because
Visitors only see what the guides tell the visitors to see, and they just can see other
places by looking at pictures. As the result, they are influenced by other opinions, and
they are losing experiences because they cannot see all the places in Grand Canyon by
their eyes. Moreover, in another example, the author express his opinion by writing
about a Falkland Islander who found a dead dogfish on the beach gains much
knowledge than a student in the biology class. He explains, “the Sarah Lawrence
student who score A in zoology is apt to know very little about a dogfish” and “a
Falkland Islander exploring his dogfish is a person exercising the sovereign right of a
person in his lordship and mastery of creation” (p.4). Nevertheless, he also notices the
biology student has no chance of discovering anything from the dogfish, and it is the
same situation with students who are studying in a classroom and reading the sonnet of
Shakespeare. His opinion is these students are controlled by learning packed
knowledge in a packed environment that they cannot use or see any real example, so
they cannot learn any experience. Also, he suggests that an only way to avoid being
influenced by other opinions and losing experiences is to explore and discover by
ourselves.
Finally, even though two authors mention about two different categories, they
have the same meaning that we have been influenced by inside and outside factors in
making our identity. Percy explains that we have been affected, packed and controlled
by other people’s ideas, and we cannot decide who we will become. Therefore, we will
loss experiences and our identity, if we do not realize. Similarly, Bartholomae also
points out that out identity has been influenced by three inescapable factors, including
gender, race and social class. Moreover, there is another similarity in two opinion is
both writers believe that we can make our identity by making our choices, taking our
responsibilities, exploring by ourselves and negotiating with these inside and outside
factors, what we are 'given', in order to make our identity and become who we want.