According to Oxford Dictionary, “Identity means the fact of being who or what a person is, or a close similarity or affinity.” Although the dictionary may say these definitions for this elusive and general word, what do you think “identity” is? Sometimes when reading short stories, the characters experience and go through certain events that build and create who they are. As a result, the characters may try or attempt to change their “identity,” but also learn from trying to change who they are. In the short stories “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan, “The Bass, The River, and Sheila Mant” by W.D. Wetherell, and “Papa’s Parrot” by Cynthia Rylant, the characters learn about their identities through significant moments.
First, in “Fish Cheeks,” Amy Tan
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For instance, when Harry slowly separates himself from his father by not going to his dad’s shop, his dad gets a new pet, a parrot. Harry’s father bonds with this bird, so in embarrassment, Harry ignored his father. One day, suddenly his dad becomes ill and Harry promises to tend to the shop while his dad is in the hospital. In the shop, Harry talks to the parrot, Rocky. ““What?” he asked. “Where’s Harry?” said the parrot. “I’m here, you stupid bird! I’m here!” Harry yelled. He threw peppermints at the cage, and the bird screamed and clung to its perch… “Papa.” Harry buried his face in his arms. “Where’s Harry?” repeated the bird. Harry sighed and wiped his face on his sleeve. He watched the parrot. He understood now: someone had been saying, for a long time, “Where’s Harry? Miss Him.” (2) “Papa’s parrot,” Rocky, teaches Harry what his dad had been saying for a long time, “Where’s Harry? Miss him.” (2) Harry realizes that he has not kept his father much company at all, and in guilt, he throws candy at Rocky. Through this understanding, Harry learns that he should be proud of his dad and his family, which is a part of his identity. Although Harry’s dad’s relationship with the parrot may have been strange and embarrassing, Harry could have avoided hurting his father’s feelings just by keeping him company. To sum up, Harry learns to appreciate and care for his dad, which is a part of his identity, with the help of a strange but good pet, “Papa’s
According to the Merriam Webster, identity is the “sameness of essential or generic character in different instances” (Merriam Webster). An identity can be the qualities or beliefs that make a person different from another, but it is also the thing that connects them. A man’s identity stays with him “for the rest of his life” and is something that “[can] not change much” (O’Hara 202, 193). Identity is who one is born to, what one thinks, what one says, and what one does; John O’Hara and F. Scott Fitzgerald both utilize the theme of identity in describing the lives and actions of the central characters Julian English and Dick Diver in their novels, Appointment in Samarra and Tender is the Night. Discovering their individual identities is a journey for both men, and on their journey to self-discovery the men believe that by fixing their lives they will discover their identity. Both Julian and Dick struggle to maintain perfect order in their lives by controlling fate, but their ancestral obligations lead to self-destruction and inevitable downfall. While Diver commits social suicide, English commits actual suicide, and the two seal their fates the second they try to change their journey. Sigmund Freud’s Oedipus complex is a feeling of sexual attracting of a child toward their parent; the fixation towards one’s father or mother can lead to choices of sexual partners or spouses that resemble the parent. The wives of Julian English and Dick Diver, Caroline and Nicole, marry their husbands because of their fatherly personas, and Caroline and Nicole’s own incestuous pasts shape and control their relationships with Julian and Dick. The superficiality of English and Diver and their inability to realize who they are lead to a need to contro...
Each person, whether they realize it or not, has been shaped by their relationships with others. The effects that piers or family members can have on someone are limitless and often times profound. In many instances, people do not even know that they are being influenced by others. Even if it is in the most subtle manner, all characters in novels are directly influenced by other figures. Authors use rhetorical strategies to demonstrate the different ways in which relationships affect and shape character’s identities.
True identity is something people must create for themselves by making choices that are significant and that require a courageous commitment in the face of challenges. Identity means having ideas and values that one lives by” (Merton). Concurring with Merton, a person is not given their identity at birth or while developing as an embryo, rather it is something that you create for yourselves over the course of life through decisions and actions made by the individual. Identity is something that one may not be fully aware of or discover until the last breath. Identity can be influenced through associations with others, and environmental factors.
For example, Miss Brill’s fur scarf represents more than just an important piece of clothing to her. To Miss Brill, this fur scarf is a companion which Miss Brill can share feelings with and talk to. Mansfield’s use of personification in, “What’s been happening to me?” said the sad little eyes. Oh, how sweet it was to see them snap at her again from the red eiderdown!” (241) depicts Ms. Brill revisiting her fur scarf that she had during her youth years. As Miss. Brill brings the fur scarf back to her life, she is no longer a rogue. Towards the end of the story when Mansfield mentions, “The box that the fur came out of was on the bed. She unclasped the necklet quickly; quickly, without looking, laid it inside. But when she put the lid on she thought she heard something crying” (246), Miss Brill starts to put the fur scarf back into the box after she was teased by the boy and the girl in the park for her age. This represents a sense of rejection that Miss Brill is feeling the rest of the world. Miss Brill thinks that she is young, beautiful, like the children in the park that is running around. However, she does not realize that her time as a young w...
Identity is a group of characteristics, data or information that belongs exactly to one person or a group of people and that make it possible to establish differences between them. The consciousness that people have about themselves is part of their identity as well as what makes them unique. According to psychologists, identity is a consistent definition of one’s self as a unique individual, in terms of role, attitudes, beliefs and aspirations. Identity tries to define who people are, what they are, where they go or what they want to be or to do. Identity could depend on self-knowledge, self-esteem, or the ability of individuals to achieve their goals. Through self-analysis people can define who they are and who the people around them are. The most interesting point about identity is that some people know what they want and who they are, while it takes forever for others to figure out the factors mentioned before. Many of the individuals analyzed in this essay are confused about the different possible roles or positions they can adopt, and that’s exactly the reason they look for some professional help.
A person’s identity is not something that can be removed, It can only change over time. Some people may feel as if they have lost their identity, but they have not lost it. It is only hidden. Many people have different definitions of identity, but there should only be one, universal definition. The definition of identity is the values someone has, and how said person treats others.
Everyone struggles with identity at one point in their life. It will eventually happen to everyone. Identity is how people see one another, it is one of the most important things about someone. Identity goes hand in hand with experience. One’s experiences can impact one’s identity.
The American Dictionary defines identity as the distinct personality of an individual. Many factors make up one's identity, such as race, one's relationship with society, and religion. People seek other people who with they can identify. One must interact with others and learn from his interests and their responses to find a suitable group. The process of finding a group allows one to discover his or her own identity. Through The Color of Water, James McBride demonstrates that one perceives his identity through feedback from others as well as through his own thoughts and emotions.
The main idea of this story Fish Cheeks was understanding and appreciation and having pride in one own unique culture. Tan mother invites the minsters family who happens to be her crush at the time who is Robert the minister’s son. Tan felt despaired during the entire evening, feeling ashamed of her family and non- American ways at dinner. At the end of the evening Tan’s mother tells her that she understands that she wants to like all the other American girls and handed a gift. Tan’s mother points out to her that she must not be ashamed of her difference, however, embrace these differences that she has found shame in. Overall the main idea was the differences that we are often ashamed of are the differences we should take pride in, because
Before beginning the explanation of how an identity is formed, one must understand what an identity is. So, what is identity? To answer this, one might think of what gives him individuality; what makes him unique; what makes up his personality. Identity is who one is. Identity is a factor that tells what one wants out of life and how he is set to get it. It tells what kind of a person one is by the attitude and persona he has. And it depends upon the mixture of all parts of one’s life including personal choices and cultural and societal influences, but personal choices affect the identity of one more than the others.
Why is some stories so confusing? That’s the question I used to always ask myself before I started looking at the author's style. Not only does the author's style help you understand stories more, but it helps you use more techniques in your writing and have a wider variety of vocab. “ Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan is one of those poems that the author's style help you understand the poem better and help make your writing style better. “Fish Cheeks” is about a girl who is embarrassed about her culture and wants to be he same as all of the other girls. “ Fish Cheeks” By Amy Tan uses Imagery and personification to convey how Amy is embarrassed about her culture. The author uses personification and imagery to illustrate how disgusted Amy was of her favorite
What is identity? Identity is an unbound formation which is created by racial construction and gender construction within an individual’s society even though it is often seen as a controlled piece of oneself. In Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum’s piece, “The Complexity of Identity: ‘Who Am I?’, Tatum asserts that identity is formed by “individual characteristics, family dynamics, historical factors, and social and political contexts” (Tatum 105). Tatum’s piece, “The Complexity of Identity: ‘Who Am I?’” creates a better understanding of how major obstacles such as racism and sexism shape our self identity.
Identity is a state of mind in which someone recognizes/identifies their character traits that leads to finding out who they are and what they do and not that of someone else. In other words it's basically who you are and what you define yourself as being. The theme of identity is often expressed in books/novels or basically any other piece of literature so that the reader can intrigue themselves and relate to the characters and their emotions. It's useful in helping readers understand that a person's state of mind is full of arduous 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. The theme of identity is a very strenuous topic to understand but yet very interesting if understood. How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez and Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki are two remarkable books that depict the identity theme. They both have to deal with people that have an identity that they've tried to alter in order to become more at ease in the society they belong to. The families in these books are from a certain country from which they're forced to immigrate into the United States due to certain circumstances. This causes young people in the family trauma and they must try to sometimes change in order to maintain a comfortable life. Both authors: Alvarez and Houston have written their novels Is such an exemplifying matter that identity can be clearly depicted within characters as a way in adjusting to their new lives.
Identity. What is identity? One will say that it is the distinct personality of an individual. Others will say that identity is the behavior of a person in response to their surrounding environment. At certain points of time, some people search for their identity in order to understand their existence in life. In regards, identity is shaped into an individual through the social trials of life that involve family and peers, the religious beliefs by the practice of certain faiths, and cultural awareness through family history and traditions. These are what shape the identity of an individual.
Webster's dictionary describes identity as sameness of essential character, individuality, or the fact of being the same person as one claims to be. So your identity can include your name, your age, your job title, or simply characteristics of your body. These things are facts, facts you don't care to share with the world. Just as the word suggests your identity is something by which you can be identified. These are things that describe a person in terms a stranger would understand. This area of identity is proof of who you are. However, your identity is also composed of what you are. They mark your role in society. Who you are and what you do make up your identity. This is essential in the human life span because people are always searching to find where they truly belong in the world.