Lucy Hemmat
Ms. Brandt
English I CPE
Due September 25, 2015
Identity Essay
Identity is a sheltered, unchanging trait, right? Wrong. Identity is actually one of the most exposed, effected feature a person can have. But what factors contribute to what everyone is made of? An individual’s possessions and the society around them affect their identity. The short story, “The Jacket” by Gary Soto and the article “How Reality TV Works” by David Rupel both connect to the theme of what affects one’s identity. Belongings label a person’s identity and affect their confidence. The society around someone influences how one acts and what general public thinks of them. The two ways that most prominently change a person’s identity are their possessions
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and society. The property that a person has may not change, but it can undoubtedly sway their identity and their attitude.
Like the short story, “The Jacket” by Gary Soto, the protagonist’s unattractive jacket had affected his confidence in a negative way. Soto states, “And so I went, in my guacamole-colored jacket. So embarrassed, so hurt, I couldn't even do my homework. I received C's on quizzes and forgot the state capitals and the rivers of South America, our friendly neighbor. Even the girls who had been friendly blew away like loose flowers to follow the boys in neat jackets” (8). One can determine from this passage that Soto dislikes his jacket so much, he thinks that it is effecting his schoolwork, and even the way people look at him. The significance of this quote is that it clearly indicates that the belongings one has has a major impact on his/her behavior and viewpoint towards themselves and others. If Gary Soto received the jacket he prefered, yes, he would have done better in school, had more friends, and had more confidence. It doesn’t only affect how one looks at him/herself, but how the rest of the world looks at that person as well. Whether it be clothes, accessories, games, etc., possessions will always be one of the most important factors to changing one’s identity. As one can see, identity can easily be transformed by an individual’s
belongings. Society can control and individual’s identity by acting in a way others expect them to. As mentioned in the article “How Reality TV Works” written by David Rupel, the main character of a reality tv show can act completely different because of the society around them. According to Rupel, “For example, when Monica and Chandler slept together on Friends, it was referred to as a "plot twist." When the tribes didn't merge as expected on this season's Survivor, it's simply known as a "twist." The subtle language difference implies that somehow the twists in reality magically "happen on their own." Nothing could be further from the truth. There is every bit as much thought, debate, and imagination behind every twist you see on reality–both big and small,” (18). In other words, hardly anything is natural/unplanned when there is footage of a scene in reality tv. As explained in the selection, there is a great importance to the people who watch and expect a dramatic scenario, and the way an individual would act in response. The way someone behaves makes up most of, if not all of their identity. So one can assume that identity mostly falls back on what the general public looks for in a character. So evidently, society’s anticipation of someone contributes to changing their identity.
In the essay of Mr.Gary Soto, we learn about his experiences about falling in love with someone of a different race. Ever since he was young, he would be lectured that marrying a Mexican women would be the best option for his life. Gary’s grandmother would always proclaim: “... the virtues of marrying a Mexican girl: first, she could cook,second, she acted like a woman, not a man, in her husband’s home” (pp.219). Being conditioned into the notion that all Mexican woman have been trained to be proper women, Mr. Soto set out on finding his brown eyed girl; however, what love had quite a different plan. This paper will cover three different themes Gary’s essay: The tone, the mindset of the character’s mindsets, and the overall message of the
In “The Jacket” by Gary Soto, the use of figurative language and perspective show his feelings towards the jacket and help describe it. In the beginning of the story Gary Soto opens with a statement about how his jacket determined his popularity. Then the reader is then introduced to a description of the jacket that he is hoping to get. He then receives a new jacket which he abhors, which he blames for all of his problems, unable to take responsibility. He also becomes very paranoid that he is being judged and laughed at. As he wears the jacket he slowly begins to accept that it is his new reality and becomes sentimentally attached.
When somebody is being unappreciative that makes someone feel bad . In “The Jacket” by Gary Soto there is a little boy who is being very unappreciative of a jacket his mom got him and it probably makes her feel really bad about her jacket decision for her son.
In the “Jacket” by Gary Soto, illustrates the theme of alienation by showing his depression through an ugly green jacket which he subsequently thinks everyone doesn’t like him for. In the beginning of the story the main character which I assume to be Soto, describes how big of an effect a jacket has on a kid in a school. “I remember the green coat that I wore in fifth and sixth grade when you either danced like a champ or pressed yourself against yourself a greasy wall, bitter as a penny towards the happy couples.” This is a great way to start out the story right into it they’re setting the point of how important having a nice jacket in this school is. From personal experience appearance makes a big difference at school, If you start to dress
Emily Omakpokpose McCrary AP Lang – 4 3 December 2017 Create Your Own What influences a person’s identity? Does one get an identity when they are able to differentiate right from wrong, or are they born with it? There is not one thing that gives a person their identity, there are however, many different factors that contribute to one’s identity. From Contemplation in a World of Action written by Thomas Merton, Merton advocates identity by stating that “A person does not simply “receive” his or her identity. Identity is much more than the name or features one is born with.
Taylor, S. (2009) ‘Who We Think We Are? Identities in Everyday life’, in Taylor, S., Hinchliffe, S., Clarke, J. and Bromley, S. (eds), Making Social Lives, Milton Keynes, The Open University.
Gary Soto was born into a poor Mexican American family in Fresno, California. Unfortunately, not everyone can afford expensive clothing. It could be a big disappoint, to not have things that people want to have, especially when they can’t afford it. In “The Jacket”, he focuses on what he had to wear during his middle school years in this case his jacket. He portrays that the jacket, his mom bought him as a failure to him. He realizes that wearing the jacket made him have a rough childhood in school. As a matter of fact, growing up can be difficult because everyone is different. In my case, I remember that I too wore the same jacket for two whole school years in sixth and seventh-grade because my mom felt like I had to follow the dress code for sweaters which had to be blue. Although, I wore that sweater every day, I wouldn’t consider wearing that blue sweater a failure to me because it didn’t fail me to have good grades or great friends, but it did affect me by having some lack of confidence. The
At birth, every person is given a name, a birth certificate and a social security number. However, labels and documents do not identify who one is or who he will be. Family, environment, and circumstances shape an individual. At any one point in time, an individual may have one identity but at another given point, they may have another. What causes one’s identity to change? At birth, identity begins to form, shaping an individual; and while personal choice slightly influences a person’s identity, environmental factors weigh most heavily in molding a person’s permanent identity.
We all have faced challenges that make our lives succeeding difficult, but the way we approach these challenges is what affect us in the long run. In “Annabelle Lee”, by Edgar Allan Poe, “Oranges” by Gary Soto, and “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost they all feature speakers that deal with hardships that they must overcome. The three poets use literary devices to show how they deal with theses challenges along with the struggles that come with it.
All of us pass through adolescence before reaching adulthood. It is a crucial stage in everyone’s life that plays a big role in the adult life. “The Jacket” is a representation of Gary Soto’s adolescent life. It is a short story depicting his hardships as an adolescent as he battled with peer pressure and low self-esteem or lack of confidence caused by the ugly green jacket. The jacket serves as a symbol of his personal battles, growth, maturity, and his readiness to face the cold and harsh challenges in his life.
Identity is very important in a person’s life. It can induce pride or shame, provide a community or provide a way to distinguish one’s self from others. But, where does this identity come from? It is easy to assume we are who we are because of who raised us, but this is not the entire case. Andrew Solomon, author of “Far from the Tree” introduced two different forms of identity, vertical and horizontal. He defines vertical identity as the attributes acquired and shared by the people we are raised by and horizontal identity as the attributes different from those who raised us, but are shared and acquired through a peer community. These two types of identities generally do not intersect and, depending on the circumstance, one can greatly impact
Among carpenters, it is a well-known fact that building a house upon a solid foundation is imperative. When beginning the construction of a home, the foundation is always the first step leading to success, for without it, the house will become unstable. During extreme weather, such as floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and other conditions, a slight fault in the foundation of a home will most likely guarantee significant damage, if not complete destruction. Similar to a house, a person’s identity must rest upon a firm foundation; otherwise, it may not be capable of withstanding the ominous conditions of the world. When trials and burdens threaten to crumble people’s identities, their foundations must stand their ground and overcome the various tribulations. Although there are billions of inhabitants of the world, no two people share the same identity; rather, each person has unique memories, stories, events, and artifacts influencing who they have become. Some people’s identities may reflect a difficult childhood of discrimination, poverty, and hatred similar to the one described by Malcolm X in his article, “Nightmare.” Other people may associate with Katie Pederson and her article, “Identity,” in which they are defined through a simple artifact such as an identification card. In addition, numerous unfortunate people may struggle from the devastating effects of memory loss similar to those Floyd Skloot experienced, and they are helpless as their memories and identity slowly slip away from them. Still other people may find themselves desperately searching for acceptance and identity similar to the homeless man in Gina Berriault’s article, “Who Is It Can Tell Me Who I Am.” Unlike the homeless man and Malcolm X, I was fortuna...
Many philosophers and psychologist from Jean Piaget to William James have theorized what makes a person who they are, their identity. Jean Piaget believed that the identity is formed in the sensorimotor stage and the preoperational stage. This means that a child is forming his identity as late to the age of seven (Schellenberg, 29) However, identity is strongly impacted by society such as school, church, government,and other institutions. Through our interactions with different situations our personality develops (Schellenberg 34). "In most situations there is a more diversified opportunity for the development of social identities, reflecting what the individual wants to put forth to define the self as well as what others want to accept,"(Schellenberg 35). Therefore, humans, much like animals, adapt to different situations based on who they are with. Individuals are always changi...
The question ‘who am I?’ raises speculations about who we are as human beings and why we behave the way we do. This is of great interest to social psychologists. One particular theory about this social identity is that it is not fixed or innate but that it is something that changes over time and is constructed through our social interactions with other people. This essay will explicate the idea of socially constructed identities and consider the evidence for and against this view with examples of research studies from both social constructionism (Phoenix, 2007) and Social Identity Theory (SIT) (Turner and Brown, 1978).
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.