History and Identity

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Recommended: Importance of family

“History�

“History�

Thesis: Knowing one’s history can change one’s outlook on life through understanding one’s identity.

I. Having relationships is a great outlet for helping find one’s identity.

A. Relationships between parent and child.

B. Relationships between siblings.

II. Love shows and teaches one responsibility, which help with understanding one’s history and identity.

A. Having love for oneself is a way for understanding one’s identity.

B. Having love for one’s family shows that one has love for one’s history and family values.

III. Of all ways one can understand one’s identity and history, knowing about the generations in one’s family provides understanding.

A. The knowledge obtain from generations in one’s family, brings understanding about one’s history and family values.

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What is it about life that is important? Many might say sex is important in life, others may say that having fun is what life is all about, few may say that is it knowing where one has come from. All of these thought may be right but in most cases what one knows about ones history make one a stronger person. Alice Walker’s short story, “Everyday Use,� shows just how important it is for one to know about one’s history. Knowing one’s history can change one’s outlook on life through finding one’s identity. In order to understand one’s history it is important to have family values, which teaches the importance of relationships, love, and generation wisdom.

Having relationships is a great outlet for helping find one’s identity. A relationship between parent and child teaches respect. “I did something I never had done before: hugged Maggie to me, then dragged her on into the room, snatched the quilts out of Miss Wangero’s hands dumped them into Maggie’s lap (70).� Not only do relationships teach one about respect it also teaches discipline. Having discipline makes one have a better character, it able one to become more in touch with oneself and one’s history. Relationship amongst siblings is also a way of finding and understanding one’s history. This relationship shows one how to care for someone. If the relationship among sibling is not strong than it will divide a family and stray away from family values. “Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts, she’d probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use (70).� These quotes are prime examples of relationship. It

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also shows the importance in knowing and having relationships in order to understand oneself.

Love shows and teaches one responsibility, which help with understanding one’s history and identity.

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