As the idiom says, “the apple didn’t fall from the tree” my identity is a direct creation of my family. Family has outlined my identity since the day I was born eighteen years ago. They have taught me their traditional beliefs and values, the same views that their parents taught them, whose parents taught them. When I hear, “the apple didn’t fall from the tree” I immediately think of myself and how I am a direct replica of my family because of traditions passed down from generation to generation. That is why the central point of my collage is a tree with pictures of my family members as apples, and a picture of me as the apple on the ground. Thinking of my identity, I always recall a particular song by Jessica Andrews called, “Who I Am.” …show more content…
The spitting image of my father. And when the day is done my momma’s still my biggest fan…It’s all a part of me. And that’s who I am.” Simply stating, my identity is formed by my family. As much as I would like to say I created my own identity, the truth is that my family formed it. From the very beginning, they instilled the values, opinions, and beliefs that they wanted me to have in my life. My parents always told me that family was the most important, that friends would come and go but family would always be there. I was taught to respect all of my elders by replying with yes ma’am and no ma’am. I remember being little and my dad reprimanding me for replying to older adults by saying, “yes.” He would say, “Yes what, English?” He would keep repeating that until I got the hint to answer correctly. Talking back was another big no-no to my family, especially in the eyes of my great-grandparents. They were still in a time when children were seen but not heard. I remember being very young and riding my golf cart down to my mama’s house. My mama, who was my great-grandmother, would teach me how to bake recipes out of the family cookbook. The cookbook was made by her mother, …show more content…
Just the name English in my hometown portrays my family’s’ heritage, such as whose daughter, granddaughter, and great-granddaughter I am. Names identify and separate individuals from one another. By having such an unstandardized and unique name, people automatically remember my name. Since my name is such a big part of my identity, I included it on my collage. Also on my collage are the words: tradition, beliefs and values, and family ties. These words were included because they are the most important characteristics that my family has passed down onto my identity. If I didn’t have the beliefs and values that I have, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. For instance, if my parents didn’t teach me from right or wrong when I was little, today I wouldn’t know the difference in committing acts that are considered wrong. My identity is centralized around those concepts that my family taught me. The items I included in my collage that make up my identity are more common with the small town beliefs where it’s family and church. However, I feel that this message of family tradition is a thing of the past in today’s world. Nevertheless, I believe that my identity is centralized around my family. My family has shaped me into the person I am today and without their guidance no telling where I might
The formation of our own personal identities often begin at birth. As you grow up your parents are a major influence on you. They teach you many things and help to shape your personal identity. They teach you the basics, from knowing right from wrong to your basic moral values. Your moral values are often built upon the basic morals your parents have and what they have taught you in return.
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.
Family defines people making them who they are. A person's family heritage, how their parents met and married, their parents’ occupations, their siblings, and their early lives play an important role in who they are and who they become. Every family is different and has different characteristics and members, but those differences are what make every family unique. Those differences combined with my family members’ experiences and the stories they have chosen to share are what makes this story exclusive to my family.
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...
For as long as I can remember, I have traveled between two houses. I live with my mom and every Tuesday and Thursday I visit my dad. Often when I describe my situation people assume I must be “broken” or “troubled” because my family isn’t normal. However, this is my normal and it would be strange to me if this was not how I lived my life. An identity has a dictionary definition, but is difficult to define. My identity has been and continues to be shaped by the social forces of gender, technology, and family.
Culture and identity are two very strange ideas. They are received at a very young age, yet they are very hard to give to someone else. They will affect you for the rest or your life, yet for the most part you are born into them. However, they soon become very important to us and we cannot, no matter what we do, live without them. They are a part of us, and a vital aspect of society. However, it took me a very long time to recognize that I had an identity and a little while after that before I knew what it was.
Throughout my life, I've heard many different stories about my family. Because of these stories, I know about my background, and they have helped form my identity. Randall Bass, professor of English at Georgetown University, agrees that stories help shape people's identities. Bass states that, "Individuals derive their sense of identity from their culture, and cultures are systems of belief that determine how people live their lives" (Bass 1). Cultural stories about family history, religion, nationality, and heritage help influence people's behavior and beliefs. Identities of different people come from their cultures. Story telling begins at home. Stories help connect people to their systems of beliefs. They sculpt people's lives by giving them a model of how to live. People receive their earliest knowledge from different stories.(Bass)
I have shown throughout this essay that we can determine personal identity solely based on psychological continuity. During John Perry’s dialogue he says that there are only three ways in which we can tell a person is who they are. Those three ideas being a person is their body, a person has a continuation of memory, or a person is their immaterial soul. Through the whole of this essay we have discussed that even though bodily identity and immaterial souls are a good suggestions for determining personal identity that they really aren’t logical theories. I have argued that we can distinguish personal identity from psychological continuity.
You are as others see you, yet others do not always see you as you are. With the importance others play on the sense of identity, it's no wonder that peers influence the minds of individuals early on in life. As young toddlers, children do not recognize biological
Identity is the condition of being oneself regardless of variation in an individual’s surroundings that provides sameness in their distinctive qualities over time. No two individuals are the same, therefore, no two identities are the same. Every aspect of their past, present, and future molds their being into something never seen before. Each identity is extremely intricate and ever changing so truly understanding another’s identity is an astonishingly difficult task. Identity can be described in all of these ways, but language - the system of communication, diction, and connotation of the form in which an individual speaks - is the backbone of identity. Conforming language to the words someone hears around them instead of truly allowing their
My family consists of my mother, father, and myself. I was adopted at birth and was raised by a family member
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.
...e craft ourselves from what the society can afford to give up. We cannot simply believe that we live the same life as we did when we were younger or that we lived our lives as nature attended it to be. The developments the society influences craft our lives every day. Therefore, our identity is influenced by nurture; nurture is the ultimate cause of identity.
Identity is a clear idea of your own personal likes and dislikes that have been formed from a lifetime of experience. From when you’re little you start forming your own personal identity from things that have happened to you and the people that make these things happen. The way that you react to these experiences define who you are as a person.
In the end, no matter what may be said about me, I know that I am some what of an abstract project. I continue to grow everyday and discover new factors that define me. I know what I stand for. I love myself, and the people around me. They don't create me, or make me who I am, but they do help be define myself