Synthesis Essay On Identity

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Identity is a fluid concept, and many believe they understand its roots and its formation; however, each finds themselves struggling to cover the entire surface of identity, leaving room for chance to fill. Many believe one is born the way they will always be, just waiting to bloom once they reach a certain point in their lives. Many argue that instead, they are molded by their experiences and hardships involving a lack of education blamed on a minuscule income given to their parents. Opposing both these ideas, some believe that one's identity is formed by the way others make them feel, such as facing discrimination for their gender or their race. James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues" describes two brothers, who despite growing up in the same house, …show more content…

Speaking from personal experience, I can see a likeness between myself and my parents, such as our sense of humor and the activities we enjoy doing. However, my personal beliefs differ vastly from those of my parents, a difference I believe I developed myself. This idea is also backed by Katy Steinmetz, author of "Infinite Identities," a Time article about the newer generation's bending of gender and sexuality rules. In her article, Steinmetz writes "20% of millennials identify as something other than strictly straight and cisgender (someone whose gender is in line with the sex they were assigned at birth), compared with 7% of boomers" (Steinmetz 50). Baby boomers make up most of the millennials' parents or grandparents, the same parents or grandparents millennials are expected to take the form of. This statistic tests that theory, clearly proving that these young adults have formed their own beliefs and sexualities differing from those of their parents. Professor of psychology and affiliate professor of philosophy at the University of California, Berkely, Alison Gopnik also tests this theory in her writing “A Manifesto Against 'Parenting'.” In her Wall Street Journal publishing, Gopnik claims that "we try to pass on our knowledge, wisdom, and values to our children, even though we know that they will revise that knowledge, challenge that wisdom and reshape

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