Toni Names

609 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: How culture affects self identity

“Identity cannot be found or fabricated but emerges from within when one has the courage to let go.” (by Doug Cooper.) Some people assume the identity of a person could be changed by the surrounding conflicts. Others think identities may never change. Whatever the truth is, identities are masks with a person’s thoughts and personalities put into them. Sometimes, identities can be lost or redefined. War of the Wall by Toni Cade Bambara and Names/Nombres by Julia Alvarez shows how identities are portrayed in the real world. Both texts involve the loss or redefinition of one’s identity. War of the Wall, by Toni Cade Bambara, is a touching story that revolves around the identities of a community in the South, its people, and a stranger that comes to visit. There’s a brick wall that supposedly belonged to the kids on Taliaferro Street. It had an emotional attachment to the kids because they carved out the name “Jimmy Lyon” when their friend died in the army, and because of all the fun they had with the wall. When a stranger comes to paint the wall, the kids …show more content…

The minute they stepped into New York City, their identities dissolved immediately. Her mother was called Missus Alburest and Julia was called little girl. The father was Mister Alberase. At Julia’s new school, her classmates called her Judy, Judith, Juliet, and many other mispronounced versions of her name. After a while, Julia began to get used to the new identities that the people around her life gave to her family. She was known as the popular, foreign kid. Her sister was the pale, blond, ‘American beauty’ in the family. Her extended family consisted of a bunch of noisy, fat, and embarrassing aunts. Despite all the new names and the wish to fit in, Julia finally decides to not mind the masks that the people gave her and her family and live up to her real

Show More
Related

  • An Analysis of Komanuyakaa Facing It

    996 Words  | 2 Pages

    The persona in the poem reacts to the power the wall has and realizes that he must face his past and everything related to it, especially Vietnam.

    Read More

  • The Glass Castle By Jeannette Walls

    790 Words  | 2 Pages

    Knowing that there are other families out there just like the Walls, possibly some that are even worse, makes me think about how lucky I am and how good I have it. This book really brings to light the neglect that some people are raised in. The thought that someone could come out of such a negligent past with compas...

    Read More

  • F Word by Firoozeh Dumas

    864 Words  | 2 Pages

    One’s identity is influenced by many things. It’s something that one has a choice of what he wants to become. One has a personal choice as to what identity he possesses; for instance, he can choose what he likes, who he wishes to be friends with, and what he wears. After all, “Fashion is an expression of personal identity” (Latterell 11). Queen Latifah states, “All things start inside your soul and work outward” meaning that it is one’s choice as to what he lets work its way out (Latifah 34). People have even made personal choices that affect their identity by changing their name. Just as Firoozeh Dumas describes in The “F Word”, “Thus I started sixth grade with my new, easy name and life became infinitely simpler” (Dumas 86). People made fun of Dumas’ name, Firoozeh, and thus made her want to change her name to fit in; she changed her identity. An identity is mainly comprised of personal choice.

    Read More

  • Identity in Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery and Isaac Babel’s My First Goose

    1747 Words  | 4 Pages

    Although the concept of identity is recurrent in our daily lives, it has interpreted in various ways.

    Read More

  • Bryan Stevenson's Identity: The Power Of Identity

    834 Words  | 2 Pages

    Identity is primarily described primarily as what makes a person who they are. While it is seen as an individual asset, one’s identity can be shaped and persuaded not only by life experiences, but by society as well. Bryan Stevenson speaks on several controversial issues and proclaims certain societal problems and the typical behaviors noticed in response to them. How one approaches the issues that are spoken about may expose their true identity. Stevenson argues that how one reacts to racial inequality within the criminal justice system may regulate their identity. In addition to that, how dealing with the nation’s history may force a growth on one’s identity, eventually bringing peace and acceptance to the nation. Lastly, how one views the

    Read More

  • Identity in The Count of Monte Cristo

    781 Words  | 2 Pages

    An identity is more than just a name. Sometimes an identity is the first thing and possible the only thing a person notices about one or the other. A person's identity can represent their culture, their race and sometimes, even possible their family background. My identity is what represents me. For those who does not know me personally but knows my name, knows my identity. This identity is what people will recognize me as for now and possible for ever.

    Read More

  • The Foundation of My Identity

    2053 Words  | 5 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Essay: Fragmented Identity And Epiphany?

    1310 Words  | 3 Pages

    From the perspective of humanism, identity is something fixed, unchangeable and stable. With the development of deconstruction, new ideas about identity begin to prevail. Deconstructionists regard human identity “as a fluid, fragmented, dynamic collectivity of possible ‘selves’” (Tyson 335). Eddie’s identity is always fragmented, and each of the children represents a fragment of his identity. From the perspective of

    Read More

  • One’s True Identity in Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

    853 Words  | 2 Pages

    One’s identity is established at birth when given a name. Often times, one’s identity can change throughout one’s lifetime. During adolescence, identity can be linked to playing a sport, an instrument, being involved in art, acting, singing, or some other hobby. As adulthood approaches, identity can be described as, but not limited to, the career path someone has chosen, or the family they may or may not have. In the novel Fight Club, written by Chuck Palahniuk, the narrator has a difficult time finding his true identity. In the novel the theme identity is discussed as the narrator discovers the truth about himself and who the real Tyler Durden is.

    Read More

  • Identity Quotes In To Kill A Mockingbird

    911 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Toni Morrison's Sula - The Character of Eva Peace in Sula

    778 Words  | 2 Pages

    Eva was the single mother of three kids.  She was the matriarchal figure in her household, which did not only consist of her children, Pear, Plum, and Hannah and Hannah’s daughter Sula, but also many others who boarded in her house.  There were three young boys, all named Dewey by Eva, who had arrived to the house at the same time.  Eva knew that if she named them all the same name it would make them feel as though they were equally loved and cared about.  Such name-calling created a positive camaraderie between them.  Also in the boarding house resided a drunk, Tar Baby, and various newlyweds.  Eva kept the whole house under control.

    Read More

  • The Complexity Of Identity Essay

    1339 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Identity

    1453 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Identity And Identity

    824 Words  | 2 Pages

    Social identities are multiple, they may even overlap and can be linked to differences and similarities of others. Sociologists such as Erving Goffman or Harold Garfinkel consider that identities are socially constructed. In general identities are understood as ‘what people do’, rather than ‘what they are’, the given example of a person in the street looking in shop windows carrying bags, buying things, would be seen as a shopper (Taylor 2009 pg173) illustrates this. In everyday life people’s identities are part of social lives, in a two way relationship. We make society as much as it makes us, this helps to create as well as maintains social order. Identities can be both negatively and positively valued, and they are not always chosen, they can be given also. Homeless people for example have been labelled with a negative identity of ‘street people’, this was given to them by ourselves, which are considered to have a much more positive identity. This t...

    Read More

  • Identity And Humanistic Identity

    860 Words  | 2 Pages

    Identities are like fingerprints, everyone has their own individual and unique characteristics. Where a person may leave their fingerprints in history is up to them. Identity is a person’s own sense of self, and who they are. Everyday a person carries around his/her identity and it effects how they act, the way they think, and how they interact with other people. Therefore, identity isn’t something that is tangible, you can’t carry it in your hands, but instead it is internal, what is inside of you, and your thoughts. Identity is essentially something that is central, but can be represented in other physical forms. Such as through art work or through diction. How a person may choose to reveal their identity will affect how the society around

    Read More

More about Toni Names

Open Document