With reference to ‘Presents from my aunts in Pakistan’, discuss what determines identity.
Every breathing creature on the ever-rotating earth has a unique identity. We often speak of one’s identity, and what properties make a person so diverse, exceptional and distinguishable. Identity is how we define ourselves, how we measure our capabilities, and it is the sum of what makes you who you are; your will; choices ;culture, language; religion; true nature; passions; tendencies. Thus, identity is not only who you are but is also how people see you, how you, as an individual reflect in society. A perfect picture of identity is set in the poem Presents from my aunts in Pakistan which is written by Moniza Alvi. The poem explores many themes, like: struggling with identity,assimilation, cultural differences and alienation where the young girl of mixed race is torn between two diverse cultures, she felt British thus was interested in Pakistani culture. The poem expresses the poet’s feelings and attitude, filled with a mixture of emotions about how Alvi felt as a young girl about her cultural identity. Throughout this essay, I am going to discuss how cultural diversity, alienation and assimilation can influence identity.
Although one’s identity is bound to be personal and exceptional, there are certain aspects that can affect identity;like cultural diversity. Cultural diversity is a range of different people of different origins, religions and traditions all living and interacting
This novel reveals that culture and language has a lot to do with forming one's identity. The type of culture and language a person has been surrounded with affects their sense of identity,
One's Cultural Identity Everyone's culture differs, it is one way that distinguishes one from others. It is acquired, everyone is raised from it, and it determines the way one view the world and others. Imagine being in place with others that have different perspective of culture. Culture greatly informs the way one views the world and others.
The Question of Identity According to Shahram Heshmat, author of “Basics of Identity”, “Identity is concerned largely with the question: “Who are you?” What does it mean to be who you are? Identity relates to our basic values that dictate the choices we make…”. But sometime within every human being’s life, a situation arises where someone is not able to identify themselves, and because of this they can act strangely and sometimes hostile.
In academic article “Who Am I” by Beverly Daniel Tatum; she talks about the complexity of identity, which defined as a person. She describes the multiple identities of different kinds of people and their significance in the community. She illustrate the how person past, historical event, family background, experiences, and thought of person has impact on the personal identification. The concept of past, present, and future, those characterize the person identity. She explains how gander of person is the part of identity, which build identity.
Identity speaks of who we are as individuals but it also comes from two different groups: social and cultural. These groups are connected to power, values and ideology. Social identities are related to how we interact with people and how we present ourselves. Meanwhile cultural identities relate to society in whole such as religion, values, etc. In this paper I will talk about the dominant and subordinate identities.
Identity is usually thought of as an individual characteristic. It pertains to ones self image, self-esteem, personal qualities, and behaviors. The “self” is an integration of where one comes from, where one lives, what one does, who or what one associates with, and one’s self-perception. However, it’s easy to underestimate the relationship that identity has with the perspective of others. Others opinions can have profound effects on people and their lives.
Embedded Assessment 1: My Cultural Identity My cultural identity is unlike any others. What you eat, wear,music i listen to things i do, and say all define who you are. I am my own person and there is no one exactly like me.
Introduction The concept of identity has been a notion of significant interest not just to sociologists and psychologists, but also to individuals found in a social context of perpetually trying to define themselves. Often times, identities are given to individuals based on their social status within a certain community, after the assessment of predominant characteristics that said individual has. However, within the context of an ethnicity, the concept identity is most probably applied to all members of the ethnical group, and not just one individual. When there is one identity designated for the entire group, often times the factor of “individuality” loses its significance, especially when referring to the relationship between the ethnic
Each individual has their own different social identity. One’s social identity is constructed based on the different influences around them. The development of social identity is influenced by various factors such as the historical, cultural and religious beliefs of the society, community or family where one is brought up. It is influenced by the behaviours and attitudes of authority figures such as parents, teachers and community leaders around them, it is also influenced by external factors such as the media, one’s peers and the overall exposure one has (Carrim, 2006, p56).
In this society it is very difficult to find your true identity, a lot of factors come into play, whether it is people or events that you encounter. Due to the large difference in both Pashtuns and Hazaras, the idea of power plays a strong role. People with power end up abusing it, which leads to the corruption of power. The core of identity is figuring out “who am I” and learning who you are is the core of your life’s journey.
Identity is social construct that many have mistaken for something an individual is born with. There are many aspects of identity that one can inherit like genes that can drive a certain type of character and certain aspects of identity a person can adopt and build for themselves. However the most part of one’s identity is consistent of what the person wants and adopts for themselves and what the society/the people around him/her choose to give him/her. Identity is a said to not remain unchanged once established.
While identity focuses on uniqueness such as how an individual is different from and similar to others, diversity focuses on the range of the difference and uniqueness such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, among others. Diversity should be seen as source of strength. However, it can also be a source of violence, oftentimes by those who fear or dislike difference. In the best light diversity is foundation for peacebuilding – since it enables us to draw strength and be respectful of difference. Identity and diversity are linked.
The issue of identity has been a field of interest for many researchers. They have presented many perspectives on identity, on its shifting nature, politics and complexities. To understand this complexity, it is important to establish opposites like I and him (Said, 1978; Gregory, 1994; Thrift, 1995). Identification of oneself is always related to this fact ‘who I am not’ and other people easily accept the identity of an individual which may not match to his (individual) identity even.
More than an issue itself, identity has become a prism through which other aspects of life and culture are viewed. Whiteness, blackness, ethnicity, racial background, geographical locations, religion, distinct
Cultural identity plays a very vital role in cross cultural communication, people from a particular culture communicate with partners and employees from many different cultures and in this situation every individual strives to keep their cultural and individual identity. According to Gardiner and Kosmitzki, identity is defined as “a person 's self-definition as a separate and distinct individual, including behaviours, beliefs, and attitudes” (Gardiner & Kosmitzki, 2008, p. 154). Also, Ting-Toomey defines identity as a "reflective self-conception or self-image that we each derive from our family, gender, cultural, ethnic, and individual socialization process"( Ting-Toomey, 2005). Both definitions bring out the generalisation of cultural identity