Blue is essentially a story of searching for identity and creating your own family. Written by Patricia Leavy the story follows three college roommates, as they each piece together who they are in their life after college. Following each characters involvement in relationships and inner dialogue, the book addresses the challenge young adults face coming out of college with finding their identity. Through her story life, Leavy has weaved together sociological themes that relate to identity seeking. Leavy’s book is a story that demonstrates how individuals form identity because it highlights themes of sociological theories, dramaturgy, and socialization. Though Leavy’s Blue is a work of fiction, the book is grounded in interview research and personal observation. As the story line shadows three postgraduate young adults, it includes sociological themes of identity formation. Tash, Penelope, and Jason are roommates, who are working various jobs or are in graduate school and struggling in different relationships. The characters are seen struggling to configure their identity through the relationships they are in and their occupations. Observing each character, the book draws attention to the inner dialogue and struggles they …show more content…
Goffman’s idea presents that people are dramatic in nature, in that they have a front stage and a back stage. When people present themselves to others, the front stage is how people want to presented and viewed by others.. The back stage refers to the natural personality of individuals, when they are representing themselves without any pretense. The story creates situations that highlight how interactions “bump” back stage struggles. In the book, Tash criticized others for missing people or not seeing what was really going on in a situation, while she herself did not see the back stage struggles her roommate was
Whether we’re students, first-time parents, or working in a new place, our identity is a compilation of all the things we have experienced. In the world of The Graduate, Braddock develops a separate identity through platonic sex with Mrs. Robinson and a love interest in Elaine that differs from the disconsolate attributes that defined Braddock’s identity early in the film. Similarly, I was able to discover a part of myself that had never previously existed. Through consciously making an effort to put myself in a discomforting situation, I was able to mature and grow as an individual. I’ve learned that it’s not in moments of comfort that we develop but rather in moments where we face aspects of our life that are uncertain that we are able to adapt and discover parts of our
Frequently, overcoming obstacles will enable people to grow but at other times have a pessimistic aftermath. Two texts that explore the concept of searching for identity are Melina Marchetta’s novel Looking for Alibrandi and Jessica Kean’s poem ‘Planet P’. In both texts the adolescent protagonist develops the relationship with others, through which the challenging events occur
Connections to the reader’s own life and understanding for the hardships of the characters in the book are easily made, as the characters are fleshed out and
In life, one will experience many hardships, but family will always be there to support one throughout the hardships. In the short story “Sonny’s Blue” by James Baldwin, the narrator, who is unnamed, struggles to help his brother, Sonny, with his hardships. Sonny, a recovering drug addict, struggles himself about his place and his purpose. Often times our family is there for us through the hard times, but the narrator’s subjective view may blur his perceptions of situations involving his brother, Sonny.
The Dynamic Nature of the Unnamed Narrator In James Baldwin’s Sonny’s Blues, the narrator has a major conflict where he chooses to distance himself from his brother, Sonny, who is an aspiring musician and drug addict. As the story progresses, this conflict is resolved as the narrator’s attitude changes which allows him to overcome this need for emotional detachment. In Sonny’s Blues, the narrator transitions from being judgmental and emotionally detached towards his brother to embracing his brother’s decisions and accepting him for whom he truly is. The narrator's criticism of Sonny and his decision to become a musician originates from his general view of musicians which reveals his judgmental nature.
A person’s identity changes much over time. The reasons may vary, from life experiences, friends, or merely growth, people go through a multifold of changes during his or her lifetime. In the novel Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech, we accompany thirteen-year-old Salamanca Tree Hiddle, as she walks her late mother’s footsteps to Lewiston, Idaho in an attempt to better understand her. As Sal travels throughout the country, she tells us her best friend Phoebe’s story, which in truth is just a cover for her own, or as she says “The reason Phoebe’s story reminds me of that plaster wall and the hidden fireplace is that beneath Phoebe’s story was another one. Mine.”
Beginning with the first chapter it stresses how the author
In Whistling Vivaldi, Steele explains a similar situation occurring at the University of Michigan. The racial segregation at the university causes many black students to blame their struggles on their race. Consequently, they do not realize that all types of students are facing similar problems.(166-167) In a similar fashion, student veterans might blame the problems they face on their identity, rather than see them as a normal occurrence in a college environment. Steele proposes that “fostering hopeful narratives about belonging in a setting” can work to correct the false idea that identity plays a role in negative experiences.(181)
William Shakespeare once said, "To thine own self be true, and it must follow as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man. " Dating back to Elizabethan Literature, self-identity has always been deemed as essential. Fast forward to modern times, the authors of more contemporary works have taken the same concept of identity but have revealed the way actions taken can influence an individual 's understanding of themselves. For example, in John Howard Griffin 's memoir, Black Like Me and Wes Moore 's memoir, The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates were both authors encounter lifestyles of similar individuals.
Each conflict the characters go through, relates back to how they
Identities are often defined through one’s experiences in life and passions. In Through a Lens Darkly,
We are all sold the American dream. We are told that if we pick ourselves up by the bootstraps, we can make our dreams happen. Not to say that is not possible, but no one mentions that broader sociological concepts will shape many, if not every, aspect of our lives along the way. No one explains that there will be people who cross the street when they see you, no one teaches you how to deal with the added pressure of being the only person that looks like you do in your classroom or office, and no one explains to you that you will live in a different world and receive vastly different treatment depending on what you look like. Fortunately, because of Claude Steele’s work in Whistling Vivaldi, we are introduced to concepts such as identity
Even in the world today, racial tensions remain high as the color of a person’s skin can easily affect their opportunities, but authors such as James Baldwin have created stories that make the reader think about such issues in a new light. Or more specifically, James Baldwin has given a glimpse of the light that is possible in the darkness of cities such as Harlem by giving the reader a glimpse into the impossibly blackness that surrounds a sinkhole, one that many African Americans at the time found themselves in. Within the story, “Sonny’s Blues” Baldwin both directly and indirectly shares how the roots of one’s childhood is a large motivating factor while he also pleads to constantly pursue passion, as it could eventually lead to change,
Usually, society views those who have a score of four and higher to be successful and adored by many. Therefore, an individual with a low score can cause society to view them negatively. As Lacie strives to maintain a positive impression on others, she depicts a performer of her own theatrical performance. By using a Symbolic Interactionist perspective, Nosedive is explained through Erving Goffman’s dramaturgical analysis which includes the aspects of front stage, back stage, and embarrassment. Goffman’s dramaturgical analysis depicts life in the form of a theatrical performance where everyday life represents a stage and each individual is a performer (Brym et al.
Outline and assess the dramaturgical approach of Erving Goffman. In your answer you should consider how Goffman’s ideas could be applied to an everyday situation of your choice. We are all social actors according to Erving Goffman. In everyday life, in every situation, we are continuously portraying ourselves in a certain way. We want to be perceived in a certain way, so we have different ‘masks’ for each social interaction we have.