IDENTITY

In the Merriam Webster College Dictionary, identity is defined as the distinguishing character or personality of an individual. Short though the definition is, I don’t think its meaning is simple. When it comes to someone’s identity, the word may include the environment where he grows up, the culture he belongs to, his originals, the role he plays in the society and other things that define him.

As soon as we were born, we got our family identity, our cultural identity. As we grew older, we attended schools and became students. The teachers taught us and help us develop our abilities. They had much influence on us. In this way, we got part of our identity. In addition, the schools we attended also gave us identity. In the future, we will find our place in the society and play a role in it. During the process, we attain our social identity. If we build a family, we will change our family identity. Someday, we die and our identity will never change and it can be a good summary of our life.

In the play “a raisin in the sun”, Walter is an American colored people and origins from slaves. He is poor and not well educated but he has a wild American dream. Asagai is a student from Nigeria, who studies in America. The descriptions above

can be regarded as their identity. The difference between their identity is not very big, but it varies a lot when it comes to their attitudes.

Walter doesn’t like his identity and tries a lot to change it. As a result, self-contempt catches him and it makes him bad mannered. What’s worse, others just cannot get along with him. On the contrary, Asagai is proud of the place and culture he comes from. So he is calm-mannered, self-confident and somewhat charming.

In my opinion, understanding, accepting and appreciating the unchangeable part of our identity is of vital importance, whether that part can benefit us or not. That makes the difference between Walter and Asagai and determines our happiness of our life.

To know one’s identity, he must try to understand his culture, check the process of growing up and find the characters that make him different from others. Then he has to find out how he feels and what to do. As for me, the most important parts of my identity are being a Chinese and being a student.

By Charles 00904091