Category: Personal Identity

Reductionism is a belief that all complex phenomena can be explained by simplifying the whole concept into basic constituent parts. In his book ‘Reasons and Persons’ Parfit outlines how a reductionist would explain personal identity. The idea is that by conceptually isolating certain features of a person, we can come to understand what the crucial feature is that bases the concept of a person. He claims a person’s existence to involve nothing outside of the physical and psychological experiences one has. He expands upon this in Chapter 10 of his book, ‘A persons existence just consists in the existence of brain and body, the doing of certain deeds, the thinking of certain thoughts, the occurrence of certain experiences, and so on.’ He claims all reductionist would accept this description.

He also highlighted a psychological criterion and a physical criterion to explain the components of ones identity in an attempt to simplify the ambiguous nature of what makes a person themselves. He outlined the psychological criterion as the non-branching mental continuity and/or connectedness between the facts and information one has experiences in their life. Parfit believed this to be where ones personality or identity stems from, so therefore personal identity can be reduced to this psychological continuity. Both the psychological and physical criterion rely on the idea of the continuity within a functioning brain, and this is where Parfit’s theory of persistence is supported. This means that one may persist over time as a result of being connected through a chain of links that are not affected by the passing of time or ones development. So resultantly, although a person 50 years in the past may appear physically or psychologically dissimilar to their current selves, the idea of continuity means they are still the same person. Furthermore, since personal identity exists only in psychological continuity, it takes a non-branching, or one-one form. Personal identity is, as Parfit puts it, ‘not what matters.’ What does matter is the psychological continuity and connectedness, and the intrinsic feature of a person that result.

Parfit acknowledges that his views on personal identity may be counterintuitive and contrary to what many people ordinarily believe the nature of a person is. Resultantly, Parfit states that ‘even if we are not aware of this, most of us are Non-Reductionists. It thus follows that most of us have false beliefs about our own nature, and our identity over time.’ As mentioned, a non-reductionist, for example, Cartesian view of personal identity outlines that a person is a mental substance rather than a brain and a body. What matters in the Cartesian perspective is the persistence of a nonphysical, mental ego that makes each person their own self. Parfit rejects the non-reductionist view, according to him, there is no Cartesian ego as shown by his ‘My Division’ thought experiment. This also acts as supporting evidence for his reductionist view.

As mentioned, some supporting evidence for Parfit’s can be found in his thought experiment ‘My Division’, which is present in Persons and Reasons. This theoretical explanation entails a fission of the two hemispheres of his brain which ‘have the same full range of abilities’ (p255), which are then transferred into another two ‘de-brained’ bodies. Allowing for the incredulousness of the example, we now have two fully functioning human organisms operating via the two halves of Parfit’s brain. Each of them should have the same psychological make up and continuity so therefore the same personal identity according to Parfit. Although the experiment has been criticised for its realism, Parfit defends it, it has been shown that our brains can indeed be split by dividing the corpus collosum, which is precisely what happens for split-brain patients undergoing surgery. Therefore, this may suggest a similar experiment could maybe be attempted in the near future to ratify his experiment. However, there are still many ethical concerns if this was to be put into practice so tangible support remains to be seen. ‘My Division’ is one of the cases that Parfit attempts to demonstrate that his ideas are accurate, however the support provided for his theories is not entirely valid.

The theoretical nature of the experiment means it is not very cogent and relies on empiricial assumptions that may suggest the conclusions found may have been affected by a biased interpretation. Parfit assumes that because split brain patients can function normally with only one half of their brain, one could split a brain in half and expect the same level of functioning. A functional plasticity of ones brain may allow it to take over various functions of an area of the brain that has been damaged, but until Parfit’s example has been falsified through legitimate experiment rather than conjecture it is difficult to accept this as support for his ideas. So resultantly, this reduces the credibility of Parfit’s case for reductionism.

INTRODUCTION

The study of Society and Culture enhances the development of social and cultural literacy, primarily focusing on the interactions between persons, societies, cultures, environments and time. Founded upon conceptually based topics, a variety of cross-disciplinary concepts are drawn upon, utilizing a series of social and developmental theories in the teachings of personal and social identity. In an attempt to better understand the development of identity and social self, numerous theorists have constructed explanations to account for these processes of socialisation, as well as the coming of age for individuals in a variety of social and cultural settings.

This essay will assess the relevance of David Elkind and Erik Erikson’s proposed theories concerning contemporary society, primarily through the encompassment of varied and conflicting aspects of society. The relevance and appropriateness of these theories will determine their inclusion within the Society and Culture syllabus.

ERIKSON’S 8 STAGES OF PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Erik Erikson was a stage theorist who was well-known for his expansion upon Sigmund Freud’s pre-existing theory of psychosexual development, further elaborating on previous knowledge and modifying this into eight stages. Erikson’s theory was founded upon the belief that resolution was absolute for development to occur, allowing for individuals to become successful and complete persons. Erikson’s theory categorises the lifespan into eight stages, each consisting of two conflicting or opposing ideas that require resolution when resolved successfully, contribute to feelings of confidence and satisfaction. This resolution inevitably results in the development of the social self and allows people to become contributing members of society. The failure to resolve controversy at any stage poses the opposite effect, causing feelings of dissatisfaction and inadequacy that may interfere during future stages.

The social self can be defined as a conscious experience in which one becomes aware of their personal identity, which is distinct from others. The foundations of Erikson’s theory suggest that development of the physical and social self is a continual process, built upon through constant adaptations and adjustments to the ever-changing circumstances that compose our lives. The psychological crises in each stage purely depend on the physiological and physical capabilities that occur simultaneously throughout one’s lifetime. For example, during the first stage of infancy, one couldn’t be expected to establish their own beliefs, values and attitudes before gaining a sense of independence, separating their mental state from others. This approach provides reasoning as to how one can achieve a full sense of self throughout their lifetime.

In a broader sense, Erikson’s theory is both inclusive and relevant to contemporary society, although concerns are surrounding the restriction in age within this theory, suggesting that social and physical development occurs simultaneously with a person’s age. This theory demonstrates a lack of understanding of the variation in key socialization agents that pose influence on an individual’s circumstances of living. There’s also much controversy surrounding Erikson’s research being predominantly male-based, lacking inclusiveness of the biological differences that can affect the development of women both socially and physically. Furthermore, this theory lacks consideration towards many aspects of contemporary society, primarily the use of media and contemporary communication technologies. Factors as such continue to play a prominent role in contemporary society, which this theory fails to account for in many instances. This indicates a lack of relevance in the application to contemporary society and suggests that aspects of this theory may require adjustment to fit the ever-changing circumstances of present times.

DAVID ELKIND’S THEORY OF ADOLESCENT EGOCENTRISM

David Elkind is an American child Psychologist, notorious for his contributions to psychology, specifically concerning adolescence. Elkind’s original conceptualization involved a variety of concepts that were believed to emerge during the early stages of adolescence, including ‘personal fable’ and the ‘imaginary audience’. His theory was founded upon the belief that adolescence is a sophisticated demographic stage, not merely just a period of transition, where individuals are often preoccupied with themselves, heavily anticipating other people’s responses and thoughts about themselves. Within the context of this theory, egocentrism is defined as the difficulty or inability to distinguish between the mental occupations of the self and those of other people. There’s been much debate surrounding the implications of adolescent egocentrism within educational settings, recognising this as a multi-faceted aspect, rather than a single dimension of development.

Very limited, but thorough academic research has been conducted to assess the validity of the two theoretical models that compose of Elkind’s theories; the personal fable and the imaginary audience. A study was conducted, involving 2,390 participants that varied between 11 to 21 years old. This was used to assess the variables by which this theory is measured, which were believed to lack validity and possess ideation patterns that hadn’t yet been explored. This served to highlight key problems that surrounded these constructs and assessed the role they play in adolescent development. The findings from this study concluded that the emergence of egocentrism possesses a powerful influence on behaviour each time an individual enters into a new environmental context of dramatically new life-situation. This transition could be considered especially significant in an educational context, which plays a major role during adolescence. Studies as such prompt more updated reviews, analysis and the potential application of his contributions in studying adolescents within the present, and more contemporary society. Whether this theory applies accurately to adolescents in the present society is controversial, leading some to believe that this theory is simply outdated. Elkind’s theory of adolescent egocentrism lacks enough depth to account for the development of one’s entire physical and social self. Furthermore, academic studies and encompassment of more modernised research could allow for this theory to be expanded upon in a way that poses more relevance to contemporary society.

RECOMMENDATION

Elkind’s theory demonstrates poor application to contemporary, demonstrating poor validity in its structure, and lacking the necessary depth to be included within the syllabus. The theory offers valuable concepts that could pose some sort of relevance to contemporary society, but the research behind Elkind’s theory suggests a lack of consideration towards the variations of persons, societies, cultures and environments that influence the primary focus of his theory, adolescents. Thus suggesting, if this theory were to be expanded upon to appropriately apply in contemporary society, and demonstrate the development of the physical and social self more prominently, it could be included within the syllabus in the future.

Erikson’s theory successfully accounts for the development of physical and social self, possessing some relevance to contemporary society. Whilst there are recognised flaws, incorporating this theory within the syllabus would provide the opportunity for students to critique and interpret this theory for themselves, expanding on their knowledge, about the complexities of the development of one’s physical and social self. Additionally, this theory could be used to exemplify how developmental theories may need to be expanded upon to meet the criteria of contemporary society, and cater to the variety in societies and cultures existing today.

Out of best interest for the syllabus, it would be advised that NESA includes Erik Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development within the teachings of Society and Culture, however, it would be advised that Elkind’s theory of adolescent egocentrism should be excluded until further notice or reassessment. These amendments to the syllabus have been suggested to integrate theories that best apply with contemporary society, as well as the subject matter.

CONCLUSION

A thorough assessment of these two theories has led to the suggestion that Erik Erikson’s theory is not only deemed appropriate but possesses great relevance and purpose within the teachings of the development of the physical and social self. The inclusion of this theory within the syllabus would be beneficial to both the students’ knowledge as well as the subject matter. On the other hand, David Elkind’s theory didn’t obtain the necessary depth and validity required to be deemed as appropriate to not only the Society and Culture syllabus but the application to contemporary society. This minor amendment to the syllabus will serve an array of benefits to not only the students but the subject matter itself.

A personal identity, level of self-esteem, and body image are all incredibly important to an individual’s mental health and well-being.

Personal identity refers to how a person sees themselves and it is very closely linked to self-esteem and body image. Personal identity I’d the way people see themselves and it is an important part of it because it affects the way people feel about themselves and how they behave in situations. Personal identity is what makes a person unique it is their values, characteristics, and personality. As a part of growing up people will establish their own personal identity, their feelings and experiences will build their level of self-esteem and inform their mental well-being. When establishing personal identity, self-esteem, and body image it is important that children and young people learn not to compare themselves to other people unfortunately this seems to be a problem in modern society, especially with areas such as social media, Instagram, they are pushing what they think are socially acceptable ideas of what they should look like but many looks are unachievable and in some instances unhealthy especially when images used are photoshopped or have filters applied. Being bombarded with images of particular types of looks or body shapes is potentially damaging to people who are trying to find their own personal identity and those that may have low self-esteem. They will be trying to achieve goals or targets to form their well-being which are just unsuitable for them and as mentioned before damaging as potentially they are unable to reach the goals and targets they are setting and this, therefore, reduces their chances of mental well-being. Both boys and girls can be affected by seeing images of people looking a certain way and this can affect them and increase their chances of self-harming and having eating disorders as a result of guilt and shame and wanting to achieve the perfect look or body image and not being able to. Low self-esteem and a poor body image can lead to negative self-talk, low mood, anxiety, and increased isolation. Research has found that after conducting interviews with 5,165 girls aged between 10 -17 that more than half of the girls that have low body esteem struggle to be assertive. The majority of those girls skipped meals and isolated themselves from friends and family. It also noted that in the UK 9 out of 10 girls with low body esteem stopped themselves from eating even though there was a risk to their health. This shows just how damaging the effects of low self-esteem and body image can have and that these effects can be long-lasting and extremely detrimental to one’s mental and physical health.

It would seem that low self-esteem and body image are affecting children at a younger age and that an increasing number of boys are also being affected. This has been noted to be a result of social media and the images that celebrities portray on their own pages. The pressure of what you look like is becoming more and more and unfortunately, those of an impressionable nature or those from risk groups can be greatly affected by seeing such images. Appearance is also one of the main causes of bullying in school. This could be from a body image point of view but also from a materialistic what are you wearing point of view. Has the person got their hair the ‘in’ color or do they have the latest designer top? This in itself can affect someone’s personal identity as they may not like the ‘in’ clothes and want to be more unique in their identity but they may feel pressure from those around them and be bullied to be like others.

There are organizations and groups that are looking to help increase people’s body image such as the Be Real Campaign where individuals and businesses can sign up to be more diverse in their marketing, use fewer filters or photoshop and be more inclusive. The networks are slowly gaining support which is great and means that children and young people will slowly get to see a more realistic representation of body image and learn that we are all amazing and should celebrate who we are and build positive self-esteem and body image so that we do not suffer from possible mental health concerns in later life.

Each year world’s population spend billions of dollars on self-improvement books, workshops, coaching, and stress-management programs to be superior, more tolerant, viable, compassionate, and charismatic version of themselves. But besides the speculations on what drives individuals to alter, there is a more crucial point argued by psychologists: can identity indeed be changed over time? There are often great hypotheses, but what does it mean in real life?

Personal identity is the concept you develop about yourself that advances throughout your life. This may incorporate perspectives of your life have no control over, such as where you developed up or the color of your skin, as well as choices you make in life, such as how you spend your time and what you accept. You show portions of your identity through what you wear and how you connected with other people. Identity can be changed due to the factors such as the aging process, sudden comprehension, life difficulties, the society in which a person lives, inspiration from successful people, and medical intervention, but some people confess these changes, referring that identity can’t be changed throughout the lifespan as we have same body and memories.

First of all, the changes in adolescence affect your personal identity and values by influencing you to reconsider and sometimes change who you are, and change your thoughts and opinions about certain things. It is all about growing up, and when we grow up, we experience new things, and sometimes we rethink our views or opinions about them. This process can often influence us to compare ourselves to others and become more like them, or can sometimes lead us to regret who we are because of what we see from others. Also, it may make us feel that we do not belong and that we need to change our identity to improve ourselves. However, this isn’t always the case. Adolescence just helps us to explore who we are, and to try things differently to see the final result, explore new things, and try something new. It leads us to face new challenges in our lives and allows us to see new possibilities and take new opportunities. Throughout adulthood, personal identity is reshaped because as our own body grows, we grow along with it. We become more mature and consider more things. For example, our appearance, choices, and decisions. During the aging process, we value things more suitable to our age and gender. For example, when you were four of five your favorite band may have been ‘The Pussycat Dolls’. But as you got older, you became interested in other things more suitable to your older age group, so you may have changed your opinion about these singers and prefer a band more categorized with your age group, for example, Jennifer Lopez. The point of this is that at certain stages in our lives, we may like something for a particular period, but as we get older our values begin to change, depending usually on how old we are, our gender, and the kind of publicity we are exposed to focusing on a particular person or thing.

Another interesting point is that comprehension of personality could be suddenly in a specific moment of life. It can be either identified at an early age or throughout the difficulties. The following statement can be exemplified in ‘The coming-of-age con’, where is the part about Salinger’s novel ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ where Holden cries with gladness because of learning what he wants from life just by looking at his sister’s happiness. As a result of the emotional boom, the novel’s hero found himself and it will help him to be part of society. A similar story happens with the fact that the main characters understand their thoughts mainly in the climactic moments. By the end, they ‘grow up’ and realize their own place in life.

What’s more, we are influenced much by the society we are in, and the people we are around. Society plays a huge role in the things we value because of what we are exposed to at certain times. Our personality can and will be impacted by the physical environment we find ourselves in, and the combination creates changes in our personality. Social roles matter, too. As someone becomes more invested in a job, they often become more conscientious; likewise, when someone becomes more invested in a long-term relationship, they tend to become more emotionally stable and have higher self-esteem. The more commitment is part of a person’s identity in any context, the more it appears to cause personality change.

Life difficulties faced by a person also can impact personal traits. Especially, betrayal, loss of a family member, and distend tend to change a person’s behavior and way of thinking. Most people passed through betrayal think about why this unpleasant situation happened and why that person did that. So, he or she will start to analyze everything and come up with the solutions, such as being more careful with people and being nimble. When it comes to the loss of a family member, depression for some period of time is inevitable. After sorrow, a person often reconsiders aspects of his/her life, leading him or her to be more serious and responsible. Usually, suffering from not curable illnesses such as cancer, and HIV/AIDS makes a person think about the real values of life and his/her attitude to life. For instance, a person who is always rude and nervous may transform into the type of person who is happy to live just another day of his or her life thanks to God.

Even so, personality change or transformation due to high ambitions is possible because individuals respond to their environments. Individuals may also want to change their personalities. Personality researchers are now beginning to address important questions about the possibility of lasting personality changes through intervention efforts. For example, when someone wants to be successful, he will try to change his or her habits, and approach to life. Probably, an inspired person will start to go to seminars, business trainings, or maybe will start to read books related to self-development. They will also learn and try to catch something from the lives of billionaires, such as Steve Jobs and Bill Gates.

Nowadays, identity can be changed with the help of medicine. What I want to say is that person refers to plastic surgery, which will after give him or her self-confidence. In ‘The Pitfalls of Plastic Surgery’, Camille Paglia states that “good surgery discovers and reveals personality; bad surgery obscures and distorts it”. The most popular reason for having cosmetic treatment is to improve self-esteem and ‘to look as good as I feel’. Plastic surgery is also a great opportunity to feel more confident for people ashamed of their appearance, for example, because of a car crash or a fire accident. Besides the fact that there is not still full information about side effects, plastic surgery gives hope for a better life to people around the world.

On the other hand, some people suggest that personal identity persists over time because a person occupies the same body from birth to death. It is true because numerically a person is dealing with the same physical body. But it is not like an individual consists of all of the same identical aspects that he/she had when he/she was born. All cells of the body biologically replace every 5 years, and red blood cells only live about 4 months before they are cycled out, even the skeleton is regularly being remodeled. So, a person is constantly being replaced by new physical versions of himself/herself. For instance, 35-year-old Sam, Andrew’s mother, has a car crash and was seriously injured. In order to keep her alive, doctors have to remove her uninjured brain from her skull and transplant it into the body of a 21-year-old African girl who recently died from a brain tumor. The operation was successful. In this situation, would you tell Andrew that his mother was still alive?

John Locke believed that identity persists over time because you retain memories of yourself at different points, and each of those memories is connected to one before it. Let’s imagine that you are at a school reunion 10 years later and you wanted to know whether someone was the same person as you remember 10 years ago. To know this, a conversation with that person and talking about past memories from school is enough. If the person recalls those moments, you would conclude it is the same person. But there is a problem: if personal identity requires a memory, then none of us became who we are until our first memory.

Differentiating from the past to become whom you want to be is neither a matter of conforming to old identities nor rebelling against them, but of finding our own way. This isn’t as simple as it sounds. On a typical and emotional level, changing our sense of identity can feel like we’re breaking the bond or illusion of connection or merger with our origin where the identity was formed. It can feel like a kind of companionship or connection to keep distinguishing ourselves in terms of our old identity, and there’s a core resistance to forming an improved image of ourselves and making a new way of living. It’s frightening to alter and assume a new identity that’s more positive. It takes a lot of courage, understanding, knowledge, and persistence, but not eventually we got to take control if we want to live our life.

Identity can be defined as the way you think about yourself, the way you view the world and the characteristics that define you. It is a typical feature for authors to create unique identities for their characters which shapes the rest of the book. Both novels explore the ambitions, dreams and personality of their protagonists in order to portray their sense of identity. Firstly, both Gatsby in ‘The Great Gatsby’ and Baba in ‘The Kite Runner’ attempt to create an personal identity for themselves through wealth. Gatsby is an epithet of wealth which is seen through his lavish parties and his bright yellow Rolls Royce. Through Nick’s narrations we find out that Gatsby hasn’t been wealthy his whole life and was quite poor in his childhood in which he begins to create this dream of the perfect life which then forms his identity. Also, Baba has worked endlessly for his wealth in Afghanistan which has landed him a high rank in the Afghan society thus forming his identity. Secondly, both Gatsby and Baba’s create a national identities are also shaped through the community around them. Baba is well respected in Afghanistan which has caused people to have a particular perception of him which he is ultimately forced to live up to. Likewise, Gatsby has two communities that build his identity; one is a temporary community which are the people at his parties that do not recognize him whereas the other is the characters he interacts verbally with such as Nick, Daisy, Tom and Jordan which makes them his inner community. The authors both create a question of whether these factors of identity enables them to live successfully and fulfill the American dream for Gatsby and national identity for Amir and Baba. Therefore, the exploration of identity is essential for establishing whether the protagonists live successfully.

The first question both authors raise is how wealth shapes the identities of characters. This is explored through the amount of power and influence the main protagonists gain as a result of their riches. Wealth in ‘The Great Gatsby’ allows the reader to see the influence of money on Gatsby’s life and how it enables him to attract Daisy which is his end goal. At the beginning of the novel, Gatsby is living at the high point of his American dream by having these lavish parties with “coloured lights” which shows his dream required having an enormous amount of wealth in which he could show off in these extraordinary parties. Fitzgerald creates a motif for Gatsby’s wealth as the unique “green light” that gleams from Daisy’s house. The colour green is a symbol of wealth. Gatsby associates the colour green with Daisy because he believes that he needs to earn money in order to make Daisy interested in him again, showing how green also represents Gatsby’s ambitions and hopes. Furthermore, this green light is reiterated when Gatsby shows his wealth to Daisy where he mentions “You always have a green light that burns all night at the end of your dock” but Daisy shows little reaction to this which makes him doubtful as the “significance of that light had now vanished forever”. He realises the great distance between his dream and reality which is shown by the gap between Daisy’s and Gatsby’s homes. Fitzgerald’s use of colour demonstrates how Gatsby’s wealth shapes his identity because it is what attracts people to him. For example the attention of Daisy as she has a lust for money. Gatsby makes her cry over his wealth as her voice becomes “muffed in the thick folds” as such had never seen “such beautiful shirts before”. This implies Gatsby uses his wealth for recognition as when he was alone with Daisy, he was inept to express himself and is unable to develop his relationship with her. As soon as he began to speak about his wealth, Daisy suddenly felt emotional and had more interest in him which shows her obession with money. As the critic Thomas Flanagan said “Gatsby is somewhat vague. The reader’s eyes can never quite focus upon him” which shows that the reader can only view Gatsby in terms of his wealth because nothing else is said about his identity. Therefore, Fitzgerald shows, Gatsby uses his wealth to socialise and make relationships with people as the first thing they notice is his wealth but not him as a person making wealth a significant part of his identity or else he is “Mr nobody from Nowhere”.

Likewise, in ‘The Kite Runner,’ wealth is a vital part of Afghanistan which makes Baba and his family unique from others in the Afghan society. Before the people’s democratic party of Afghanistan violently took power in 197.8 people were able to live substantial lives. This meant that they were able to live …….. It was after this when people began to live in poverty. This is seen in the novel as Baba was able to enjoy his wealth until he had to leave Afghanistan due to the violence. Prior to this Baba obtained his riches through having a “wildly successful carpet-exporting business, two pharmacies and a restaurant” in Kabul. Hosseini establishes that wealth is more important for Baba than for Amir because Amir thinks that it causes a rift between him and other children in Kabul. This is highlighted as Hosseini creates a narrative voice through Amir where everything is told through his perspective as he exaggerates his father as having “hands that looked capable of uprooting a willow tree” implying that Baba is a harsh, unremorseful person. Also the natural imagery in the “willow tree” coudl imply that he is down to earth However, this is ironic because he uses his wealth for good by building an orphanage due to his love for children. Therefore, Baba is not selfish and is a worthy man which the reader would not expect due to Amir’s negative perceptions of his father. Wealth creates a charitable identity for Baba as he uses it to benefit others as well as himself. Also, he uses his money for pleasure as he often held “extravagant parties” which shows how wealth has opened doors for Baba since everyone in Kabul would not be able to achieve the same lifestyle as him. This has made everyone in the society interested and updated on their lives as his “father was rich, and everyone knew him” showing how people associate money to Baba and Amir. Baba’s wealth kept his pride therefore the migration to America had a huge impact on him which reflects how the invasion of Soviets in 1979 heavily impacted the lives of Afghans. Hosseini centralises the theme of wealth in Baba in order to show how before the Soviet’s ruined Afghanistan people were able to live happy wealthy lives if they worked hard but this was no longer possible due to the constant fighting. In America Baba worked at a gas station and ultimately, he lost a huge part of his identity as he was no longer able to live the rich lifestyle he had previously. In addition, Wealth gave Baba his personality and motivation for life as it gave him power as people in Kabul looked up to him and respected him. This is shown when Amir describes how he “could never tell Baba from the Bear “implying Baba’s broad nature through associating his strict, “black and white” characteristics with a bear. Bears hold great power in their society so Hosseini using the bear as a symbol of Baba portrays the amount of influence he has gained due to his wealth. Hosseini shows how wealth is important for identity as it led to Baba’s downfall as without this in America, he is essentially nobody and loses his privileges that he gained in Afghanistan, degrading his life. Overall both authors explore identity through wealth as it was everything to Baba and Gatsby without this both novels would be fickle, and it would be difficult for them to achieve their dreams and build a community.

Another question both authors raise is how individuals’ identities are shaped by the community that surrounds them. At first, Gatsby seems highly sociable because of the flamboyant parties he conducts. However, the people who attend these parties “were not invited” and therefore use Gatsby’s wealth and resources for their own pleasure and make no impact on him and his identity as they don’t even recognise him. Gatsby allows himself to be exploited; “Sometimes they came and went without having met Gatsby at all” which is unusual as normally people greet the host of a party. They exploit Gatsby’s setting to make their own connections. Fitzgerald does this to give the reader an insight into the emptiness of his life and his struggle in trying to build a community. Wealth makes it difficult to make genuine connections as his community is only temporary at the parties but when they leave he is left with only Nick. However to an extent they add to the achievement of his dream because the reader can assume that having an eventful lifestyle like this is part of Gatsby’s dream or he wouldn’t conduct parties as great as these. The parties allow him to climb up the social ladder and be a part of Daisy’s community of the elite in society as she’s the wife of Tom who is a key member of the elite. These parties are used to attract Daisy and ultimately bring his inner friends to him as they are attracted to the parties as with everyone else. This highlights Gatsby’s attempt to extend his community to include Daisy which ultimately fails because she “hasn’t sent a message or a flower” to show her admiration towards Gatsby leaving him desolate. This could reflect Fitzgerald’s struggle to marry Zelda Sayre while stationed at Camp Sheridan in Alabama as she wanted him to be rich before she would marry himer. This shows like Zelda, Daisy has high standards in order for Gatsby to earn her approval which he does not gain through her lack of sympathy of Gatsby’s death. Nick “had been actually invited” which showed he was a key figure in Gatsby’s life as he even earned the nickname “old sport”. Fitzgerald shows Gatsby’s many struggles to form an identity in New York by making him attempt to create a genuine community who he could relate with and who could support him through his journey of being successful in America.

Likewise, Afghanistan is a highly collectivist culture where everyone in the community is interconnected in one way. Through the characterisation of Baba Hosseini presents Baba as a key figure of the Afghan community as everyone respects him due to his affluence making him a mediator of the community. This is seen through the opening ceremony of the orphanage Baba built which received an uplifting response from the community as everyone “stood up and cheered”. Through this we see how the community has influenced Baba’s identity as he has a social responsibility and having a figure of a leader is naturally part of him. Hosseini may be reflecting on his childhood as his father was also a key figure of the Afghan community as diplomat in the Foreign Ministry of the Afghan government which like Baba’s position made him viewed in a certain way. This could lead to the interpretation that Baba is forced to live up to this identity of being reputable in the community because of his title like Hosseini’s father. Additionally, Baba held up the community by reflecting his morals upon them such as “there is only one sin, only one. And that is theft”. The broken-up nature of this sentence through the use of commas and full stops implies how Baba is passionate about this concept and how he maintains this principle no matter the circumstance. Furthermore, Hosseini implies that there are cracks in the community as “despite Baba’s successes people were always doubtful of him” showing that the community may not have stored as much faith in him as initially thought. This symbolises the uncertainties of Baba like his lack of faith in Amir. Baba’s authoritarian nature towards Amir may have derived from the pressures of being a leader in the Afghan community. Hosseini deliberately uses Kabul’s community perception of Baba in order to demonstrate the importance of an individual’s community in creating an identity and making someone who they are.

Both Fitzgerald and Hosseini explore how the two main factors of identity wealth and community enable their main protagonists to live successful dreams. Gatsby’s dream was living through the “unreality of reality” where he can create the world out of his imagination. Critic Byung Woo Yoon claimed that the failure of the ‘American dream’ is a “corrupt materialism fatally inherent in the American dream” meaning that wealth destroys one’s ability to achieve the dream where this is in fact the opposite. This applies to GGatsby as he became very powerful through his wealth and status which enabled him to attract his inner community, especially Daisy, as she is shown to be materialistic, especially when described as “her voice is full of money”. Through these factors, Fitzgerald establishes what the dream meant to Gatsby and shows how Gatsby literally imagined himself in a certain lifestyle and made it a reality to an extent. Fitzgerald shows that dreams require a change in an individual to be achieved, mentally you need to envision your life in a particular way and just make it happen. Dreams are not real, so you have to work for it is the message Fitzgerald is attempting to portray to the reader. He shows through Gatsby that you have to “run faster, stretch out our arms farther” in order to achieve the American dream. The metaphor used here embodies what the American dream meant, as in the 1920s/30s people aspired to live in a particular way of having a detached house, children and cars which shows how you have to imagine how life would be life in order to make your dreams exist like Gatsby. However, these factors fail to satisfy Gatsby’s needs. Daisy is a huge part of his dream and this goal outweighs wealth and community. The reason Gatsby becomes rich and builds a community around him is for Daisy who is the part missing from his identity making his American dream incomplete. Therefore, Fitzgerald shows these two big parts of his identity are unable to fulfill his desires and ultimately mean nothing at the end of the novel as he was unable to get the love of his life and died a lonely man with no one turning up to his funeral.

Likewise, Hosseini shows how Baba and Amir hold importance to their national identity in order to maintain their already disturbed dream. Amelia Hills claims that The Kite Runner is a “rich and soul-searching narrative” which is shown through Amir’s development in America as he becomes his own person, but this is not applicable to his father who already has his perfect life in Afghanistan. Both Amir and Baba had great lives in Afghanistan at the beginning of the novel where they were in the mist of their Afghan dream where Baba was rich and well respected in his community. However, when the Soviet took over this dream changed, and it was moving to America to get away from the violence. Hosseini making Amir and his father move to America is significant as it was an attractive place especially in the 80s where getting visas to America was highly competitive as it was reduced only to fifty thousand a year. Also, at this time the American dream was about making a good amount of money and living life to the fullest, it provided many opportunities to live a happier life. Without Baba’s wealth and his reputation made through his community he would not have been able to escape the violence as only those who were affluent had the opportunity to leave Afghanistan. Amir and Baba used this opportunity to leave their disturbing past behind to start afresh which reflects what the American dream was to immigrants. This was to improve their lives and enable their children to have a prosperous future. Ffor example, how Amir finished his education and became a writer. For Amir specifically, the move to America was “a place to bury [his] memories” of Hassan and form an identity as he felt that due to his privileged upbringing, he never felt truly Afghan. The change of the meaning of dream is shown through the narrative structure. The novel is told chronologically up to the point of Hassan’s rape where this event led to Amir being reminiscent of the past by telling past stories. The novel fluctuates from the past and present which could represent the change in their goals (dreams). Which Baba still considered Afghan values while still in America which connected him to his past and maintained part of his identity as American was a “place to mourn”. Therefore, Hosseini portrays identity as an important part of dreams because in order to successfully achieve your dream you need to establish your community in order to relate with them. Baba was already in his dream in Afghanistan however for Amir this was just the beginning when they moved to America. This shows how wealth may not be valid as a factor of identity because without wealth Baba and Amir built a stronger relationship which was part of their ambition thus showing how “dreams wilt before they bud” as Amelia smith claims.

Overall, Fitzgerald and Hosseini explore identities by focusing on their wealth and community aspects of their lives. They then portray whether being rich and having a strong influence in society either improves or degrades their individual dreams. Fitzgerald shows through making delusions a reality in order to show how dreams are meant to be aspirational in order for one to achieve them if Gatsby didn’t imagine himself he would not have achieved his American dream. Hosseini shows how Amir wanted to be free of the shadow of his father in order to achieve his dream however his father lost himself in the immigration to America showing that his dream was ultimately taken away from him. The Great Gatsby was written in 1925 whilst the Kite Runner was written in 2003 and are culturally different however they both display the same concepts showing how the idea of having a “dream” like the American and Afghan dream is still popular and shows how people still strive to live life to the fullest.

A Discussion Between Socrates and Hume on Personal Identity and Moral Agency

On a quiet Sunday afternoon, Socrates and Hume meet at a coffee shop in a small town, well away from the hectic big city. They explore the philosophical topics of personal identity and moral agency and find their philosophies differ greatly.

Hume leans back in his chair and considers his guest. “What are your thoughts on the subject of personal identity, Socrates?”

Socrates sets down his cup of tea and folds his hands on the table. “To think well of himself, a man must be in pursuit of the virtues. He must be wise, courageous, temperate, and just. A man must have all of the virtues to be just. An unjust man is not virtuous. A man who is virtuous is a happy man. He cannot be happy if he is not virtuous. A man must obtain knowledge to be virtuous. An ignorant man is not virtuous.”

“Do you not say one cannot achieve virtue, but one can work toward it if he has defined it?” Hume asks.

“He will live a good life in pursuit of virtue if diligent in his knowledge and attempts.” Socrates smiles. “Your view on personal identity, Hume?”

Hume nods slowly. “To have a strong personal identity, a man must be morally beautiful. To be morally beautiful, a man must have natural virtues, such as benevolence, generosity, compassion, gratitude, and friendship. A man is morally ugly if his vices include being corrupt, abusive, greedy, and hateful. For example, a man is morally beautiful if he has joy in helping others. A man is morally ugly if he is forced to help others and finds resentment in the act.”

Hume drinks from his coffee cup before he goes on to ask, “Your philosophy on the moral agency?”

Socrates responds, “Justice above all else will help a man with a positive moral agency. Justice is in society. To be just, one must do right by society. One must use his talents and abilities to fulfill his role and be of the best benefit to society. He must make good choices that benefit society. To benefit society, his personal beliefs must be in line. Treating others well, not harming them, is a virtue of justice.”

Hume looks thoughtful. “I can’t disagree with you more on the subject. Justice is an artificial virtue, as are good manners, obeying laws, and government allegiance, among others. All come about only out of necessary circumstances. A man must have strong natural virtues that can be both a part of his personal identity as well as his moral agency. If he is benevolent, others benefit from the act, as they do if he is generous.”

“My teacup is empty.” Socrates offers Hume a smile. “It is time for me to go.”

“A pleasure as always, my good friend.”

Socrates and Hume do have differing philosophies on personal identity and moral agency, and it was interesting learning more about this overheard conversation.

References

1. Brown, E. (2017). Plato’s ethics and politics in the Republic. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.), The Stanford
2. Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2017). Retrieved from https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2017/entries/plato-ethics-politics/
3. Cohon, R. (2018). Hume’s moral philosophy. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.), The Stanford Encyclopedia of
4. Philosophy (Fall 2018). Retrieved from https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2018/entries/hume-moral/
5. Doyle, J. (n.d.). Socrates and Plato on moral psychology. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/11974728/Socrates_and_Plato_on_Moral_Psychology
6. Schier, F. (1986). Hume and the aesthetics of agency. Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, 87, new series, 121-135. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.libproxy.nau.edu/stable/4545059

Let me start by asking you all some questions, who are you, what is your purpose, what do you aspire to be? Now I’m sure some of you have your whole future seemingly planed out but, for the large majority of us we’re still unsure. In psychology, the concept of identity is described as “the qualities, beliefs, personality, looks and/or expressions that make a person or group”. The 2011 Novel, The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid, takes this concept on identity and explores it through the actions of the main protagonist Changez. In his second novel, Mohsin Hamid, a distinguished Pakistani author, admired for his thought-provoking, often political and profoundly intricate novels, conjures a layered account of love and loss, ambition and nostalgia, that sets his Pakistani protagonist’s romantic and professional quests in the US alongside the purposes of two allied nations who function at times almost as enemies. The novel portrays Changez’ dilemmas as well as challenges which threaten his personal identity in a foreign culture that he is compelled to conform and adapt to. The novel brings to light the theme that Changez’ foreign identity is at risk due to cultural conflicts that result in the transformation of his identity and ethnicity for the gain of America’s hegemony. Changez’ journey of identity can be broken down into three different phases, Phase 1: Establishing of an American persona, Phase 2 :the transition (the active search and test of his identity) and Phase 3: The rejection of American values and realignment with his home land. As a result, it is evident that Changez’ relationship with America most certainly influences and transforms his personal identity. Today, I will explore how and to what extent Changez’ relationship with America influences his everchanging personal identity in the events before, during and after 9/11.

Changez is the Pakistani protagonist of the novel. He was born in Lahore, Pakistan, and attended Princeton University after being the recipient of a scholarship. When we the readers are first introduced to Changez, we are lead to believe he is a rather naïve, innocent person, grateful for all the opportunities he was lucky enough to receive. This is apparent on the first two pages of the book where Changez states when talking to the unnamed American about his time at Princeton, “This is a dream come true. Princeton inspired in me the feeling that my life was a film in which I was the star and everything was possible.” Here we see Changez embracing the American lifestyle, he sees America as a land of opportunity where he has a chance to transform his life. This is even more apparent in Chapter 3 when Changez says, “In a subway car, my skin would typically fall in the middle of the colour spectrum. On street corners, tourists would ask me for directions…I was immediately a New Yorker. What? My voice is rising? You are right; I tend to become sentimental when I think of that city.” This suggests that Changez believed New York to be the place for him. In New York, he seemed to fit in with the Americans as he felt a sense of belonging and importance. Changez’ employment at Underwood Sampson also contributed to establishing his American persona.

The Bluest Eye is a book ahead of its time. Published in 1970, The Bluest Eye tells the story of an 11-year-old girl, Pecola who fervently wishes for beautiful blue eyes, in the hope that happiness love and acceptance would follow. Though many of the characters in the bluest eye possess dark and gloomy lives their stories shine a light on many of the problems modern society has today. Furthermore, Morrison uses this book as a vehicle to drive discussions on various controversial issues, such as poverty, religion, and the pursuit of identity. This paper will attempt to explore these topics by contrasting the events within the novel with current statistics, research and history, to see how closely The Bluest Eye mirrors our society.

Many of the African American characters in The Bluest Eye are poor. Poverty, similarly, to the cycle of negativity, affects people in more ways than one such as their behavior and brain development, further dragging them toward a life of unhappiness and un-fulfilment. Pecolas interaction with Soaphead Church highlights the inherently destructive nature of poverty. As various studies show, poverty has many negative effects on human psychology. In a series of experiments, researchers found that individuals “preoccupied with money problems showed a decline in cognitive function akin to a 13-point drop in IQ (similar to losing an entire night’s sleep)” (Sleek, Scott). In one of the experiments researchers ran, they found that rich participants tended to make less desperate choices, with rich participants tending to avoid high-cost borrowing while poor participants were quick to take loans, overborrowed, ran out of time faster, and ultimately left the lab with less money when the study was over (Sleek, Scott). Behavior like this is very similar to that of Pecola, as she exhibited less self-control when she encountered Soaphead Church. Desperate for blue eyes, Pecola was quick to fall for Soaphead’s deception, by heeding his command and feeding poisoned meat to the dog near the porch. The similarities continue, just as the poor participants ended up with less than what they had at the beginning of the study, after Pecola’s interaction with Soaphead she loses her mind therefore, walking away with much less than what she began with.

Identically in The Bluest Eye, Economic inequality continuous to cripple the African American community. Recent economic studies show that though the black unemployment rate has dropped from the height of 16.8 percent during the great recession, the African American community remains at the top of the unemployment ladder with a current unemployment rate of 6.6 percent. Overall “black families still earn less than all families nationwide” (Carolyn B. Maloney). The typical black family had essentially no wealth in the late 60s as they earned an annual income of about $2467 today that figure is 6 times larger at $17,409. Though an improvement, when basic needs such as food, paying for education, putting a down payment on a house and health insurance are considered there hasn’t been much improvement. Over the same period, the wealth of the typical white family has tripled to $171,000. One of the most important forms of wealth for working, middle-class families is home equity. Its importance is heavily emphasized within The Bluest Eye through the concept of the “outdoors”. Within The Bluest Eye the narrator says:

Knowing that there was such a thing as outdoors bred in us a hunger for property, for ownership. The firm possession of a yard, a porch, a grape arbor. Propertied black people spent all their energies, all their love, on their nests. (Morrison 17)

As Claudia explains, being put “outdoors” means you were homeless with nowhere to go. Within the black community in the novel, there exists an important difference between people who rent and those who own houses. As those who own houses are much safer and secure as they are not constantly facing the possibility of eviction and subsequent homelessness. Even though black people are lower class in The Bluest Eye, homeownership is a great way to raise one’s status in society. And this is true in the real world, as house ownership for white households are high, at 71.1 percent while house ownership for black households remain low and virtually unchanged from 1968, going from 41.1 percent to 41.2 percent. So, if a good solution to poverty is house ownership why don’t more African Americans own homes? The narrator describes the Breedloves current housing situation saying:

The Breedloves did not live in a storefront because they were having temporary difficulty adjusting to the cutbacks at the plant. They lived there because they were poor and black, and they stayed there because they believed they were ugly. (Morrison 18)

Here, Morrison clarifies that this living condition doesn’t represent a temporary housing situation. The Breedlove are poor, and they don’t even aspire to become homeowners. They are hopelessly acceptant of their situation and never take action to change the situation. Though this might be due to their perceived ugliness, which creates a feeling of hopelessness, in the modern society this feeling of hopelessness may stem from something else. By looking at an ever-increasing state of economic inequality, as well as a lack of growth within one’s community such as the African American community, one can begin to feel hopeless in trying to embark on economic ventures such as purchasing homes or beginning a business. The feeling of inadequacy may begin to weigh in and further halt any hope for possible improvement.

Poverty is not always the lack of something tangible, it could be lack of intangible yet valuable assets such as love, emotional support and confidence. The Breedlove family exemplify this sort of poverty. By looking at the Breedlove family one can see they lack a lot of the integral basic, and foundational characteristics of a family such as love, emotional support, and confidence. Furthermore, when this knowledge is combined with recent studies on the effects of poverty in the earliest years of childhood, one can further comprehend Pecola’s subsequent madness. A study by the American Psychological Association (APA) showed that a lack of parental support during childhood is associated with increased adult depression and chronic Health Problems. The researchers analyzed responses from 2,905 adults from the ages 25-74. The participants were asked on the available emotional support from mothers and fathers during childhood with questions such as “how much could you tell her or him about the things that’s were bothering you?” and “how much love and affection did she or he give you?”. Furthermore, depressive symptoms as well as chronic health conditions and self-esteem were assessed through the survey. The results of this study showed that a lack of parental support in childhood is associated with increased levels of depressive symptoms and chronic health conditions (such as hypertension, arthritis and urinary problems). Similarly, Pecola’s lack of parental support was a strong influence in her deteriorating mental state and self-esteem. Her father, Cholly Breedlove is hardly present in Pecola’s life, in addition he rapes her. Her mother, Pauline Breedlove is harsh and cruel towards Pecola. To Pauline, a small white girl is more deserving of her motherly love than Pecola who is her daughter. Pauline gives no love to Pecola, instead she forces Pecola “toward respectability, and in so doing taught her fear: fear of being clumsy, fear of being like their father, fear of not being loved by God, fear of madness like Cholly’s mother’s” “fear of growing up, fear of other people, fear of life”(Morrison p.128). The intense poverty in not only a lack of money but also parental and emotion support contributed to Pecolas self-hate and thus her fall to madness. Similarly, to the Breedloves economic poverty, Pecolas mental state is weak, depressed and declining. Pecola’s mental state represents a mental condition shaped by generations of familial deterioration.

Religion is a tool, due to this it can be used to enrich lives with purpose and fulfilment, but it can also be used to disfigure lives as well. In the Bluest eye it is used for the later as it has completely stripped the identities of the African American characters and left them as hollow shells of their former selves. Due to the incompatibility the western theological model of religion with the African American characters, they are forced to follow an inappropriate and ultimately self-defeating guide to happiness (Alexander). Western theology contains the belief that good and evil exist as separate forces, that God is inherently good and always will be, as well as that the source of evil is from another place or entity entirely. Due to this, Western theology fails to address the evils the characters face. This is very different from Morrison’s belief, to her “evil exists because God had created it” (Alexander). Morrison expresses this belief in the bluest eye when she describes the Breedlove family saying:

It was as though some mysterious, all-knowing master had given each one a cloak of ugliness to wear, and they had each accepted it without question. The master had said, ‘You are ugly people. They had looked about themselves and saw nothing to contradict the statement; saw, in fact, support for it leaning at them from every billboard, every movie, every glance. ‘Yes,’ they had said. ‘You are right.’ And they took the ugliness in their hands, threw it was a mantle over them, and went about the world with it. (Morrison 39)

The description of the ugliness alludes to something otherworldly. As Alexander points out, “it seems that much more than human forces are working against them” (Alexander), for “the earth itself might have been unyielding” (Morrison 9) to their existence. Due to their environment, the Breedlove are forced to believe they are ugly, they accept it further supporting their self-hate.

Other incompatibilities between the western theological model and the African American characters are highlighted with Soaphead Church. Morrison uses Soaphead Church to underline how easily religion can be used as a tool to justify evil. The journey towards purity is a strong theme within Western theology. Believers often partake in various activities, to purify themselves from sin. Soaphead uses this belief as a justification for his inappropriate behaviour. The narrator says

His sexuality was anything but lewd; his patronage of little girls smacked of innocence and was associated in his mind with cleanliness. He was what one might call a very clean old man” (Morrison 166)

Soaphead claims to be a “very clean old man” (Morrison 166) due to his attraction to little girls. His sexual attraction to young girls is nothing more than a deluded attempt to purify himself, both racially and spiritually. Soaphead highlights the contradictory nature of Western theology, by using it to justify his paedophilia as an act of purity. Similarly, Western theology has been historically used to justify and support other evils such as imperialism and slavery. Through the spreading of Christian doctrine, European nations like France, Great Britain and the Netherlands sought to educate and reform African culture. During the late 19th century, European nations increasingly fought for global power, in an attempt to influence and change nations regionally, culturally and politically. To do this, nations like Great Britain and France needed a justification for expansion and Western theology in the form of Christianity, served as the perfect guise by which Western governments justified the exploitation and conquest of African nations. Morrison expertly underlines this intricate feature of deception within religion with a spineless character like Soaphead church who effortlessly wields religion as a crutch which can be used to validate his insidious actions.

Literature is an imitation of human life and action. It often is a reflection of human society. Not only does it reflect the society, but it serves as a mirror through which individuals can look at and sometimes within themselves, to see a need for a positive change. Through this definition, one can see how much of a masterpiece The Bluest Eye is. Morrison’s discussion on poverty, religion, and the pursuit of identity within The Bluest Eye has highlighted a lot of issues plaguing our society. Her characters have served as mirrors in which many can relate and work towards a better future for themselves and their community. Through her maybe one day a work of literature could accurately reflect the story of happy, fulfilled and thriving African American community.

Reference page

1. Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye. Alfred A. Knopf, 2019.
2. Sleek, Scott. “How Poverty Affects the Brain and Behavior.” Association for Psychological Science – APS, https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/how-poverty-affects-the-brain-and-behavior.
3. Mani, A., Mullainathan, S., Shafir, E., & Zhao, J. (2013). Poverty impedes cognitive function. Science, 341, 976–980. doi: 10.1126/science.1238041
4. Alexander, Allen. ‘The fourth face: the image of God in Toni Morrison’s ‘The Bluest Eye.’.’ African American Review, vol. 32, no. 2, 1998, p. 293+. Literature Resource Center, https://link-gale-com.ezproxy.aacc.edu/apps/doc/A21059958/GLS?u=aacc_ref&sid=GLS&xid=d914701f. Accessed 11 Dec. 2019.
5. J.D. Fage, A History of Africa Third Edition, 1995 11 New Fetter Lane London.
6. Shambaugh, Jay, et al. “How Racial and Regional Inequality Affect Economic Opportunity.” Brookings, Brookings, 19 Feb. 2019, https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2019/02/15/how-racial-and-regional-inequality-affect-economic-opportunity/.
7. “Psychological Perspectives on Poverty.” JRF, 28 Jan. 2016, https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/psychological-perspectives-poverty.
8. Duvall, John N. ‘The Authorized Morrison: Reflexivity and the Historiographic.’ Contemporary Literary Criticism, edited by Jeffrey W. Hunter, vol. 194, Gale, 2005. Literature Criticism Online, https://link-gale-com.ezproxy.aacc.edu/apps/doc/XLMRWS239033852/GLS?u=aacc_ref&sid=GLS&xid=e8a75ef4. Accessed 12 Dec. 2019. Originally published in The Identifying Fictions of Toni Morrison: Modernist Authenticity and Postmodern Blackness, Palgrave, 2000, pp. 119-151.

Identity being yourself not trying to fit a mold set up by society due to your race or ethnicity; to be true to yourself is to uphold your bicultural identity. There are many races and cultures throughout the world that uphold many different beliefs and ideas on how life should be lived and how one should act; to fall under a social construct and oblige to please others leads to you being unsatisfied knowing you’re more than what society is holding you too. The Woman Warrior a memoir by Maxine Hong Kingston she explores the idea of one’s own identity and how at times it leads to conflict and questioning on what the right thing is to do. Her being a first-generation Chinese American woman to her immigrant parents from China with the expectation of her to uphold Chinese tradition and culture in another part of the world were the way of life is almost completely different. Being voiceless and being told to be “silent” Maxine’s memoir is a mixture of her personal experiences, the experience of her family members, and Chinese folklore she mixes into her story to give them a stronger meaning. Through the short stories of the book, there are many instances of emotional and physical abuse that women face and how they are made to seem voiceless.

In the first story “No Name Woman” Kingston reveals to us a secret her family holds about her aunt who is not to be named because she disrespected the family name by cheating on her husband who went to America to find work with another man in china and got pregnant. With little information that Kingston has on the exact details on what happens and what the no-name woman was going through Kingston decided to give her a voice. The no-name woman is a disgrace to her village after they find out she has become pregnant so they raid her home and destroy her property which leads her to give birth in a pig shed and kill herself and a child by jumping down a well. A quote that Kingston used to describe her was My aunt haunts me — her ghost drawn to me because now, after fifty years of neglect, I alone devote pages of paper to her.’ (Kingston,16). Never learn the name of her aunt Kingston decides to honor her by giving her the name the no-name woman after she had been reduced to nothing and forgotten by everyone else leaving her voiceless and her only legacy being that she had dishonored her family.

In traditional Chinese culture, women don’t usually have a voice and are usually the caretakers and their job is to get a husband and uphold the family legacy by providing the husband with a son. Many times mothers help comfort their daughters by telling them stories and folktales like how Kingston mentioned how her mother told her the story of Fa Mu Lan and how she was inspired to believe that a woman could be more than what society held them to be.

The story of Brave Orchid who is Kingston’s mother we learns how she is a Chinese immigrant in America and how voiceless she must feel due to her not being able to speak English leaving her voiceless to the majority to the American population. Also with Kingston feeling that Chinese sounds ugly due to her perception that Americans find it weird and ugly I turn having her be silent and not want to speak Chinese leaving her to fall under a social construct of what she thinks society will think of her giving up her identity.

In the story “At a western palace,” we learn the story of Moon Orchid who is Brave Orchids sister from Hong Kong and how through a series of events that have happened throughout her life with her family and husband she now deeply believes that women shouldn’t question men’s authority and they should be silent. We see in the story that her husband tells her that he has American guests coming over and she is not allowed to speak while they are there. This, in turn, is removing the identity that she holds and is no longer able to express herself constantly being suppressed by her husband leaving her to nothing but a voiceless woman. Years later after being without her husband Moon Orchid is unable to speak she is broken and voiceless her only voice being the one Kingston gave her through her story in a way of empowering her and getting her story out.

By the end of her memoir, Kingston reflects on her life and how she has been trying to find herself and her identity she reflects on Chinese culture and how it treats women and compares it to how similar it is to America’s treatment of women. The main conclusion Kingston comes to is how underrepresented women are and how they are just expected to be quiet. To me, it seems that this memoir is a method that Kingston uses to heal by talking about her experiences growing up and the stories are kinda a way of healing by explaining why she felt the way she did but at the same time giving us a closer insight on women in society but connecting it to which she fits in the most with which is Chinese American.

Self-awareness, has evidently been the key issue from a formative and a transformative point of view’, is a rich and entangled topic. As individuals, we can never completely comprehend ourselves, if there is such a desire. In any case, maybe it is simply the adventure of investigating, understanding and getting to be ourselves that entices our life worth living. (Jessie zhu 2017) From the old Greek Aphorism ‘know thyself’ towards the western world, the theme of self awareness has dependably been an interesting subject of inquiry for the last century.

Self awareness is having a clear view of your identity, including your positive, negatives, thoughts, beliefs, inspiration, and feelings. It also enables you to comprehend other individuals, how they see you, your attitude and your reactions to them at that moment.

Self awareness is the initial phase in making what you want and mastering your life through it, where we pivot on our feelings, responses, identity and behavior which determines our future or basically our dream destination. Having self awareness enables us to see where our thoughts and feelings are taking us. It additionally empowers us to take control of our feelings, conduct, and identity so we can make transformations that are necessary in our life. Until we are aware of our thoughts, behaviour, words, and emotions, we will have difficulty making changes in our direction of life.

Self awareness is essential because when we have a superior understanding of us as a whole, we can encounter ourselves as unique individuals. We then are engaged to embrace changes and to expand on our territories of solidarity just as we recognize the areas where we might want to make improvements. Self awareness is being aware of what you’re great at while recognizing what you still have yet to learn. This incorporates admitting when you don’t have the appropriate response and owning up to your faults.

In our highly competitive culture, this can appear to be irrational. Actually, a large number of us work on the conviction that we should seem like we know everything constantly or else individuals will scrutinize our capacities, and then possibly judge us. Honestly, you ll agree that really the opposite is true. Whether you recognize your shortcomings or not, every person still observes them. So rather than conceal them, the individual who tries to hide his shortcomings actually features them, creating a crystal clear view of lack of integrity and self-awareness.

As Goleman states, at the heart of being an ultra efficient pioneering leader is simply the idea of knowing ourselves, of being naturally self aware. This idea becomes an integral factor when we communicate with people who don’t appear to comprehend their own emotions as well as intellectual states. A few people appear to respond to the feelings, unaware of how they feel and therefore react with whatever ideation is going through their head right now. Others appear to know about their feelings and how those feelings affect their considerations. These people are aware of how they are feeling and utilize these feelings to properly react to the current circumstance.

It is crucial to put the time, self-awareness is not acquired through reading a book, but achieved through self-reflection by using your comprehension about yourself in making inform decisions, behaviors, and interactions with others. Being aware of our own limitations is very important to achieve true agility. In the race between the tortoise and the hare, the tortoise understood his limits and didn’t try to outrun the rabbit. Agile leaders know their positives and negatives. They utilize this knowledge to make mindful choices and tune others to succeed in areas they themselves are not as skilled.

In a nut shell, “Self-awareness is about identifying personal idiosyncrasies — the characteristics that executives take to be the norm but actually represent the exception.” Self-awareness is a basic keystone for the development of the professional maturation and professional self, which needs to be nurtured and cultivated. We need to restore this legacy, to enable us to develop optimally and become empowered to offer quality service standards.