It seems to me, every work we have studied up to now leads us to questions of identity. Why is it that the great writers and thinkers of America are constantly struggling with who they are? To what extent do you struggle with this? How much do we really know about ourselves?
please respond not only to the question but to eachother as well.
please respond not only to the question but to eachother as well.
Posts
80 comments:
First, for Mr. Alaimo's benefit, I would like to say that this post is from a Newington Library computer. Also, I think it would be helpful if we could see the question while we were responding to it. Now, for the questions. I think that great people struggle with identity because they are always under the scrutiny of the public eye. Worrying about what other people think of them is a big part of their life, but sometimes they have to stop and consider who they really are, and what they want to do or be in their life. Well, personally, I do sometimes have to stop and think about what I'm doing and why I'm doing it. I think a lot of people struggle with the reasons why they do things. Is this really me, or am I doing it for the wrong reasons? Those sorts of questions are probably pretty common. A lot of people know us better than we know ourselves because others scrutinize us to make themselves feel better, or because they care about you, but people don't like to analyze themselves to much. Wow, that was long. Sorry. :)
Ok, this doesn't count as my second post, but there is a way to see the question, oops. It's the little "show original post" thing to the left.
Well, usually the writers and thinkers of America didn't have a good childhood. They may have had problems in their childhood like the death of one of his/her parents. An author may have moved to many different places or had strict parents. They never had any time to think about who they are and think about themselves. As the author would grow up, he/she would have more time to think about themselves. His/her understanding of his/her self would become clearier as they grow older. They would need to feel more fulfilled in their life and write. Writing would release the unfulfilled feelings and help them realize who they are.
I don't struggle much with my identity. I know what I want to be when I graduate from college, which is a meteorologist. I was meant to study the science of weather and understand I it very well. I like pop/rock music and marching band music. On the other hand, I am only struggling with my personality. I am someone different in school than I am at home. I more funny and talkitive in front of friends and family, but when it comes to talking to people I don't know I don't want to get involved with a social reaction. I have only found part of my identity and am still discovering the other part of my identity.
We know most of things about ourselves. There are somethings still hidden to us. As we grow older, more of ourself will be uncovered to us as we discover more of the world.
I agreee with you Gloria. More people do know who you are better than you do because they see you better than you do yourself. Also, when you are asking yourself questions you would ask yourself "Am I doing this because of me or someone else?" The authors always saw themselves less than anyone else did. They didn't see the world in the same way most people did.
I agree with Gloria a lot on this question. It is true that the great writers and thinkers are constantly under scrutiny based on what they write, how they write, etc. I sometimes struggle with wondering how people really feel about me, but its not really a big deal all the time because i act crazy a lot and dont always worry about what people think, but yet again I'm not facing the scrutiny of millions of people each day. But, i do believe that we do know the most about ourselves, mostly because we spend more times with ourselves than other people, and we know how we truly are feeling at all times, even though we may act differently to other people.
~nikki :)
I don't think that it's just great writers and thinkers who are constantly struggling with who they are...I think everyone is. To me, life is just one big process of figuring yourself out, and every decision you make engraves a new part of you. I also think that everyone has things about themselves that they have yet to discover. I think that's why everyone is struggling with who they are.
although I disagree with Gloria and Liana on a few points. I think that you are the only person who knows the most about yourself (does that make sense?) because the only person you are completely open with is yourself. There is no one that you could possibly tell everything about you, unless you spoke your every thought out loud. and I think a lot of people do analyze themselves, at least I do, and I overanalyze myself, and I'm sure plenty of others do as well.
and in response to Liana's post:
"They didn't see the world in the same way most people did."
I don't think they saw the world any differently, just because they were writers. I also don't think it's fair to compare them to how "most people" see the world, because I think everyone sees it in a different way, and that's what makes everyone unique.
-Molly.
also I think this should count for my two posts because I replied to like five different things. (:
I agree with Molly a lot on this question. I think that many people aside from great writers and thinkers struggle with their identity. I don't think that it is because writers are constantly in the public eye. However, I think that writers find themselves in their writing, so more people are aware of the difficulties that they are facing with their identity. I don't think that I struggle with identity personally. I am usually very confident in myself, and I know who I am. I think that we know ourselves very well, because like Nikki and Molly said, we know more about ourselves than anyone else does.
I agree with both Gloria and Molly. People probably wouldn't question themselves as much if it weren't for the public's opinion. They’re afraid to be the outcast, or at least hated for being an outcast, since people fear loneliness. Still, I agree with Molly that the one who knows you best is yourself. Even though body language and actions tell somebody a lot about you, people can’t see inside your head and can easily misjudge your actions and true intentions.
I also believe people struggle with their identity because they want to categorize themselves. By that I mean questions like, am I a good person or a bad person? They want to place themselves in a “safety zone” in really hard times, to help them pick out of the vast amounts of choices they have to make their decision. (Questions like, I am a kind person, would I do this? Or…I am a smart person…would smart people chose to do that?)
I usually don’t struggle with my identity too much from day to day, but when it comes to big changes in my life I can sometimes start struggling. I think that everybody is like that, including the authors of American literature. The reason they write about the struggle of identity so much, is because they want to express their own troubles with finding who they are.
-Natalia Z.
In my opinion, I would have to agree with Gloria on the fact that the great American writers and thinkers constantly struggle with who they are because they are always under the "spotlight" of everyone else. They may feel that they have to be a certain way due to where they grew up. But as they realize who they really are, they might feel that their family and others are judging them because they decided to take a different route in life. In addition, they might feel self-conscious about what their writing shows and how it influences people, because many might think that what they write makes up who they are as a person.
I feel that in my situation, I don't really think much about my identity until now. If i think about it, im not really sure if the things I do really represent who I am. I mainly chose to do things because i feel that they are right. I have many influences in my life such as my friends and family, that might take part into my identity. Like, the only reason I am in band or i wear certain things is because I like them, but I don't believe that's who I really am. Lastly, i think we don't really know much about ourselves because we can't visibly see the impact of our personalities on others, unless they are straightforward about it. But because we really don't know our place in life (yet), then we teenagers can't say that we know a lot about ourselves. We are still "experimenting and searching" for our own beings.
In my opinion I think that great writers and thinkers of America struggle with who they are because they do not feel like they belong in the world, so they try to find out who they truly are through writing. They either feel like they are too good for the world or not even noticed. In conclusion, they express their thoughts and feelings through their writing and hope to get their message across to other people.
I think that every single person strives every day to find out who they really are. Personally, it is part of a journey for me, I find out who I am today but who I am tomorrow might change. I don't really struggle with it, I feel like I am more eager to find out my true me through various activities.
I agree with Molly that the only person that really knows the true you is yourself. Because I don't think that people would tell others how they feel and their secrets,well to some extent. Also, I believe that a person finds out something new about themselves every day, but they might not notice it until later in the future.
I believe that many writers and thinkers struggle with their identity because their thoughts are constantly exposed to the public (sort of what Gloria had mentioned earlier). Writers and thinkers have to decide whether or not they want to include certain details in their works because of how people might judge them. For example, while I was working on a short story last year, people always asked if they could read what I had written so far. Sometimes there were things I wish I hadn't written because of the way people judged me - most people automatically think what you write about is what's happening in your life. At other times, there were things I wanted to include but didn't because I knew people would eventually read it. Overall, I think many of the writers who use writing as a "release" struggle with their identity because of the way they think people will interpret, or misinterpret for that matter, what they choose to write about.
I think that most people struggle with their identity - at least I do. Like Gloria had said, sometimes you have to stop and think why you're doing something - is it for yourself or to please others? Liana also made a good point about personality. When you act one way around a certain group of people, and differently with another group, who's the real you?
I agree with Molly that we know ourselves best. There are just some things that we don't tell our friends or family, so they can't possibly know you better. However, I don't think we can ever know our true identity. We are constantly changing - do you still have the same beliefs as when you were 10 years old, how about 13? Our minds are constantly changing as we learn new things and form new beliefs, so identity is always changing too. It's unlikely that we'll ever find out everything about ourselves unless we do some serious soul searching. Everyday we get older, smarter, and more self-aware; but will we ever truly know ourselves?
Although I get what a lot of you are saying about writers being in the public eye, which may be somewhat true, a lot of the great writers that we would consider "famous" now, weren't as "famous" in their time, so it might not have been that big of an issue.
I also don't think that just because they chose to be writers makes them different from anyone else, in the sense that they would struggle more with identity than, say, a musician or a scientist. To put them in a group and say that all writers struggle with identity just because of their profession just doesn't make sense to me. If they use writing as their release, that doesn't make their struggle with identity any greater than any of ours - we just may choose to release our emotions in a different way.
-Molly
-Molly
oops, I signed my name twice...hah.
I think that great writers and thinkers of America are constantly struggling with who they are because, who isnt? Just like Molly said, "every situation engraves a new part of you," and i believe that is true.
Also, I don't think it was just American writers that were struggling with their idenity because i think that the more situations you are put in, the better you begin to know yourself.
In the dicitonary, Identity is, " the condition of being oneself or itself, and not another." This is true because the more people you get to know and more situations you are in, the more you know about who are inside.
As for struggling with who I am, there are times when i think i know myself and in a certain situation, I figure out i really don't know all about who i am. I think its about how you interact with other people and how many different experiences you've had. For example, if you dont take chances or do something that might not be "you" in school or anywhere, you will be missing out on who u are and who you want to be.
When i think about how much we really know about ourselves, it depends on who you are. You spend the most time with yourself than any other person but if you dont take the time to look over past experiences and learn from them, what are they really giving you? So, i try to be thankful for the experiences that i have and use them to find out who i am.
Although I agree with almost everyone above on certain aspects, I dont believe writers struggle with identity solely for the reason that they are under the scrutiny of the public eye. Although that may be a part of struggling to figure out who you are, it's more of a minor role.
As both Molly and Ally mentioned, I agree that everyone undergoes second guessing their motives for acting the way they do, liking the things they do, or wanting the things they do.
I find it difficult to believe that any of us truly know exactly who we are. There are times when we may believe so, but until we're put in a situation forced to make a difficult decision, choosing what you want isn't all that easy.
Personally, for me, I can say that I really don't know who I am, or what I truly want in the future. However, I do know what I like, but does that even count? There are so many different influences in each of our lives that mold us into the person we are. Our friends and family play a major role in shaping us, so can we can we even take credit for being who we "truly are" when others play such a big part in doing that?
Well, I guess you guys have kind of changed my mind about part of what I said, sort of anyway. When I said that people know you better than you know yourself, I guess I was thinking of when people tell you something about yourself that you didn't know before simply because they saw you doing it a lot, but it’s something you don't realize that you do. But I guess I don't really tell anyone enough about myself for them to really know me as well as I know myself.
Also I really like what Molly said about "every decision you make engraves a new part of you" I think that's really true, except that engraving is kind of permanent, and I think that people can change and that some decisions were mistakes. So maybe not engraving, but I like the idea.
Of course the only people who struggle with identity aren't famous. When I came to this school from an out of town school were I had spent the last 9 years with the same thirty people, I had to figure out who I wanted to be here. It really made me think about what parts of me were me and what parts were the people around me when most of the people around me disappeared. Like Sabah said, people are a big influence, on who you are. So of course others think about their identity, but I think it would be a lot harder for the people who are famous because they have an audience. And even if the writers weren't famous then, they were writing for some audience. Ok there's my second post. 8D
Although this is an English class, I don't really understand why we're singling out just "great writers and thinkers of America."
Everyone goes through trying to figure out who they are/what their real identity is; it's simply the process of life, as Molly said previously.
Now, when comparing identity with ourselves, I don't think any of us could be considered "static" characters. Each and everyone of us is constantly changing. We lie, we change our minds, we do things we promised ourselves we wouldn't; but thats just life. I guess we can all be considered hypocrites at one point or another, because our morals change as we grow up. With more experience, we grow wiser and change how we treat people, and in return, are treated.
It's almost impossible to feel you know exactly who you are, due to the fact that change is continuously happening.
I really agree with Gloria, however, when she said that some people know you better than you know yourselves. Whatever the reason is vanity, or shyness, they can see things we aren't able to see in ourselves.
An outside perspective is such a popular way to gain opinions on other things, why is this any different.
We have deep secrets which we keep to only ourselves, so I guess you can use that as an argument for knowing yourself best. However, when looking at personality and the decisions you make, other people come into play, because they learn who you are from what you do and how you act.
I definitely agree with you guys that its not just writers who struggle with their identity, however my response was solely based on the question. If we were asked to explain why a scientist (molly's example) could have problems with identity, I'm sure we could all come up with some reason. In the case of writers, though, they are usually in the public eye, which can effect their sense of themselves and cause problems with identity.
All of you guys really made some great points and it has come to my conclusion that there are many factors that can come into play when you talk about how great American writers/ thinkers struggle with identity. I also agree with Sabah, about how why this has to be just focused on the writers...everyone struggles with it differently for different reasons and that's what i see here. It mainly depends on the situation you are put in,at least that's what I believe
Hey, it's Clarissa. To build upon what everyone else has already discussed, I would like to say that author's are maybe influenced by the topics they write about. Not every author writes about one topic they've learned about from past experiences. Authors can become interested in different subjects and then look further into them. Authors are exposed to so much material, you can't help wonder what they really believe in. Every book an author writes has a different message. Could it be that authors feel they don't have a true identity because their views are all over the place? We can't just rant on authors. Everyone struggles with their identities. I often find myself agreeing to both sides of an issue, as if I don't know what I think is right and what reflects my character the best. So how much do I know about myself? Not much at all really. Unless I'm video-taped unknowingly, no one, including me, will really know my true character.
When I first responded to this question, I thought that people do know themselves well for the most part. However, Rebecca's response made me realize that people are constantly changing, so it is very hard for anyone to know who they truly are. Many factors add to people's interests and beliefs, therefore having a big impact on their identity. I also agree with what Sabah said about our friends and families playing a part in who we are. The thoughts and actions of those who we spend the most time with will definitely impact who we are and what we do.
I also wrote in my first response that I didn't think that being in the public eye caused writers to struggle with their identity. Now, I have realized that having so much attention put on them could cause these writers to be unsure of who they really are. When the public sees you differently than you see yourself, I guess it would make you wonder how much you actually know about yourself. This could be very hard on any person, whether they are a writer or not.
I agree with pretty much everyone. I agree with what Sabah said about your friends and family influencing who you are. Without them, who would you be and what would your morals be? I agree that writers struggle with their identity because of the public scrutenty. I also agree with what Lianna said about writers writing because of their lives.
As for myself, I didn't really think about my identity until presented with the question. I think that our materials make up a lot of who we are like we discussed in class. I guess that what really determines your identity is you, like Molly said. I will have to think about my identity and post more about it in my second post. Until then...
Erica
As Molly said, this shouldn't only be directed to the "great writers and thinkers of America". Sure, they had their own problems. Yet, everyone does. Whoever influenced you as as child, whether it be your parents or siblings play a large part in your character. As a child, you have a sense of innocence and in the end, it's what you makes up you. For example, there's me. I grew with an older brother and both parents. My mother's a kind person, and cared for me as a loving mother would. For the past few years, I've been thinking a lot about my family in general. My father is a terribly angry person. He's not able to keep his own feelings intact and basically refuses to change for the sake of his family. Growing up with him, I was able to understand the negative and positive aspects of both my parents. Currently, I'm the most calm person in my household. It's nearly impossible to anger me, since I take almost everything with no offense. Even when it's an insult.
As for knowing myself, I'm not able to completely understand myself, nor will I ever will. For most people, public opinion is a giant aspect in their lives. Opinions from other people, mostly around adolescent years plays a large part could change a child to unbelievable extents. Throughout middle school, my self-consciousness was pretty much able to fade away. My goal in life is nothing extravagant. All I want is to be happy, and that means a lot to me. I have other mediocre goals that have to do with my interests such as learning how to play multiple instruments and personal goals. In the end, I'm able to understand my beliefs, opinions, and feelings towards anything.
With a few of my friends, we're able to get in incredibly deep conversation. I've learned a few terrible things about myself from them. Topics range from a vast array of things such as philosophy, life, relationships, and such. With these conversations that go on for hours, we all are able to benefit from, I was even able to shed a few tears at times.
My hobbies make up a part of what I am since they're the few things that keep me out of the loop and make me happy, in particular, anime. But, even without that, I wouldn't be a lost soul, I know enough to know I can't lose myself from an "obsession" for a lack of a better word.
Wow, I felt like I typed way too much about myself. Hopefully I wasn't able to get off topic too much, heh.
I believe that both authors and regular people struggle with who they are because there is always something that people do not like about themselves. Oftentimes, they try to alter their identity to either make things better for their own sake, or for others. People are always trying to find out their identity, which is impossible, since it is constantly changing to meet expectations, and personal opinions. I, like everyone else, struggle with identity, personally so in situations where what I say, or the way I say something, can change someone's opinion about me, and I often have to weigh whether or not I care about what that person thinks of me. I also think that we know ourselves pretty well, but we only acknowledge the things that WE think are important, (music taste, etc.) which are usually the things that don't matter much or accurately sum up our personality and identity. I believe that other people know more about us then ourselves, because we often distort perception with things like wishful thinking and our "good reasons". Almost by a lack of knowledge, others are able to see us more clearly for who we really are.
I can also agree with Hiten's comment regarding how family members can influence both your actions and your behavior. Like Hiten's father, mine has never really been there. He's the kind of guy who mixes up your name, how old you are, but tries to watch your gpa like a(very disappointed)hawk. My dad should call up Hiten's dad to trade his tips on how to snoop for things that don't exist, because you never know when your child might take up drugs, which is why you should look under their mattress reguarly. They could be the best of buddies. I'd say that this has influenced me by making me a lot more independant in making my own decisions regarding things like career path (I would be the worst lawyer ever), and my attitude (if you screw up, it's not the end of the world). Although what brought this change in identity about is negative, I think that it has made me a better person in the end.
I think that authors and great people in general struggle with personal identity because they feel as though because they have done one great thing, they need to keep up their standards and turn into somone who is pictured as a hero. This in turn causes them to lose thier personal characterisitics. In other words, because they set such a high standard for themselves, they feel that in order to keep their status and still be loved and honored by the public, they cannot do anything that is, "not up to par." I also agree with Gloria about how they struggle with the scrutiny of the opublic eye, which ties in to what i had been saying about them believing that they will disappoint others if they can't keep achieving great things. I also think a lot of common people struggle with personal identity. this is so because they are influenced by others, and don't see how they are behaving, while others do. Basically, people of all ages are forced to change due to the people that surround them, and they don't question their actions enough.
I think that we all assume that we know ourselves but I don't truly believe most people do because a lot of the time we stray from who we are to fit into the lines that trends and other people set for us. I personally do find myself acting differently around certain groups because I am more comfortable with some people than others, so the way I behave and act towards them obviously changes. That fact alone really makes it difficult to tell exactly who you are or what you are really like and sometimes only your close friends are the ones that know the real you.
I think that all of the responses here have changed my views in many ways, and reinforced some old ones. Firstly, I think that the reason that Great American writers and thinkers struggle with the question of their own identity is because they do receive scrutiny for their thoughts and ideas(like Gloria mentioned), and as they write new pieces and think new thoughts, those very thoughts change over time.
I also agree that Great American writer and thinkers struggle with their identities because the thoughts and judgments of others makes them second guess their motives like Molly and Ally had said. I also agree with Sabah that that isn't the only reason for the writers and thinkers to be constantly struggling with their own identities. i believe that change and experiences in our lives makes us go back and think about who we really thought we were, who we are, and who we want to become. When I look back at what I had thought and believed in only a year ago, I think that I'm thinking about an entire different person now. This is because I have learned a lot in the past year to question those old thoughts and beliefs, and that changes my views now. I believe now that half the things in my life that were significant once before, matter little now, and other things have a far greater importance. Writers and thinkers, just like us, continue to live( or continued to have lived) their lives even after their books or thoughts published. If they had an experience in their lives that changed their views from the time of when they had written their books or published their thoughts, it would most likely change those same views that they had once believed in before( i not sure that sentence was in English?!?). Like Rebecca, I also believed that we, as people, are constantly learning and changing as we continue to live on this earth, which modifies our identity constantly.
I also agree with what Sofiya said about life and it being a journey. It is a learning experience in which our experiences, influences (family and friends like Sabah said), struggles, goals, and ideas continue to shape who we are. i personally think that I will struggle with my own identity until the end because, for me life and time is always changing moving on.
I also don't think that there isn't ever going to be exactly one person who will know exactly who we are because as the individual you know you self in ways that others can't comprehend, others will see you in ways you can't imagine, and there isn't someone who will tape every single breath and thought in your life. Even if a person spend their entire lifetime recording every thought and aspect in your life, they will never know who you truly are because you life will be left up to someone else's interpretation of your life.
After reading all these posts, I am beginning to think about my identity alot more than i have in the past few days. I think that none of us really know who we are because we are only about 15 years old but it has also made me wonder if any of us will ever know who we truly are? Some of us might know who we want to be in the future and some of us might not. However, that could change tomorrow as you find out something new about yourself. I mean how could we be positive about what we want to do for the rest of our lives at our age? I'm sure all of us thought they knew what they wanted to do when they were in kindergarten but hasn't that changed? Our thoughts and feelings are different every day based on what happens that day and most of it has to do with the people around us, just like many other people have mentioned. I think i would be a different person if I didn't have the friends or family that I have. You can never really know what it would be like if you had a different life. You just have to accept who you are and live each day figuring more and more out about your true identity.
I agree with what sabah and ally said. The great writers and thinkers of America are constantly struggling with who they are because it is a natural thing. Everyone struggles with who they are, you may be 60 years old and still not have found your true identity. Yes, writers and thinkers are often put on the "spot light" because everyone reads their writing and hears what they have to say, but like I said before, struggling to find your identity is something we all go through. I know for a fact that I have not found who I truly am, I still don't know what I want to do in life. I think that in a way we don't really know all that much about ourselves because we haven't experienced everything yet, we haven't seen how we react to certain situations.
In a way other people tend to know more about us because they observe us and notice the little things that we do which we may not see. We all have unique qualities which we may not have noticed yet, but as time progresses we will figure out who we are and what our purpose is.
Like most of you have said, idenity is a natural part of everyone's lives. Most people don't know their identities and probably won't for a while. You discover more about yourself through the obsticales that you face in your life. What happens to you changes you as a person, therefore we all are constantly changing. Who you are today may not be who you are tomorrow. Your identity as a person can change day to day. The only real way to determine your true self is by what you do when nobody is looking. Personally, I don't know my true self at all.
Overall I agree with everyone above that everybody struggles with finding out their true self, just like Val said that you can be 60 years old and still not realize that you might like the book, the scarlet letter hehe. This is the reason why great American thinkers and writers struggle with their identity because they are just like everyone else in the sense that nobody really knows themselves fully.
I also agree on the fact with Val that others might notice more things about us than ourselves because they always see our actions, while we don't see ourselves doing it we just carry out those actions. Or another example can be that we might not notice that our physical appearances are changing because we see ourselves everyday, but go and visit an old friend whom you haven't seen in a couple years and to them you will look totally different.
I think that the great writers and thinkers of America are constantly struggling with who they are because, like Gloria said, there is a lot of pressure on them to be what the public wants them to be. As Val put it, they're in the "spot light." People are constantly reading and judging their opinions on life.
Considering the fact that we are all still very young, i dont think anyone knows much about themselves. As life goes on we will learn to accept ourselves for who we are as human beings. As Sabah and Ally said, it is only natural to be unsure of your identity, especially at this age.
Also,i still don't know who to agree with about who knows youself better, you or others. Like when Ally said, "i think iknow myself and in a certain situation, I figure out i really don't know all about who i am," i completely agree, you make think that you are being tourself when in actuality you are just acting a certain way becasue you are with certain people. This goes to show that maybe you don't know yourself better than evey one else because you may think that you are being yourself but in actuallity you are just "acting" to win the aproval of others.
Like what most of you have said, I totally agree that the constant stuggle of many authors and writers trying to find their identity is a natural thing. Many of us, will probably or are already stuggling to find out who we are and what we will be in the future. We always hear this saying a lot: Just be yourself. How can you be yourself if you don't even know? As time goes on though, we begin to realize who we are through our choices and decisions in life. Also, our identities are based on what we prove ourselves to be, not what other people say about us.
Like most people I struggle a lot with my identity. Over the past few years I have learned about myself. I have discovered likes and dislikes that I never knew before, but I still have so much more to learn.
Sometimes people will ask me what I want to be when I grow up and i reply, "I have no clue." Being at such young age this is truly a tough question to answer. I know I will be learning about myself throughout my entire lifetime. I am excited to do so.
Hi everyone, it's Mindy :) Before reading all of the posts you have already written, I wanted to get my personal feelings down before I agree or disagree with other members of the class. In my opinion, great wiriters and thinkers of America were constantly struggling with who they are because in all reality, they were just like everyone else. As we all know from studying the Puritanic era, the lives of people were put out into the public. When in the public, it is harder for a person to find out who they truely are. People are constantly labeled and talked about. Trying to ignore the thoughts of others and staying true to yourself isn't that easy.
People back then were dealing with the same sorts of things as we presently are. Although not every person's life is in the spotlight now, trying to find out who you are still is difficult. It is only human to question yourself and wonder if you have taken the right path to figuring out who you truely are. Finding out what you want for yourself helps you in the process of figuring out your identity. In time, all people nowadays realize who they are and why. This was probably true in the Puritanic era as well, but the process may have been longer and required much more thought.
After reading all of the posts from everyone, I can say that I agree 100% with Molly. Great writers and thinkers of America were not as famous in the past as they were today. As time passed people were able to see the impact that great American writers had on their audience. The topics written about were things we could all relate to and expand upon (as we all are now.) People in the past didn't realize the effect that these writers had, and because of that, they weren't under the scrutiny of the public eye. They were "normal people." Why would people pay more attention to you over me? This idea can also apply to people these days. It can be said that a univerisal goal for all is to find out who you really are and realizing why. Having a private life can help a person see who they are. A person can find out who they are by paying attention to their actions when no one is around. There are no outside pressures that are trying to alter who you are. As this could be done now, it could have been done years ago.
Although this is somewhat off topic, I have to disagree with what Gloria had in one of her posts:
"I really like what Molly said about "every decision you make engraves a new part of you" I think that's really true, except that engraving is kind of permanent, and I think that people can change and that some decisions were mistakes. So maybe not engraving, but I like the idea."
Although I can see where Gloria is coming from, I still agree with Molly's original statement. This is because even though you can change who you are over time, each thing you do does stay with you for the rest of your life- nothing can change that. Choosing to take on that path or wait for another it entirely up to you.
*Mindy
Like I said in class today, it would be very helpful to have more than one posted question so that reading through previous entries isn't quite so brutal and the posts won't just be repeats of the others. But anyway, on to the topic. Identity...it's an interesting subject. It seems that the only reason "the great writers and thinkers of America" were singled out was because they left documentation and evidence of their changing minds and decisions, whether in diaries, literary works, laws, or anything related to these things.
I believe that everyone struggles with identity throughout their entire life at least a little bit, but certain parts of their life may bring out more doubt and uncertainty than others. I don't think that anyone can honestly say that they know everything about themselves. They might know some things, but there are infinite things to know to get a complete and exhaustive knowledge of a person. Until a person has been in every possible situation and made every possible decision, nobody will ever know exactly everything about them. However, even on top of all that, we are always changing our opinions of things or changing ourselves in some way. For example, someone could make a poor decision but then realize that the decision was not wise and that the one choice they made is not a defining characteristic to them. This relates to Hester, she made the decision to sin, but she overcame it and did not let that one choice define who she was in the long run.
I agree with certain points that everyone has said. First of all, I agree with what people said about how great American writers and thinkers are under the scrutiny of their audience's opinion. I liked how Val said that they are "put on the spotlight". I think this goes along with what Rebecca said about how they choose to write is based on how their audience will interpret what it is that they're writing about.
As other people said, I believe that writers aren't the only people who have trouble finding out their "true" identity. I feel like I'm repeating everything that everyone else said, but I do believe that everyone, not just writers, have trouble finding out what their "true" identity is. Like Sabah said, there are a lot of different people that influence who you are such as your family and friends. I'm the same as what Liana said about herself how she is different in school than she is at home. I guess it's probably because I feel more comfortable around my family and friends than I do when I'm in a more serious environment, like school.
Back to identity...family and friends do influence who you are as a person. I didn't really think that much about my identity until the subject came up in the Scarlet Letter. Now I wonder if basically everything I do is because I want to do it, or if it's what I think other people would do, or if I do something because I think I want to do it, but really it's based on what other people would do. I started wondering if I would have been different if I lived somewhere else and I was surrounded by people with different personalities than the people that I know now. I don't think I know too much about my identity, but I do think that the people you're surrounded by have a big impact of who you are and that everyone is struggling to find out who they really are.
I think I'd have to agree with Ally on this one: who among us isn't struggling with identity? All people are constantly changing and evolving their personalities, and it's possible that we're aware of this in great writers more than in others simply because they recorded those feelings (whether directly or through a story, as Hawthorne did). We can see from "The Custom House" in his case that he had a personal connection with the events in his book; his ancestors were from Salem, and he returned there from "affection" for the town. And, of course, Hawthorne locked himself in his "dismal chamber" for twelve years. I'm sure he was quite interested and maybe even a bit obsessed with writing, but doesn't it say something about his relations with the rest of society? Hester's confinement in her house at the edge of the forest for seven years is almost definitely derivative of this whole experience.
On a slightly different note, the subject of identity is crucial to any good story. Character change is often what makes books interesting, and characters can't change unless they have starting and ending points- identities. Dimmesdale is at one point a pious reverend without a single apparent flaw (that's how the townspeople see him), but his sin changes all of that. He becomes hypocritical (in his own mind) and then, after meeting Hester in the forest, feels like a completely different person. Even static characters like Chillingworth have identities. In fact, he has had three: the calm, intelligent man, the "vengeful, obsessed" one, and even the mask of the physician that he shows to the townspeople.
I would have to agree with Molly and Guste on their looks on famous writer's and other people's identity issues. Being in the spotlight would make anyone try to stay on the people's good side. Also, like Jon said, people constantly change their personalities, so identity issues are bound to come up when you're constantly changing yourself.
I myself struggle with my identity, mainly in the future of who I'll become. So, like other people before mentioned, I'm just going to wait and see what life throws at me, before truly seeing who I am as a person.
I am going to have to say that I think that there are two sides to the question on how much do we really know about ourselves. I think that we all know what we want to be in life, but that we get very influenced by others, just as authors do. Also, I think that people from the outside learn more about us from observing our actions and our emotions, just as we do this by seeing ourselves from the inside. It might be that we get two different outlooks on the same person just by getting others' opinions as well as ours, and that doesn't neccessarily mean that one is right and the other wrong. It may mean thatwe show two different aspects of who we are depending on who we are with. this then can be argued as to bring us to the double identity type of person.
I want to say that I disagree with Molly, and agree with her at the same time on saying that you are the only person that knows yourself the best. I think that some people may lie, and hide their true feelings to become something that they aren't and that in a sense would be like lying to yourself. However, this is also like telling youirself the truth because you are admitting to yourself, what you want to be. I feel like I'm rambling now!
Now since as a whole I think that people do struggle with their identity, I don' think that there are exceptions to this "rule," as one can say. I think that everyone struggles with this, and some are able to over come it, while others aren't. Personally, I sometimes have to think twice and ask myself, " Is what I'm really doing going to help me in the future? and am I doing the right thing because I feel it is the right thing, or only because others feel that it is right?"
I would have to say that I agree with Megan on this, that we know who we want to be in the future, and that's why some have better judgements than others, but in general we are prone to change. This may be a conflict of identity, but it may also be that we are not fully sure of what we are, but that we want to keep our options open, and make sure we have more than one solution.
In the case of books, and identity, I have noticed that such problems, of discovering yourself, are very common, and nonetheless, very important to the plot of the novel. This may be so because it teaches us about finding out about ouyrselves, and about ways to find out about others. I would then, on this note have to agree with Jonathan. The different ways of discoveirn ourselves, and relating them to the ways that characters relate themselves allow us to be more drawn into the book, and to understand what the character is experiencing as well.
First off, I think the reason why great writers and thinkers of America are constantly struggling with who they are because I think they are really scared of what people are going to say about them. I can also say that many writers like Hawthorne which didn't have a great childhood could influence your identity because during your childhood, many children are in great pressure from parents, friends, and teachers. That can really make anyone struggle with their identity. I think kids like me also struggle with identity, and that reason goes back to what I was saying before because you are under pressure by many people. To add on to that, many people in this world worry about other people's identity rather than theirs. Which can also make you struggle with identity. With all these factors put together, I conclude that we really don't know to mcuh about ourselves just because we are so scared of what other people are going to say about us.
I agree with harshil. I mean once you enter the public eye, people always have something to say about who you are, what you do and in essence criticize your own identity. This in turn causes these people to question "Are they right?" and it makes them wonder as if the person who they truly are isn't good enough, or strong enough, or anything according to what these people say. However i have to disagree about the fact that their childhood makes them this way. Albeit yes it is a contributing factor, but to me it's that they had trouble knowing who they were, who they fit in with to begin with and made them think "Who am i really?"
Now i also believe that all people do struggle just a bit in knowing who they are because of the circumstances they deal with on a daily basis. At the same time, great thinkers and writers often question the world even further than the rest of us causing them to really look within themselves and see that they have no clue as to who they really are.
Taylor
I also agree with what Harshil said about people paying attention to other people's identities more than there own. There are those people that just like to make fun of other people and who they are and these people don't care about how it is making the other person feel. I think that many people do this because they don't know their true identity. It is easier for them to make fun of someone else's instead of trying to figure out their own. I think in some way everyone is scared to figure out who they truely are because they don't know what other people are going to think of them. I know I constantly struggle with my identity because I'm always thinking about what other people think of me. I think I just need to forget about what everyone else thinks and do what I need to do to figure out my true identity, whether it's by writing out my feelings or just thinking about them. Finding out your true identity, will probably make your life a lot better.
On the question of how much we know ourselves, i think i'm gonna have to go with Guste on this one. At first i said that others may know you better than you know yourself because they observe you. However, i've come to realize that we might know ourselves more than others know us. We know our likes and dislikes, we know our ambitions, and there are certain things that we keep to ourselves that others may not see or notice. But, there are also things that we do that we can't see and others can. In a way this question has two answers.
I agree with Val. about people knowing you better than yourself. At first i thought that people knew more about me than I did but you if you really think about it, the way you talk and act towards other people goes back to Identity. The reason you may act differently towards others is becasue you don't want people to know the true identity because you afraid what people might think about you. Also, the second question about people knowing more about you is that when people judge you differently or in a mean way. They are just judging you from the outside. The only person in this world that knows your identity is you. Not even your parents know your true identity because identity doesn't speak out to others. Identity is something that is the DNA of your character.
I agree with Harshil and Taylor that great writers may not write something because they are afraid of what other people will think. I think this makes it hard for them to show their true identity to people because they just do what they think other people want them to do. In a way I think a lot of other people do the same thing. I know I find myself doing something that I normally wouldn't do, but because of the influence of other people I'll do it anyways.
After I read other people's posts, I agreed with the people who said that in ways you know yourself better than other people do, but in ways other people know you better than you know yourself. Other people can see the how you act and the decisions that you make which would cause them to maybe know things about you that you don't notice. But you're the only person who knows why you make the decisions you make any why you do the things you do, which would cause you to know more about yourself than other people do. Like I said before, it's hard to find out how much we really know about ourselves because you can never be completely sure if your identity is influenced by other people.
Well, I guess I'm the only one who's going to say I don't feel like I struggle with my identity. Even though we're all in that teenager stage where we all try to "figure out who we are," I feel like at this point, I know what my likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, beliefs, etc are. That isn't to say these things won't change, because I'm sure they will. And no, I don't know exactly where I'm headed in the future and what my career will turn out to be, but how can I? I just don't think that because I don't know exactly what career I want means I'm struggling with my identity. I guess I'm just trying to say that I'm happy with who I'm becoming and I feel pretty confident with every change.
It's interesting that Megan brought up that people struggle with their identity because they're afraid of how others think of them. I think another reason I feel I know my identity is because I don't take other people's judgments into consideration as much as a lot of people do. I think a lot of people base who they are off of other's judgments. This leads back to the question of why authors seem to struggle with their identity. While I'm still trying to figure that out, I guess I agree somewhat that it results from the pressure of what other people think of you.
Writers struggle with who they are because they don't know their true selves yet. They write about fictional characters they wish they could be because maybe they want their lives to be more exciting or adventurous. Also when you write a book these great writers and thinkers go to a place where they can be whatever they want and no one can hold them back. They are always changing and growing in the different novels that they write that's why they have such a hard time finding out who they really are because they can be all these fictional characters they create in their heads.
Personally I struggle with this a lot because I am always changing and always growing. One day I may not like something and the next day I can be totally okay with it. Especially as a child I never know who I am or what I will become so it makes everything that much harder.
In life no one will ever truly know who they are, its the honest truth. We grow up to fast, if we had time to slow down and learn about ourselves then maybe it would help us out. Another reason we won't really be able to know ourselves is because as human being we are always confused and we make things complicated. So if we are always confused about the decisions we make how can we ever know our true selves. I don't know does that make sense to anyone? I don't really know to to explain it in words.
~Anna Maria C.~
=]
I know that in my first post I said that I would put more about my identity in this post, but truth be told, I haven't figured out much of anything else about it. Like Abby said, because we are so young, we still have so much time to figure out what our identities are. Also, like Megan and many others said, we have are constantly learning more about ourselves and that just adds to our identities. I think that this is true to myself and for others. I hope that one day, I will be able to sit down and really figure out what my identity is and who I really am...
As reading all of the posts, I have changed my opinion on the point that Molly made about you being the only one that knows the real you. Like Guste, I am on the fence about that statement. I find it to be true that you do know a lot about yourself, but as it was mentioned, how others preceive you can help to determine your identity.
After reading everyone's comments for the people that said some people may know you better than you know yourself I don't agree with that. If you don't even know yourself, your character/identity, how can you expect other people to know you? I don't know it just doesn't add up to me. I understand the fact that your best friends may know a lot about you because they are always with you and they observe your actions but they can never know what you are truly thinking and feeling on the inside. It is very easy for people to fake a smile or fake an emotion, so if I don't truly know myself I can't expect other people to truly know the real me because it's something that I haven't even discovered yet, while not fully.
I would have to agree with just about everyone's comments. In my opinion, as others mentioned, the great thinkers and writers of America are constantly under the pressure of living up to the expectations of their audience. What they say and their opinions are no longer kept to themselves, they are read by everyone. This causes people to second guess what they believe in because they are scared of what others might think. Most people do struggle with knowing their true identities because like Rebecca said, they are constantly changing from day to day. I liked when Nicole said, "Who you are today may not be who you are tomorrow." I know my life is constantly changing and it affects who I am daily. I don't know what I want for the future, but as time goes on I'm sure more things will become clearer to me.
In addition, I agree that family and friends influence who I am as a person more than anything else. My family is valued highest to me in my life because no matter what they will always be there for me through everything. That is partly why their opinions matter so much. I also know that I can be myself around them so I don't have to act differently or worry about them judging me. On the other hand, with friends, I do feel more comfortable around some as opposed to others as many people said above.
I do struggle with my identity sometimes because I have done things just because I knew it would please others without thinking about whether it was what I really wanted or if it was the best choice for me. Whether it has to do with friends, relationships, or school you should always keep what you want into consideration and not only do certain things because you know it will make others happy.
I also believe that there are things I know about myself that others don't know, but at the same time things they know about me that I haven't come to realize. As a result, I agree that the question of who knows the real you better, you or the people around you, does have two answers. Many people keep things inside and don't express their feelings. But, you can learn a lot about a person by just seeing what actions they take and how they act towards other people.
Overall, I believe that you can be who you want to be. You can determine how others view you and the way you treat the people around you.
I feel like i repeated just about what everyone else said. Sorry :\
~Jackie(:
Anna Maria really gave a good point. I agree that those people who are closest to you know a lot about you. That maybe is the reason why we base our identities from what other people think or say about us. Although, it is true that they don't really know who we are since they don't know what's going on in our heads.
Besides this, I think the big struggle with identity is finding your purpose in life. But I think finding this purpose takes a lot of time and experience in the real world. Highschool is just the beginning for us. It's a way for us to see or look for what interests us for what we might do for the rest of our lives. It prepares us for that scary but exciting world where we can see who we really are and what we can do.
I have to agree with Anna Maria. It's true if you don't know yourself better than everyone else, no one really does know you. Really it is a valid point because the way you bring yourself across is based upon who you really are as a person. In addition to this, people do often pretend to be someone they're not because they really don't know who they are and they want the people to surround them to believe that they're this type of person. In conjunction with that, what people often don't realize is that the people around them too struggle with who they are.
Just like many others, i have found that i do occasionally question who i am and what others think of me. However I do eventually stop and think about the fact that i am who i am, this clumsy kid with pretty rotten luck, but if you don't accept who you are, how can you ever make it through life?
oh yeah it's Taylor by the way
I love what Anna Maria said about how writers explore their own identities through fictional characters. Another thought is that writers question their identity because writers tend to be sensitive and reflective. I guess this could just be a stereotype, but I think great American authors would go into deep thought and really question identity more than, say, an engineer who would be more focused on mechanics and how things are put together. But then again, how do we know what these other people are thinking?
Again, I understand that everyone changes and struggles with identity, but I guess it depends on what things you take into consideration when looking at identity. I don't exactly know how to put this into words, but, even though I change every day as a result of new experiences, I don't feel like I'm struggling with my identity. I recognize when I change as a person, but I still feel like I know who I really am.
I totally agree with Grace. I mean it's true all authors, not just American authors,do think deeper than the average everyday person because they have to think so deeply to write these intricate plots with so many diverse characters and symbols. Not to say that the everyday person doesn't think deeply, but writers and thinkers think at such a high level compared to everyone else. Take Hawthorne for example, he wrote the Scarlett Letter which takes so many literary elements that blend together to weave this beautiful yet dark story of love, sin, and identity. However in real life Hawthorne was this deeply depressed man who locked himself in a room for years just to learn his craft.In addition to this, Hawthorne had clear issues with his own identity throughout his life.He's not the only writer like this, there's Shakespeare, Hemingway, Van Gogh, and numerous more. It's almost as if to be considered a great author, writer, thinker, or artist that you have to have problems with your own identity.
I like what the person above me wrote. (Sorry, I don't know your name :P)
American writers write about identity because its their job to analyze the important factors and life, and identity is one of the major struggles in life all of us have to face. Its almost like the author tries to teach you a lesson through his writing.
I was hoping to avoid having to do this, but it seems I have no choice but to agree with almost everyone's responses. There's only so much you can say on a topic where you read everyone else's thoughts before it gets repetitive and you are influenced by others. However, there were some very good points that have been brought up. I'd say one of my favorite lines, one Jackie also liked, was Nicole's- "Who you are today may not be who you are tomorrow."
This seems so true, that you can be so easily changed by what happens in one single day that the next day you are slightly different. It's usually not a drastic change, but it seems like we are so easily influenced by the outside world that we are undergoing a tiny, but constant, change all the time.
What do we consider the elements of our identity? We talked in class about jobs and social standings, but other than that, how do we determine who we are? Is it by personality towards others, our character when nobody is around, material possessions, special traits, etc? It seems like it would be a combination of all of it, but what exactly are we looking at here? Because i think people change based on the topics i just mentioned....as in, someone could seem nice but really are sneaky and untrustworthy, or someone doesn't have a lot of money but has a great personality, etc. There are so many factors that go into determining identity, and can be very different depending on what you base it off of. Any thoughts on this?
I find what Dominika said was interesting. "I'm just going to wait and see what life throws at me." I wonder if fate really does have an affect on our identities. If something happens to us, and we seemingly have no control over it, it's bound to change us somehow. Think of September 11th for example, do you think anyone in the twin towers knew about the terrorist attacks? Don't you think that maybe those people who experienced just escaping the buildings before they collapsed, and those that lost loved ones before their very eyes weren't traumatized by it? If your perception of the world or your life changes, then couldn't your character change along with it? Do you ever think about how your identity has changed, even if we have only endured the smallest of life's experiences?
I think that most authors and great writers struggle with their identity because they are always under the public eye, leading to a life decided by what others think. Also, i think that they struggle with their identity because with being a writer they loose themselves within their characters. Therefore, i agree with Anna Maria and Grace.
Moreover, when people are under the public eye or are always being watched, they tend to make choices in life based upon what other people will think. In addition, most of these great American writers probably write so much that they tend to want to be like their characters and in the end, don't truly know their identity. This is because they start acting or feeling the things their characters feel and instead if being theirselves in reality, they are just like their characters.
In addition, i agree with grace about knowing your own identity. I think by this age i know my own identity. Moreover, i know who i am, what my personality is like, what I want to do with my life, and what my likes and dislikes are. But, i guess its a question as to what kind of person you are. If you worry about what people think of you then you probably struggle with your identity. And if you dont care than you're fine.
I also agree with Anna Maria about how famous writers use fictional characters as a way to show what they want to become. They could also be putting pieces of themselves into it as well.
I know I do that with my writing, and that could be why some writers are so famous. They use experiences or things they wish they could have to connect with the reader. They could also lose themselves in the story and forget who they truly are.
I definately have to agree with Athena (whose post is 326428396 before this) on the subject of identity. All of the great writers and thinkers actually have documents about their changing mindset, and they also show a lot of who they are through characters in their books, who go through many changes and learn life lessons, such as normal people do in real life. It is most likely for this reason that most writers' lives are ahown. Also, it is hard for the average person to document change from day to day living, unless they are contstantly writing about their lives and keeping track, so it is hard for us to see all of the changes and identity issues we face. Well, that's how i see it anyway...
-NIKKI :)
I think that great writers and thinkers of America are constantly struggling with who they are because they are just humans. Everyone is struggling with their identity, but we see their struggles more than ever because they reveal them through their work. They express their struggles through writing, just like artists express their struggles with poetry, art, or music. Also, because they were putting themselves and exposing their most inner thoughts and feelings, they are bound to be criticized or scrutinized unfortunately because we live in a very judgmental society. As Jackie said, fear of what people may think about them because of their work can easily dictate how they see themselves because they could be influenced by other people’s opinions. We learned that Hawthorne's relatives were deeply involved in the Salem witch trials and it wasn't something he was proud of. Maybe that affected how he saw himself. I also think that the character Hester is a representation of him because just as Hester had to suffer from shame, he also probably had to suffer from shame from his family's past. Lastly, just because great writers and thinkers have great minds, they go through what every human being goes through too- finding their selves; their identity.
EVERY human being struggles with their identity and who they are as a person. It's almost a part of human nature. Many people say that the purpose of life is to find out who you are as an individual. Finding out who you are is a journey and a process. You may not find your identity until you are on your death bed, but it doesn't matter when you realize who you are; it only matters that you find out. The things that happen to you and to others through out your life, I believe, greatly affect your identity. What you go through as a person, whether it be struggles or happy times, you learn more about yourself and who you are. It's almost like a puzzle piece- you have to collect all the pieces of life before you put them together. You learn more about yourself through the years. Right now as teenagers, we don't know who we are entirely yet. Frankly I don’t think we are supposed to. We think about who we want to be like in the future and where we want to be 10 years from now but there is no way of knowing if what we want will actually happen. But as we grow and learn more we will get to know our true self. Only the future will tell.
I would agree that writers can try to show their own identities through characters or situations in the story. They may also show who they want to be or become in those characters. I also agree with Shehryar and Dominika that authors seem to have a lot of time to reflect upon their identities. These authors can be seen struggling with their identities throughout their pieces. I also agree with Bianka, too. I think that the reason why Hawthorne made Hester that way she was, a shameful, but loving character because he also felt shame about his ancestors who were involved with the cruel witch trials.
Everyone struggles with this question of identity, like Bianka said, and it may be a part of human nature. We ask ourselves about our purpose in life sometimes also with the question of identity.
I think that I honestly struggle with my character everyday.This is not the first time that I was asked that who I am. The question was different. One of my teachers once asked the class to take out a piece of paper and answer these questions: What achievements have you made in your life and what achievements would you like to accomplish? What do you want to be when your older? What kind of person do you want to become in your life?(and more questions like...) Truth is that I had no answer at all then, and I believe I have no real answer to any of these questions. I think that then I was too young then to realize what these questions meant, but I believe that as I grow older I will keep ask myself these question and they will change as i continue to grow and change. Our identities are the things that make us different from everyone else. As we go through different experiences , we handle them differently than others would which also may shows individuality.
I like the way Bianka compared life to a puzzle in which you must collect all of the pieces before you can put them together. As time goes on and you live through more experiences you learn new things and meet new people. All of these different elements can effect the way your identity is portrayed to others. Overall, I think your identity won't change because it's who you are and who you will always be. You may not realize your true identity until later on in life, but your still the same person no matter what. On the other hand, you can change the way others view you and the way they perceive your identity to be by the actions you take and the way you treat others around you.
~Jackie(:
Perhaps I do not struggle with this particular question as much as some. I just can't relate to it in this form. For me, the question is not who am I, but who shall I be-- based on what would make me happiest. Our personalities are very dynamic. I would hate to think that my personality and psyche is static. We can be whomever we'd like. It's our responsibility to test ourselves to find our strengths and weaknesses, then develop from there. And we are always learning. I value an introspective understanding, but know that not every thing I do and have done will be/was logical. I do think it's intriguing to analyze ourselves and each other, though, to dissect our unconscious structure. I disagree with the idea that we always know ourselves better than any one else because we often overlook actions as irrelevant which a second opinion may deem highly relevant. And why should the public eye pertain to the author's quest for identification? I believe that authors have an innate sense of perception which makes them successful in their art. Without the ability to analyze their story or catalyze emotions in reaction to it, they would have a very dry, dull piece of literature. Authors just tend to be "thinkers," (as well as better educated)and thinkers are more alert to such philosophical questions than the general population. They say knowledge breeds understanding, but I would argue that it may provoke more questions than answers.
Honestly, originally, I wasn't planning on posting twice. I had nothing more to say nor nothing to add. I figured I would say something with my insomnia.
Ah, well, it's not a particular struggle. It could be considered a series of events. Events lead up to other events, causing you to make decisions based upon confidence or something of the sort. In the end, you'll never truly know yourself completely, since you're not able to play yourself in every situation you've ever been in life over and over again seeing what could happen if something different was chosen. It's more of what a person can potentially be. Everyone has potential.
Wooo, repetition.
"I disagree with the idea that we always know ourselves better than any one else because we often overlook actions as irrelevant which a second opinion may deem highly relevant" (Paul)
"Our friends and family play a major role in shaping us, so can we can we even take credit for being who we "truly are" when others play such a big part in doing that?" (Saba)
^ Ladies and gentleman these are your future humble leaders right here. The two points above me are incredibly selfless but oh so valid. To come out and admit that others had a say in what you become, and that you are not the only one who knew you best takes an awesome amount of humility and I commend thee for that. Self-identity is a lifelong process, but I can assuredly. If you all seek happiness, then you might not want to take the route of materialism I might add. From my adventures in various countries (Poland, Yugoslavia, Zimbabwe, China, Japan etc.), it seems to me that those who live simple lifes of eating, conversing with friends, listening to music, seeking introspective philosophical knowledge, helping others, and doing the most simply, taken for granted type things seem to be the ones with smiles on their faces. Ironic how complex and competitive we've made it for ourselves haha. Rockin' the Revlon mascara, with the Maybelline natural skin color blush, the straightened hair, the fresh flip-flops, ripped AE jeans, a cute top and the attitude of a bitch. Commendable, but it takes A LOT of effort lol. But that's the beauty of life too. Fighting, competing, killing yourself in your training to become the best; till no man is left standing. I believe Hester, by committing adultery, hath found happiness in finding a man she truly loves. The second she fled society and suffered, (but still survived) she found that that was an unncessary restriction upon her. She was "like a bird" in the words of Nelly Furtado. Unfortunately, I hate to say this, but few people can match her courage. That's why I often get angry when someone explains how THEY should be the ones making decisions for themselves. So many times throughout my life I've seen folks spiral into a path of self-destruction by seeking that which gratifies them the fastest. Indulging in fast food, attacking others out of insecurity, drinking like no tomorrow, masturbation.. the list is endless. It takes a true, free individual.. one who can ascend simple human desires to be HIM(HER)SELF. Gandhi did it. MLK Jr, despite being a womanizer, also. Michael Jordan. Alexander the Great. Ho Chi Minh. Chang Kai-Shek. I encourage all of you to seek the path to "who u r", but in the end understand that it's not the most significant thing in the world. It's more than ok to just become a humble, productive member of society, because in essence we're social creatures who depend on each other. Had we been a wandering, nomadic tribe self-dependent on our own food, shelter, than we truly can say that we're free and we're we!. But we do have a government, we do depend on food stored in grocery stores, homes controlled by the real estate market, and so it should be a mutual relationship.,
i disagree with the humble member of society point. anyway, who r u soulja boy? do u go to this school, or are u really from australia? we dont know who u r and we're all wondering.
Gloria, why do you insist on being a huge pain in the buttox! Come on girl you got mad potential to benefit this board. All you got to is tie your fingers up with a rubberband, and "BAM!" (Emeril) the Alaimo blogs will instantly get better! A special gift God gave you. Bless ya.
Why do you think the humble opinion was invalid? For the most part it's true. Do you not understand that Paul and Sabah can literally make your ears bleed with the insane amount of accomplishments they've done thus far. But they choose a path of humility, and I feel that must be commended. Apparently, your ego can't take a backseat huh. Aww Gloria, its ok you can spill your feelings out to ol' SouljaBoy here. Come on chil' let loose, you've got a lot of hatred in your heart :(. I won't care and I'll laugh, but you can still share them! Then we can paint our fingernails and talk about how hot Winnie the Pooh looks in his red shirt and how many times I'd BJ Mr. Lombardi to get to go to a Veronicas concert. Yippee!
You're starting to grow on me so I wrote you a quick song :)
*Play Eminem "Stan" music"
Dear Gloria,
I owned you but why you still replyin?
I left my name, some words, and an apology at the bottom,
You must just have skipped them,
There must have been a problem with your comprehension or something,
What's this sh!t about this humble comment being invalid,
Sometimes your red hair makes you look like an evil clown freak,
But anyway stop making me hurl till I become weak,
I read your facebook info and I almost died laughing,
What a funny person to imagine crapping,
What's this about the humble people point being invalid,
That's the kind of BS that makes you look like Hagrid,
Read back, gain some IQ, this is your number one master,
Truly, SouljaBoy
(By the way I go to NHS. I won't reveal my identity.. yet. Let's just say I'm a well traveled person. I'm of the male gender. And I love Soulja Boy :) )
Post a Comment