Is Identity Important

Jodie Crutchley

9/14/2014

English Writing Skills Workshop

Professor Rasheda Young




                                      Is Identity is important and if it is, what is it?

Picture yourself a 13 year-old girl wearing baggy shirts and cargo pants. Same girl only your 14 now and wearing makeup and a dress or skirt everyday. Year after year another faze, this years t-shirts and leggings, next year maybe you’ll incorporate heals into every outfit. Who are you? Are you a “tomboy” or a “girly-girl”? Figuring out how you want to portray yourself isnt easy. Especially after years of catholic school where they dress you in the same wool skirts or dresses everyday. No one ever taught you how to dress yourself, your parents thought it was cute that you wore your brothers clothes or a whole year. You wouldn’t be as tough as you are today if it wasn’t for the teasing you got from the constant wearing of frilly somewhat flower girl like dresses, or from the mismatched high socks and corny shirts with lines like “You’ve got to be kitten me right meow” with a big cat in the middle. All of it contributed to who your are today. Helped you find your identity. In “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” by Gloria Anzaldua, Gloria’s stubborn tongue remained impenetrable to change. Her chicano spanish was what defined her and she wasn’t going to let anyone take it away from her. She was right to defend her identity, because identity defines who you are, it is the most important thing about yourself. 

The dictionary defines identity as, “the state or fact of remaining the same one or ones, as under varying aspects or conditions”. Saying this, identity can be compared to how scientists use constants in their experiments. Constants are things that remain the same when other elements are being changed. 

“Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no ones definition of your life, but define yourself.” This quote by Harvey Fierstein fits best for the story of Gloria Anzaldua who fought for her language and for her to be able to speak up and let her accent and chicano spanish to be heard. Though people told her to close her mouth, “En boca cerrada no entran moscas.” Which translates to flies do not enter a closed mouth. Glorias fight for her identity helps prove that identity is important. Her stubborn tongue did not give up who she was and was meant to be. Her language, identity, was something worth fighting for. 

Who have you become? Does it really matter as long as you’re happy with yourself? The way you grew up. your story, will remain yours and only yours forever. The discovery of your identity, every twist, turn, and bump in the road brought you here and made you the type of person you are now. Choose to embrace your identity for it is important. “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken”, Oscar Wilde. Identity is important because it is a constant for who you are. Something that does not change under varying aspects or conditions. Identity is you, and you are your identity.