Original Identity Vs. Personal Choice

Britney Collver
English 101
April 17th 2009
Identity vs. Personal Choices

Identity is who each individual portrays themselves to be through personal choices and decisions. Each person has the power to create and change their identity at any point in their lives. There are some characteristics that ultimately do change an identity that are not controllable by personal choice, but even those can easily be to manipulated. It is based upon personal actions and reactions, how each man and woman presents themselves, and ultimately how the world identifies each person.

All individual makes their own personal choices and decisions. These decisions range from determining career paths, whether to go to college, to play sports, to get married, to live a small town life, or to live in a big city. It’s these decisions that truly define a person’s identity. If Sally Mae chooses to be a doctor, she will be viewed much differently by all those around her than if she had decided to be a stripper. This may seem only skin deep as Sally is the same person either way, but those decisions change how she ultimately lives her life. A person who has made the life long goal of continual medical education and helping others as a doctor, has a much different mind set and life values than Sally, who has chosen to “entertain” others for a living. This may seem unfair, as Sally may have just not had the finances to continue education, and was left with seemingly no other choice, but even if this were the case, she could have chosen to be a waitress or work retail, keeping the same morals as we would assume the doctor to have. The simple fact that stripping was her decision, says much about her identity. As many people say, actions truly do speak louder than words.

A person’s identity is also determined from how they choose to present themselves. Some individuals have hobbies and passions that take up a large portion of their life which causes others around them to identify them through those subjects. My boss, for example, is infatuated with the Oregon Ducks. He makes this so apparent that any time he is given a gifts, everyone gets him something associated with the Oregon ducks. Those around him immediately think of him when hearing of the Oregon Ducks, because he has chosen to make it such a large part of his life, and share this with those around him. He has decided that this love for the Ducks is a substantial part of who he is, and through that he has created an identity for himself, as viewed by those around him.

No matter who you are as a person, your identity is nothing but how others view you. What the census doesn’t count states that “Individuals may choose one identity for themselves, but others in society may make another choice for them. The black Indian child may think of himself as Indian, but if no one around him does, than he has run up against the limit of his own power to choose a racial identity” (pg. 67). Likewise, if you are a book worm but tell no one of this, it is not how people will view you, and therefore is not your identity to the world. If you seclude yourself to the world, and move to the middle of the woods, or some place where no one will know you even exist, than you will ultimately have no identity.

This brings me to the fact that there are certain non controllable facts that play a part in a person’s identity as well. Things such as culture, race and family roots, for instance, do make up identifying factors in every persons life, changing and having strong effects on their identity. These factors, however, are only where a person comes from, and how they entered the world. From there, anyone can make themselves into whoever they decide to be. Some may choose to follow their culture with things such as religion and family beliefs. But it is every individual’s personal choice to do so or not.

The “F word” describes the life of Firoozeh Dumas, who was born with a name and into a race which was not socially accepted while she was growing up. In order to change her identity she changed her name to “Julie”. She states that “Because I spoke English without an accent and was known as Julie, people assumed I was American” (pg 62). She was suddenly accepted by her peers, even though they had not accepted her as Firoozeh. She chose to change the name she was born with, and that alone changed her identity to all those around her. Even though she was the same person inside, it gave her an entirely new identity. It also changed her life style, which affected her identity as well. She began changing her daily activities and socializing with people who otherwise wouldn’t have given her the time of day. Suddenly she was getting job offers that she would not have even been considered for previously. Everything around her drastically changed, and all because she chose to change her name, and in tern her identity to others.

There are clearly many factors which make up an individuals identity. It is not black and white and there is certainly not one determining characteristic. That is what is so great about an identity, it can be formulated and manipulated by almost anything, and is so unique that there will never be two alike. Each person in this world chooses how to live their lives, and what to present to others about themselves. Even uncontrollable characteristics can be shaped and altered. An identity can be made into anything desired, and it is because of this, that we are all so unique.