Where Does One's Identity Come From?

Everyone has their own identity, but where does one’s identity come from? How does one’s identity impact who they are today? Identity is the part of your soul that controls and transforms your attitude, appearance, outlook upon life, and who you want to be as an individual. To support this knowledge of identity, an interview with my grandmother, Deanna Brown, George Orwell’s classic novel, Animal Farm, and Frank Ticheli’s poem, “Earth Song,” all prove that one’s identity can be formed through peer influences, life experiences, life values, and what you have learned from your life that forms your identity into the person that you are to this day.
Where can one’s identity come from? Anyone’s identity can come from or be influenced by the people
who you choose to surround yourself with such as, family, friends and ordinary peers who you may not even personally know. In Orwell’s novel, Animal Farm, the main character, Napoleon, has an identity that is swelling because of his peers around him. For example, Napoleon has tamed nine dogs at a very young age to become very ferocious around other creatures that may cause harm to Napoleon as protection for himself. Because of Napoleon’s protective dogs, he becomes greedy and begins to look down upon his comrades because he feels more important than his fellow peers, including the dogs that look upon Napoleon as their master. Evidence to prove this is as follows, “They kept close to Napoleon. It was noticed that they wagged their tails to him in the same way as the other dogs had been used to do to Mr. Jones” (Orwell 53). This connects to the idea that one’s peers can influence the way your identity is shaped because Napoleon’s identity is being influenced by his obedient dogs because they listen to everything Napoleon will tell them to do and treat him as an all powerful leader, thus, persuading Napoleon to believe himself as one. Another form of one’s identity being influenced by one’s peers would be in the interview with my grandmother, Deanna Brown. In this interview, Deanna explains how her mother and father have raised herself and her sisters in a very calm, normal childhood environment that she had been influenced to use upon her children while raising them. Because Deanna has been given the privileges of embracing a happy and simple childhood from her mother, she was influenced from her to raise her own children in a very similar manner because she enjoyed how her own mother had raised her as a child. From family members to your pets, your identity is always evolving and growing from the ones who surround you and also from life experiences and moral values.
Anyone can influence the way that you look upon your life, but your own life experiences and moral values can dramatically affect the shape of your own identity.
In Frank Ticheli’s poem, “Earth Song,” the author explains how past experience within music have influenced the way he looks upon a very dreadful, dreary world. Evidence from the poem proves this as follows, “The scorched earth cries out in vain: O war and power, you blind and blur, the torn heart cries out in pain. But music and singing have been my refuge, and music and singing shall be my light” (Ticheli). In this selection, Ticheli explains how he sees a world full of pain and darkness that blinds and blurs him from happiness, but because of his experience with music and singing, Ticheli now sees the light and now sees the happiness that the darkness had once blocked him from viewing. Ticheli’s whole outlook on life has changed from his experience of music and singing, allowing his identity to be reformed so that he no longer only sees darkness, pain and grief, but happiness and light. Past experience have also developed and morphed the character, Boxer’s, identity in George Orwell’s, Animal Farm. One of Boxer’s life changing experiences by Orwell, “Nothing could have been achieved without Boxer, whose strength seemed equal to that of all the rest of the animals put together. When the boulder began to slip and the animals cried out in despair at finding themselves dragged down the hill, it was always Boxer who strained himself against the rope and brought the boulder to a stop. To see him toiling up the slope inch by inch, his breath coming fast, the tips of his hoofs clawing at the ground, and his great sides matted with sweat, filled everyone with admiration” (Orwell 61). In this quote, a scene is explained of the animals dragging a large boulder up a hill to be used for creating a windmill and the struggles of carrying the massive rock. Without the horse, Boxer, there to stop the boulder from
racing down the hill, the animals would never be able to carry all the stones up the steep slope. Because Boxer is desperately needed by all of the animals in order for the creation of the wildmill to be successful, Boxer wants to now keep on working harder than ever before because of all the admiration from the animals that he received while working on the windmill. Past experience in one’s life can affect the way a person may act around others and how they may want to be treated by others. But what have you learned from life that creates the person who you are today? Everyone is their own person, with specific facial features and attitudes that can make one stand out in a crowd, or blend in with everyone else, everyone has their own identity. But what may be some life values of your own that have taught you about your identity? In Frank Ticheli’s poem, “Earth Song,” Ticheli looks upon a beaten down world that has much darkness, but explains how in spite of all that darkness, the light has easily been shown to him because of music and singing. Evidence from Ticheli as follows, “A light of song shining strong: alleluia! Through darkness, pain, and strife, I’ll sing, be, live, see... peace” (Ticheli). In this passage, Ticheli explains how even in darkness, pain, and strife, he will still be able to sing and be happy because of music and the sight of light in absolute darkness. Also in the interview with my grandmother, Deanna Brown, her identity has forever changed because of her past experiences in life. From my grandmother’s wedding day when she was ninteen, she was married with her husband, Dwight Brown, for thirty three years and raised three children into wonderful adults. After she and her husband had gotten into a divorce, to this day, my grandmother does not look back upon her divorce as an upsetting experience. Sure, Deanna does admit that her divorce was a sad time but because of her divorce, she is a much happier person from this life changing experience from her amazing family and moral support. Thanks to friends and family, Deanna now looks upon her past divorce as a good decision that has improved her life in the best way that she possibly can.
Many factors fall into place that affect the way one’s identity can be formed and created such as friends, family, peers, and past life experiences. Anyone’s identity can be transformed by the people around them and life changing experiences they may encounter in their lives. One’s identity can be influenced by the peers around them and their own identity can very well impact the people around them.