Essay 1: Final

In the chapter “Black Power” from the novel The Color of Water written by James McBride, McBride recalls certain events when he was a child involving his white mother. As a black child living amongst the black community during the 1960’s, James was always puzzled about his social identity.  Having a white mother instead of a black mother was very odd to him and even made him believe he was adopted.  Thinking about McBride’s life experiences as a young child made me consider the importance of have an identity. Our identity, allows us to distinguish ourselves from other individuals and without it we would not be able to understand who we truly are.

How can one identify their own identity?  Well identity is determined by a mix of things not just one solid thing. Identity can be defined by your cultural status such as nationality, race, or religion. And can also be influenced by society such as the type of family you have, your career, and so on. Most importantly it is what you think is most important about yourself that tells others I am the way I am because of this.

The most important thing about me that’s make up my identity is my nationality. My nationality is very important to me because without it I do not know what kind of person I’ll be today. The way I eat, sleep, and live are all based upon my nationality. For those who may not know me I am Mexican and proud of it. Being Mexican influences my everyday life even the

way I speak. Many people I know only can speak one language and that is English but no me. Rather than speaking one language I speak two, both English and Spanish. I believe because I know two languages this has made stand out from others amongst the crowd.

Identity can be anything as long as it defines who you are in order to stand out from other individuals. I previously stated my identity was my nationality but for others it can be anything they want it be as long as it matters to them. Gloria Anzaldua, author of “How to Tame a Wild Tongue”, identity was her language because it defined who she really is. She did not speak Spanish or English but her own language called Pachuco. Pachuco is a slang language used by Mexican- Americans. Because others would criticize Anzaldua for it, she struggled to express her own language.  As a result, Anzaldua continued to express herself by speaking Pachuco and if people did not like it than they better start learning Pachuco because she was not going to change.

Not being able to identify ourselves is a serious problem. Without an identity there is no possible way to distinguish who you are compared to another individual. When James McBride was a child, he could not identify himself and that led him to become very confused. As a child McBride was raised in a biracial family. McBride, his father, and brothers were all black except his mother, she was white. His older brother Richie would often tell McBride “You’re adopted.” Even schoolteachers would ask the same thing about McBride. When McBride’s mother would come to her son’s school, schoolteachers would often ask “Is James adopted?” This only added more fire to the flame. Who was James McBride?  Was James McBride adopted or did he belong to this family?

No one should ever hide his or her identity. Our identities are what makes us different from other and without it we will all be the same. You may think your identity is not that important but it actually is. If it wasn’t for my nationality, I’ll probably be just another face in the crowd. There is no shame to express one’s identity because it’s the only thing that can never be taken away from us. No matter how much others will try to change you, one must stand their ground.  If others attack you for your identity then guess what who cares what they think just move on. Identities are more than just personal experiences or nationalities, they define who you are and that’s what’s important.

The importance of identity is to know how you view yourself in order to distinguish ourselves from other individuals. Your race, your family, and even your likes and dislikes identify who you are. Not knowing your identity will only confuse you like James McBride felt growing up as a child. Identity is what makes you different from others and defines who you are in life.