Definition Essay on the Term Identity free essay sample

The term identity as the English dictionary defines it is the individual characteristics by which a person or thing is recognized, however, the dictionary falls to truly capture the words meaning. Generally the development of an Individuals identity goes on during his/her childhood, puberty and in most situations it ends at adulthood. Identity is quite difficult to define because it is such an abstract concept. In order to define such a word, it is better to describe factors that are more directlyInvolved with the meaning of a persons Identity. There are specific and Important factors such as: social class, culture, family and society. In essays such as, Some Lessons from the Assembly Line by Andrew Barracks, On Teens Tattoos by Andrea Martin and Stuff is not Salvation by Anna Quintile each tell stories of Identity. The authors, If asked, could define Identity as a number of external factors that under given circumstances would shape a persons character and Identity. The authors imply in their essays the meaning of both the word identity and the concept f individual.These answers are rather abstruse and hidden between the words of the writers; nevertheless there Is a clear similarity between the authors implied opinions about the meaning of the word Identity. Some Lessons from the Assembly Line talks about Mr.. Barbarisms life during his junior year of college and compares his work in the assembly line in contrast with his life on a college campus. An Important part of the authors identity is redefined during his time In college. Mr.. Barracks gets out of his comfort zone and enters new surroundings, when he starts irking in the assembly line and realizes how different social classes are.Just as he said in his essay, My experiences will stay with me long after I head back to school and spend my wages on books and beer. The things that factory work has taught me -how lucky I am to get an education, how to work hard, how easy It Is to lose that work once you have it- are by no means earth shattering. Everyone has to come to grips with them at some point. How and when I learned these lessons, however, has Inspired me to make the most of my colleges years before I enter the real world for DOD (Barracks 78).The author explains the hidden correlation between social classes and identity. Nowadays, higher education has become one of the several factors that determine a persons social class. It was his exposure in this new world surrounded by coworkers of educationally and financially poor backgrounds that made him realize the true value of education. As a consequence, that particular experience shaped a great part of his Identity for the rest of his life. He also Implies how this personal experience transforms him from a care-free attitude to a successful student and writer.American society is based on diversity of ethnicities, languages, religions and several other factors that form a part of the nations great Identity. Martin describes In his article the crave of a certain social group for folding individuality and identity between each other through the acquisition of permanent symbols, messages and figures called tattoos. The recent spread in acceptance and I OFF an inner impulse to find identity, his thing that separates him/her from the rest of the world. Therefore, Martin explains clearly in this quote from his essay OnTeenager Tattoos the hidden correlation between tattoos and the word identity, Tattoos and piercing have become a part of our everyday landscape. They are ubiquitous, having entered the circles of glamour and the mainstream of fashion, and they have even become an increasingly common feature of our urban youth. Legislation in most states restricts professional tattooing to adults older than 18 years of age, so high-end tattooing is rare in children and adolescents, but such tattoos are occasionally seen in older teenagers.Piercing, by comparison, as well as elf-made or Jailhou se type tattoos, are not all rare among adolescents or even among school-age children. Like hairdo, makeup, or baggy Jeans, tattoos and piercing can be subject to fad influence or peer pressure in an effort toward group affiliation. As with any other fashion statement, they can be construed as bodily aids in the inner struggle toward identity consolidation, serving as adjuncts to the defining and sculpting of the self by means of external manipulation. (Martin 388). Tattoos can also become symbols of the individuals spiritual belief.They are molly used as links because of the bonding relationship they offer to the individual. Tattoos such as Crosses, the Star of David and the Yin Yang, they all offer the individual a sense of belonging to a greater belief. In todays world, especially in American society, people tend to be highly materialistic. Perhaps the urge to buy everything could be a disguise for the search of the persons identity. Just as Quintile wrote in her article about materialism, Here I go stating the obvious: stuff does not bring salvation. But if its so obvious, how come for so long people have not legalized it?The happiest families I know arent the ones with most square footage. Somewhere in between there is a family like one I know in rural Pennsylvania, with three kids who somehow, incredibly, dont spend six months of the year whining for the toy du Sour. (The youngest once demurred when someone offered him another box on his birthday; l already have a present, he said. ) The mother says having less means her family appreciates possessions more. What they have has meaning. And meaning, real meaning, is what we are always trying g to possess (Quintile 508). Family values are a very important factor in the process of defining identity since they could prevent a child from growing up and being misled to start finding his/her identity through the purchase of meaningless possessions. In our society the constant urge for finding individuality is in every person around us. This search for individuality is expressed through tattoos, work experiences or materialism. Several factors such as: society, family, culture and social class are tools from which a person chooses to find his/her identity.