Xuen Tey Week 4: Building Identity
What makes up an identity?
I’ve been talking and speaking and ranting about identity and how different factors influence identity this whole time, so I think it's time to speak about my views on my own identity.
Identity is a flexible thing. It changes based on how you and others see yourself. Some may call a person quiet while others know them to be loud and talkative. Some may call them not smart while others could call them talented. Identity is one of those things that is ridiculously hard to pin down since it so heavily relies on perspective and what the person is like with the subject.
I adore reading books, especially fictional novels.
I read all kinds of novels, from science fiction to realistic historical, I collect them all and read them and take everything I can from them before I stop reading. I blitz through novels, devouring them and immersing myself in the characters.
Why bring this up, you may be asking right now? What does this have to do with identity, you might question.
Simple.
Books taught me about identity in a way that nothing else ever did. Because of that, I loved books. They taught me about people, about why they do things, what they think, everything. Books taught me about the importance of perspective and social cues, about how one’s upbringing affects their view of the world, about the complexity of people. They showed me that good people could do bad things for the right reasons, that bad people could do good things for the wrong reasons. They taught me villains are often just victims who didn’t know how to escape. They taught me that everyone has a story—no matter how big or small—and that you can’t judge a person until you learn about their life.
First person novels—narrated by a person, allowing you to hear their thoughts—taught me countless things about a person’s identity. They taught me about people’s values, their beliefs, their wants, their dreams, their fears. And through that, I learned about what kinds of people come from where, and why some people are the way they are. And through that, I constructed my views on identities, and figured out my own identity.
Xuen, I love the way you begin this post with a general talk about identity, then going into your love for books and lastly, tying that passion back to your identity. Your assessment of how much books can really teach a person, whether conscious or unconscious, really got me to reflect back on what I have learned from books I have read in the past. I used to be an avid reader, while I definitely did not delve into as many genres as you have; it is unfortunate that my reading took a backseat when I began high school. This post made me remember why I used to love reading so much; maybe I’ll go grab a book and read a little tonight!
ReplyDeleteXuen, first off, I love the start. I think the reasoning for your selection of this topic makes a lot of sense. I heavily agree with your "Identity is flexible" line and the fact you attributed it to "perspective." I whole-heartedly agree with the idea that perspective is EVERYTHING, in almost all situations. I admire your love for books, and lowkey wish I could relate, but sadly, I do not. Reading the "immersing myself" part really shows how passionate you are about reading. The one word reply of "Simple." adds to the voice and is a really clean touch to your blog. I do relate however to your last paragraph about first person novels. For me though, more about like introspective memoirs. I love reading real life stories and learning little life lessons through a perspective I would not have had before.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I loved your blog and really got a sense for how much you love to read. I wonder how you get yourself to sit down with a book though, as I always struggle to get that first page started.
Honestly, thinking about someone’s identity is like thinking about the color of a gemstone--it depends on where you’re standing. Your answer to the question of what your love for books has to do with identity was wonderfully simple (see what I did there)! I often feel books (as objects) also have their own identities, from other books and even other copies of the same story. At least for me, I take pride and joy in my beat up copy of “Fahrenheit 451” because its appearance and messy annotations reflect just how much I love rereading it. Your note about first person novels is one I wholeheartedly agree with, although I feel what really might be interesting for character exploration are novels that utilize the different POVs well (mixing third person with first, having multiple characters’ POVs, etc). Going back to the gemstone comparison, I imagine it’s like standing in one place and having a camera set in another--just adds onto our conceptions of them!
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