CONSTRUCTING IDENTITY
Our identity refers to the way we define ourselves. It includes beliefs, values, and
personalities. The identity of a person might be constructed through his/her actions or by cultural
systems. This paper analyzes the way Satrapi, Murakami, and Bechdel address the construction
and projection of identity, the way people respond to identities, and it also gives a reflection of
one’s experience with constructing identity.
Murakami recognizes that identity can be constructed. Even though Murakami works at a
particular shop, he gets the revelation that he can write after attending a baseball game. Attending
the baseball game can be viewed as a life experience that helped construct Murakami's identity.
When Murakami attends the baseball game, he is stricken by thoughts that he could write a novel.
He gets the creative revelation after he watches Dave Hilton who played for the baseball league.
Even though Murakami was still working, he was able to find time to write. He always got home
late from work but sat at a kitchen table to write. Murakami also recognizes that identity can be
constructed by language. He explains the way people were not okay with him writing in a foreign
language. “Language is a tough tenacity backed by history” (Murakami, 7). He also argues that a
writer can use his/her specific style of writing and that it would be okay to be an independent
writer. The specific objects that helped construct Murakami’s identity were the baseball game,
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no need for all caps in the title :)
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what happened to the rest of this sentence?
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oops! where's your header?
Alison Bechdel also recognizes that identity could be realized at some moment in one's
life. She explains that her father had a dark secret, that was his identity. Her father, Bruce, was a
married person, but he also had an interest in boys and would sleep with them because he was
homosexual. Bechdel recognizes the fact that one's identity can be realized through life
experiences. Engaging in various activities can lead to one discovering himself/herself. Bruce's
identity as a homosexual is discovered later, but he has always been one because he previously
engaged in sex with the boys. “But would an ideal husband and father have sex with teenage boys?”
(Bechdel, 4). Bechdel recognizes that Bruce’s behaviors were more of those of females than those
of men. This shows that the behavior of a person can indicate his/her identity. Satrapi's identity is
constructed through various items of the American culture. She wears tight jeans and sneakers that
are not accepted in Iranian culture.
People respond to identity in various ways. Whereas some people are proud of their
identities, others tend to keep it a secret. For example, Murakami was proud to discover his identity
as a writer. On the other side, Bechdel’s father did not seem proud of his identity. This is because
he kept it a secret that he was a homosexual and Bechdel would only discover it through his
behaviors. Satrapi was not proud of her identity because she feared what other Iranians would do
to her. When asked about why she had the sneakers, she could not tell the ladies that she was
interested in the American culture. “…I had to lie” (Satrapi, 5). Whereas some identities are
accepted within the society, others are generally not accepted. For example, being a writer is
accepted as a career while being homosexual is not accepted in society. Identities mostly tend to
share something about people. This is because they show the real person and his/her behaviors.
Murakami's identity was authentic and easy to convey. He was a writer who used a different
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but what is significant about the way Bruce obsessively constructs an identity that hides who he really is?
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is this all you have to say about Marjane Satrapi's experience? i don't think it serves you in this paragraph -- save Satrapi for later.
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so where is your summary of Marjane Satrapi's identity? you're missing a major component of the paper without a paragraph on Satrapi...
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what does this quote do in the context of this paper? does it actually help the reader understand the way that Bruce constructs his identity?
writing style. His identity is accepted within society. Satrapi's identity was not accepted in Iranian
culture.
I think I relate most to Murakami. This is because I discovered my identity through life
experiences just as he did. I attended a seminar organized by Google to enlighten people on how
to enhance their security online. Before attending the seminar, I did not expect that I would develop
an interest in programming. During the seminar, one of the organizers explained how people make
money by engaging in ethical hacking. He explained the need for learning various programming
languages for coding. I developed an interest in programming to learn how to identify weaknesses
in websites through ethical hacking. I was motivated by the realization that there was an
opportunity to make more money through programming. Because of my interest in programming,
I learned languages such as Java, C, and C++. I used to learn these languages during the weekends.
I could also spend around forty minutes learning the programming languages every day before I
slept. Because of my hard work and passion for programming, I perfected various languages and
was able to develop websites for several bloggers. This is even though I did not study the course
professionally. If it were not for Google, I would not have become computer literate as I am today.
Most people discover their true identity as they grow up. Whereas some people might hide
their identities, other people tend to share them, but this also depends on how society views it.
People should not be afraid to express their identities. The society should let people be.
Works Cited
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good connections!
Bechdel, Alison. Fun home: A family tragicomic. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2007.
Murakami, Haruki. The Birth of My Kitchen Table Fiction. Vintage, 2007.
Satrapi, Marjane. The complete persepolis. 2007.
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Hi Simpson! The writing prompt asked you to summarize each author's experience with the construction of identity. While you worked through Haruki Murakami and Alison Bechdel's experiences, your summary of Marjane Satrapi's experiences is quite limited -- the prompt asked you to devote at least a paragraph to each author. Please review the writing prompt and make sure you are addressing all aspects of the paper before submitting -- this will ensure you do not miss key aspects of the writing task.