Comparison Of Identity: Native American And Chicana

Edited by several scholars such as Gabriella F. Arredondo, Aída Hurtado, Norma Klahn, Olga Nájera-Ramírez, and Patricia Zanella, this book in particular highlights the development of Chicana identities in the twentieth century by showing “how Chicana feminist writings move discourse beyond binaries and toward intersectionality and hybridity” (Arredondo e.al. 2). What is interesting is how the feminist scholars in this book used different epistemologies and methods in capturing the experiences of the Chicanas which include oral histories, poetry, theatrical performance, painting, dance, music and social science survey. Some of the contributors also combine “analytical tools and cross disciplinary boundaries” (5). The approaches used are very unique as they enables to unravel the Chicana experiences thoroughly and disrupt “the notion of Chicana identity as monolithic and homogeneous” (6). Also, the format of the book which presents articles and then the responses by another activist or scholars offers a very distinct way of presenting critical and provocative analysis. Such format allows the editors to “reaffirm the tensions and creativity of individual and group consciousness that underlie Chicana feminism and scholarship” (Salas 122). From this edited volume, I choose three articles along with their responses. Those articles are Cartohistografía: Continente de una voz/Cartohistography: One Voice’s Continent by Elba Rosario Sánchez (response: Translating Herstory: A Reading

A Native Americans identity is deeply rooted in his culture, “it’s a particular way one feels about oneself and one’s experiences as an American Indian or tribal person” (Horse 65). Without his Native American culture, a person can feel lost in the world, disconnected from everything. Throughout history, there have been moments where Native Americans were forced to lose part or all of their culture, of their identity. There was the termination era in the 1950’s and Indian boarding schools that both were ways to strip Native Americans of their culture. In Joy Harjo’s poem, The Woman Hanging from the Thirteenth Floor Window, the woman hanging experiences the termination era. In Sherman Alexie’s book, Reservation Blues, Junior Polatkin experiences the lasting effect boarding schools have on Indians. In LeAnne Howe’s book, Miko Kings, Lena learns that you can always come back from to your Native identity.

“In Defense of Masks”, by Kenneth Gergen regards that it is not possible for humans to adequately find a coherent self identity without an aftermath. Gergen states, “to the extent that they do, they many experience severe emotional distress” when trying to do so (172). He refers to Erik Erickson, a psychologist who speaks about how self-alienation can result due to the pressures of society to individuals with various masks of identity.

Many, if not most, of the people in today's generation are constantly judged by others and even themselves based on what their identity comprises of. The concept of racial injustice and inequality among ethnic minorities constantly fills the media. Women's rights issues seem to arise rapidly whenever a single female is mistreated in the slightest way. The debate on homosexuality is also an enormous topic in our social lives today, with millions of supporters for it, but also millions against it. This internal segregation within our own human population is nothing new, since it has been continuing ever since verbal and written communication with each other has existed. All these components, and many more, are a huge part of what identifies a

Outside influences have a strong capability to influence and alter our personal identity. Both directly and indirectly, the social contexts in which we live can change the way we think and feel, and by extension how we interact with other people and places. Immediate family, friendship groups and the physical environment are all factors which contribute to our ever changing perceptions of ourselves. Sometimes personal identity can be subtly reshaped over a gradual time frame, as our sense of who we are is modified without personal recognition that we are changing. At other times we may be able to notice our personal identity changing, through important life decisions.

People live day to day struggling with identifying who or what they want to be. People allow parents, peers, friends, and even the media dictate what makes them unique. Identity is something that makes one person different from the next. Though it may take longer for certain people to understand that, it is a conclusion that one has to come to in time. People allow norms to stop them from being exactly who they are. We were all given a different identity so we could fully embrace the world head on. The time has come for people to stop letting outside forces like names, race, social identity, handicap, and gender determine who they are. One should identify who they are and never let any opposing forces get into the way of what they have to offer the

Interactions between people are never ending. The effects of one conversation could affect the outcome of that person’s life, consequently changing their identity completely. There comes a time, though, when dealing with others confident in their identities, where one must ask themselves the personal question of “who am I?”. No matter if you’ve just stumbled upon this question, in the process of discovering the answer, consistently changing your answer, or confident in your answer, the people around you are the ones you have to thank for molding your personal identity.

In the beginning, Anzaldúa states, “My tongue keeps pushing out the wads of cotton, pushing back the drills, the long thin needles. ‘I’ve never seen anything as strong or as stubborn,’ he says. And I think, how do you tame a wild tongue, train it to be quiet, how do you bridle and saddle it?” (43). When Anzaldúa decribes her tongue “pushing out the wads of cotton,” she demonstrates how she feels to be not be able to fully express her Chicana identity. Later, Anzaldúa states, “Ethnic identity is twin skin to linguistic identity- I am my language. Until I can take pride in my language, I cannot take pride in myself” (46). Anzaldúa uses the dentist trying to tame her “stubborn” tongue to compare to how in American society, she is told to be quiet and not use her Chicano language, which Anzaldúa identifies herself as her language. As a result of this limitation in society, Anzaldúa realizes that she does not want to compliant and to “tame a wild tongue [and] train it to be quiet.” She does not want to have to change how she speaks to cater English or Spanish speakers. Anzaldúa wants to be able to express her identity through her language. Towards the end, Anzaldúa also states, “I have so internalized the borderline conflict that sometimes I feel like one cancels out the other and we are zero, nothing, no one” (49). While Anzaldúa feels she lives with two identities in the United States, she finds that switching from identity to identity results in the identities canceling out. Then, she becomes nothing. The complexity of discovering oneself in a uniform society causes a person to feel lost. Anzaldúa can no longer stay quiet about this struggle as

In conclusion, a person’s identity can be influenced by the actions or conflicts he or she has experience in life and what’s based on the conflict and on how the parents and the people around influence

In what way did you notice all or some of the material connecting? I found it interesting how identity is found in many aspects of Native American culture. After reading chapters 1 – 3, I noticed the material connected through the theme of identity. Identity is a recurring theme throughout the first three chapters. Identity in Native American culture is complex, in that there are many components to Native American culture and identity.

Humans are bound to make mistakes during these critical decisions that affect both relationships and them as individuals; as a result people are regretful about their identity. Sooner or later people arrive at a point in life where they want to reassess themselves, indicating the theme of Rethinking Identity that is associated with search for an identity, which

The public self is often times not the true self. This indication of a difference between the public and true self leads to the idea that the self and identity of an individual are different concepts. The self, is a person’s essential being that makes each individual unique compared to others; whereas the identity, is a person’s character that is essentially created to help the individual fit into society. These two concepts begin to form early in life through influences from society, family, and culture. However, as the individual beings to assimilate the world around them, their sense of identity transforms in order to adapt to the new environment, while their sense of self remains the same.

If using a process understanding, there is no reason to resign myself to binary ways of being, or allowing self-creation of my identity to be limited to only gender or sexuality performances, or to the structures set in place by the queer community or a heteronormative-masculinist society. Anzaldúa similarly rejects traditional labels regarding race, sexuality, gender, and more, because she believes them to be “stuck in binaries, trapped in jaulas (cages) that limit the growth of our

Our identity can sometimes be shaped by the way others see us. As we have seen, the way in which others view us can have some sort of impact on how we see ourselves. There are also other contributing factors such as our years of adolescence, the basic human need of wanting to belong and maturing; all play an equally important part in the forming of our character and who we are. On balance it appears that there is not only one influence in the shaping of our identity, but there are many.

In today’s world, we humans are defined by the technology that we use. As technology develops, we adapt to it. This also comes in the form of altering our personal and political identities. With the development of new technologies, we are able to get our ideas from many different sources rather than the newspaper or television. Today we get our news via ads, the internet, and other sources. Because of this, political parties are able to more easily share their beliefs onto others in hopes of changing their political viewpoint. In today’s society, we strive to be perfect. And with that comes social norm and acceptance. Because of this, the younger generation is more easily persuaded to believe one ideology if they are constantly told that the majority think this way. The same can be applied to someone’s personal identity. With the craze of YouTube and other social media platforms, more and more people are striving to be perfect. With how easy it is to share a video, many people for example are posting videos online of makeup tutorials, how to dress to certain events, and even what styles are popular. With this, young people are losing their ability to make decisions on their own and depend on a third party to tell them how to act and what to wear. They lose their personal identities because of this since everyone around them is also dressing the same way. Another example of how technology has a large influence over political identity is this past 2016 Presidential