They Cage The Animals At Night, By Jennings Michael Burch

Memoir Theme Essay In They Cage the Animals at Night, by Jennings Michael Burch, he writes about how he was in and out of many nun-lead orphanages due to his mother’s illness and inability to work. He returns home at times and gets put in foster homes by several families. Through his challenges, the author reveals three key themes. One key theme is we have to cherish all the time we have with our loved ones before it’s gone.

It comes to conclusion that who you are depends on where and who you are with. As the French usually say “ you are three people at once. First, you are the person that you think you are. Second, you are the person that people think you are. Third, you are the person that you really

Understanding one's own personal identity can help to shape a stronger sense of self and develop empathy for

An Influential Upbringing “Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. "― Steve Jobs. Searching for identity is a personal and dynamic journey. It begins at an early age with many unforeseen etchings on our impressionable young minds with family values, race, religion, and God-given personality traits.

What makes someone who they are? When someone asks who someone is, how do they respond? Everyone identifies with certain topics, whether it’s a job, a name, family, or friends. When someone asks who you are, you think of these things. Think of it this way, when a person gets his or her identity stolen, is it really stolen? An identity thief can steal someone's name and maybe a few other things, but are they really stealing your identity? There are numerous ways people can identify themselves are by their personalities, by their friends, and by their sexual orientation.

The most questionable and debatable issue in our life is that who I am, and how I prove my identity. This widespread question forces us to think about identity and create assumptions that define us as a person. In another word, in which circumstance, we claim to be this or that person?

Identity can be describe using a variety of words; easy is not one of them. Sometimes, as you enter a state of emerging adulthood, some answers do not render sufficient. And realistically, who has not asked the question: who am I? I know I have. Assimilation and accommodation play a major role in the shaping of my personality. Egocentrism, on the other hand, is a virtue I possess and criticize at the same time. Moreover, if I intend to fully scrutinize my personality and how it was built, I must further discuss temperament and its importance.

Identity is what shapes us. It makes us. And it breaks us. Some identities seem very cookie cutter when first seen. But when you get to know a person you get to see other sides of them, opening the closed book. To others at first I may seem relatively simple. I might seem like a plain, maybe even run of the mill kind of guy. But behind the façade of this there is a depth to me.

Throughout the U-course, I was forced to ask myself “who am i?” and to reflect upon it in my writing. I was never certain on how to answer this question; it’s tough and broad. As of now, if asked this question I would identify myself as a female who is open to anything life has to offer, is funny and social, but is an introvert as well. I believe, “The way you understand the world now has changed from the way you understood the world as a child, and along with your changing perspective, your physical body, including your motor coordination and your physical abilities, have altered” (Thia Wolf 2012). As a child, I was very closed minded, it was my way or no way. Now that i'm older I see that i'm open to more things due to my experiences throughout life; this is why I believe in the social/relational approaches to understanding the formation of identity. These theories suggest that we form our identity from past experiences with others. In my opinion, these theories are the most precise because one needs to experience with others to help identify themselves. Shared experiences inform yourself that you are similar or not to the others; this helps to understand one's self identity.

Developing an identity has been something of importance throughout history, today’s society, and literature. In many circumstances, being yourself is the best option; however, in other circumstances, changing your composition actually can be better. What’s important, though, is to first accept oneself as who one is, and then to evaluate oneself and make the changes necessary. As one will see, the different evaluations have resulted in vastly different individuals.

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.

“Who am I? “A question often asked by many individuals, ranging from different backgrounds, cultures and ethnicities. Each individual, in some way or another, is struggling to come to terms with this question and are looking for answers within themselves. However, this simple, yet, complex question, involves more than looking into oneself and evaluating one’s own self- identity. Lately, I have also been wondering about the kind of person I am. Exploring my “Self” and “Identity,” has been a constant battle between the person that I know I am today and the labels attached to my concept of the “Self.” Three major categories that I find relevance in explaining this question, “Who am I?” involves my culture, my religious views and lastly, my views as a twenty-one year-old with my own experiences in life.

Throughout the course of life people tend to go through many different stages or phases. From the rebellious teenager phase to the “wanting to travel the world” university student, people start to take shape in many different ways. But as life goes on these phases tend to become more than just a phase, they start to become a part of a person's identity and who they view themselves to be. The search for an identity is not an easy one and usually comes with many different challenges and struggles. Without an identity a person may feel lost or that they are not living life to its fullest. That is why many people spend their entire life trying to connect with who they truly are. The long, and difficult search for identity is also seen throughout popular literature, plays, and short stories with many different characters trying to pursue an identity. Throughout the semester the class studied many different works where one of the main character's struggles to find who they truly are and who they want to be.

Who am I? This is a question that has been asked and pondered by people for generations. The idea of identity is a complex one. Your identity is made up of so many different things like your personal characteristics, your family, your historical background, where you were raised, and so much more. When trying to figure out who you are you have to look on a scale larger then yourself. You have to look at not only who do you say you are but who does your family say you are, who does society say you are? When people look at you who do they see? What does the media see and what do they report about you? Is your cultural image even shown?

Throughout this assignment there were ups, downs, and times that I didn’t even know what to think. Self-identity is something that I’ve struggled with, but looking back at this assignment I have now noticed that it is something that I have recently overthought. This assignment has helped me overcome doubts and better understand myself and the different ways that I think. In this reflection I will discuss the challenges I faced and how my thought process developed over time.