Identity: Society, Experience And Personal Interests

Identity is very similar in the way everyone has one, but very different in the way everyone has their own opinion on what forms it and how it really affects who we are. There are three significant things, which contribute greatly to your identity: Society, Experience and your Personal Interests. These big contributors are made up of many smaller factors, but they all sculpt your unique and special identity. Society is the most major contributor to your identity as it is the environment we are constantly exposed to. Society consists of the environment, literally and figuratively, ideas, and the culture. First, the physical environment and the theme of geography affect how the culture and society will be. The landscape and how accessible

Here many people who shared the same ideas or perspectives joined together to fight for their cause. Second, the “figurative” environment “plays a part” of shaping our identity, as it is what we are frequently exposed to. The people in society and the culture all collect to make a “vibe or aura”. This “environment” affects how we think what, what we are interested in, and our perspective and how we experience our life. Us as inhabitants of this land affect how and what we think. Primary sources from the Industrial Revolution, especially poets, have showed a similar perspective with others of the same time period. The London poem by Blake has a line that says “Marks of Weakness, Marks of Woe”. This line tells us about how the “Marks” or mood of everyone is similar in the way everyone is weak and negative. The previous line was “A Mark in Every Face I Meet”. From this, it is evident that everyone in society all shared the same mood. On the whole, this talks about how society and the environment affects everyone. The “Westminster Bridge” poem, however, shows a different perspective than what is commonly thought of as the Industrial Revolution. This is shown in the first line “Earth has nothing to show more fair”. This means that while we are greatly affected by others, we still can continue to have a unique identity. Finally, the physical and figurative

Who we grew up with, where we grew up, when and even recent events are all contributors to our identity. Identity is also something collective and thus, changes over time. Firstly, how we were when we were born and how much power we had affects our relationships and ideas. For example, the lower class people in revolutions such as the industrial revolution were not as powerful as others, ergo, altering their relationship. Resulting from the disparity of power, these societies, who share common ideas, usually do not get along. Following the idea that emerging ideas affect the behaviour of society, as proven in history many times, this society can revolt or develop hate against other societies. The American Revolution showed an example of this, where the Loyalists and Patriots formed together to promote their own ideas. Throughout the history of Canada, one of the most notable battles were between the French and the British. In cases like this, the time, the family you were born in and social class all affect your perspective and which side you are for. Eventually, resulting from our experiences in the past and society, our interests and just how we behave are formed. Interests are something unique to you and is “just yourself”, despite it having been formed by others. As we continue to live life, we change, so do our interests and the