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Theme Of Identity In A Chosen Exile

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Identity has the ability to fluctuate and it is allowed to change not only over the course of years but also through everyday activities and events. I agree with Clifford’s statement because of examples presented throughout the novel of A Chosen Exile and through modern day examples of identity changing. The idea of identity does not only revolve around race but loosely covers many personal beliefs such as religion, race, gender and even sexual orientation, and because of this reasoning, identity can be affected through interpersonal factors, environmental factors and societal factors. In the book, A Chosen Exile, many slaves show this idea because of the change of identity was very evident throughout the novel. Slaves chose to leave their …show more content…

A rich, white, straight, male has more chances to succeed than a poor, black, queer, female that lives in a third world country. This environmental factor plays into each of our lives. In the case of slavery, many individuals only had the chances that their masters allowed them to go after. In A Chosen Exile, many individuals tried to escape from persecution and move to an environment that allowed them to be happy. The location that we live can change who we are fundamentally to our souls. We can see in our lives that others around us are opened to more opportunities just because of the place they were born even if it was just a few neighborhoods away. The idea in A Chosen Exile is that many Africans who would have survived and even thrived in Africa were forced into a new and foreign environment which led to a change in identity. Then the novel dives further into this issue to talk about the difference between North and South USA. In the South, many slaves were hurt and in pain whereas in the North, slaves were shown a golden ticket to happiness compared to the South. A Chosen Exile is an excellent novel that talks about identity during the time racism and slavery in the United States. The compilation of stories allows the reader to understand how history has significantly changed from the time of racism to modern day society. The nature of identity, is by default fluid, and naturally changes from time to time. Humans are able to grow from their surroundings, the people they know and by the opinions that are forced around

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