Two Kinds Of Cultural Identity

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Every person on this Earth has a cultural identity. Every man, woman, and child alike. Although this is something that everybody possesses, few people can actually define theirs. This includes people’s race, ethnicity, beliefs, and activities. Cultural identity helps define who a person is and is defined of elements such as food, art, and music.

Food is a big part of cultural identity. As Kristen Lee said in a commentary for the Tell Me More Team, “Just like the white rice is baked into the yellow pudding, I, too, am mixed into the US melting pot” (pg. 41). This shows how directly cultural identity- especially ethnicity -can be directly reflected in the food choices made by people and their families. These food choices can show how straightforward or mixed someone’s culture can be. This is just one of the many things that denote cultural identity.

Cultural identity can also be defined by art. Art does a better job of reflecting personal beliefs and how one views their own cultural identity. Frida Kahlo said “I paint my own reality..”(pg. 27). This shows that she represents what she finds to be true about herself and her position in the world. This reflects her personal beliefs, which is a big part of cultural identity. Along with this, there are other things that heavily reflect cultural identity. …show more content…

In the story Two Kinds by Amy Tan, the daughter said “I’m not a genius! I can’t play the piano. And even if i could, i wouldn’t go on tv if you paid me a million dollars!”(pg. 17). This reflects the differences in not only music choice but ideals in different cultures and generations. These ideals and choices show what each culture values and looks for in life. Music directly shows this, because musical choices normally relate to what a person feels their position in life is. This is one of the things that show a person’s cultural