Preview

Personal Narrative: My Sense Of Identity

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
544 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Personal Narrative: My Sense Of Identity
I am Asian. I am of African descent. I am white. I am mixed. These small, simple words are how people view their race and identity. We make claims daily about our culture from our unawareness of it, including the people that fit the image and discarding the ones who don't. Since, most concepts of one's background is socially suggested, this effect is played through school events, social media, my relationships, and how I came to see my own sense of identity.
This is what I look to you: I'm yellow. But, a more pale yellow. Plain, black-looking, straight hair with black-looking eyes. My skin is lighter than the normally darker Filipino. People guess I'm Chinese or even Kazakhstani,which by the way is geographically incorrect, but most have trouble and give up. So, did I for a long time.
…show more content…
Through the comparisons of my classmates, I was the only one with black pin-straight hair; I was the only one with dark chinky eyes; I was the only one. I've been asked, “What are you?” since I was coloring in a Disney coloring book in the second grader. I was carefully coloring to not get any type of color outside the thin lines when a young white girl yelled “What are you?” across the classroom. Well, I did what any second grader did and yelled back “I don't think so!” meaning “I don't know!”. When it’s to people's curiosity, and the awareness of my skin tone, I’ve heard it all based on one question, found also at the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Now this is where I`m supposed to write “all about me”. This is where I become lost. I mean, come on. I wouldn`t know where to start. But I guess the best way to have an idea what makes me tick and what ticks me off is by checking my journal that i fill with endless ramblings about whatever and whoever catches my fleeting fancy or rage. :)…

    • 274 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Zuckerberg's Hoodie Essay

    • 414 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Race is a factor of life that is constantly being judged by society. Society has created individuals who judge others on skin color, and ethnicity; spawning hate and spreading acceptance of different set of standards to each race. “Largely about what wealthy… white men wear in silicon valley and wall street” (Sengupta 228). Race is part of the identity, most of the time it determines how you are treated by others, how one’s life is lived, and which stereotypes are carried. “... from racist people who think all Asians look the same! or ...Why on earth would you say something like that?” (Chung para. 9). Race is the…

    • 414 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Token Kid

    • 1337 Words
    • 6 Pages

    In school social circles, I always find myself becoming “The Token Black kid." Most people just naturally assume by the tan skin and curly hair that I must be half black. They mistakenly assume that many of the accomplishments I have made are due to the fact that I am mixed. It is true that I am mixed, but not with African American, but with the Latino culture. My mother was born in the Dominican Republic, and my dad is a Yankee from Columbus, Ohio. Repeatedly, I have written this off as a mistake given that a number of people are not able to find the Dominican Republic on a map, and are not familiar with the Latino culture encompassing more than just Mexico.…

    • 1337 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It’s always on the back of my mind, and resurfaces to my thoughts when i’m in any social setting regarding Spanish—my second language. I am Spanish, more so than my other nationalities. My father was born in Puerto Rico, and my mother, although being born here, along with her mother being Czechoslovakian and Polish, my mother’s father was born in Puerto Rico much like my own father. It always boggles me why I don’t look more Spanish due to the more Spanish heritage I contain. When people see me, they only see my pigment—white. They don’t see the Spanish part supposedly until I tell them, then they give me a “Right” or “I see it now” as if they’ve known or had been guessing all along. I can brush it all off my shoulder until I try to speak Spanish to others which I…

    • 783 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    One of Beverly Tatum’s major topics of discussion is racial identity. Racial identity is the meaning each of us has constructed or is constructing about what it means to be a white person or a person of color in a race-conscious society. (Tatum, pp Xvii) She talks about how many parents hesitate to talk to their children about racism because of embarrassment and the awkwardness of the subject. I agree with her when she says that parents don’t want to talk about racism when they don’t see a problem. They don’t want to create fear or racism where none may exist. It is touchy subject because if not gone about right, you can perhaps steer someone the wrong way. Another theory she has on racial identity is that other people are the mirror in which we see ourselves. (tatum pp18) “The parts of our identity that do capture our attention are those that other people notice, and that reflects back to us.” (Tatum pp21) What she means by this is that what other people tell us we are like is what we believe. If you are told you are stupid enough you might start to question your intelligence. When people are searching for their identity normally the questions “who am I now?” “Who was I before?” and “who will I become” are the first that come to mind. When a person starts to answer these questions their answers will influence their beliefs, type of work, where they may live, partners, as well as morals. She also mentions an experiment where she asked her students to describe themselves in sixty seconds. Most used descriptive words…

    • 1362 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    One of the most uncertain things that all humans face is their real identity. This difficulty has caused a lot of confusion on who we really are and how we become our own person. There are many different theories to how people can identify themselves, but one of the leading notions is the Identity Theory. This theory claims that people become who they are based on experiences and life lessons. They believe that one’s own experiences will cause them to shape how they will identify themselves. Following that theory, it is reasonable to assume that all experiences whether positive or negative will have a direct impact on your identity. However, some psychologists believe that negative memories or experiences will cause a much significant change…

    • 1433 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Puerto Rican Identity

    • 1832 Words
    • 8 Pages

    My parents both born in New York. So it’s hard to say what I consider myself. If you were to ask me what is my ethnicity and race I will tell you I am an American who speaks Spanish, has funny has it may sound but it’s the truth. In Puerto Rico skin color and other physical characteristics are used by people on the island of Puerto Rico to identify themselves when it comes to races. For instance the times I’ve traveled to Puerto Rico, I would hear terms such as trigeo, blanco and Moreno, in English, is caramel colored skin, light skinned and dark skinned, so there is so many ways for indentity. I live with the “Your Puerto Rican? I thought you were Dominican or cabverdan?” How is that even possible to judge without asking?” Why don’t I look like a Puerto Rican How is it that a Puerto Rican supposed to look like?…

    • 1832 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Being An American Citizen

    • 785 Words
    • 4 Pages

    A question everyone should ask themselves is, “Have I ever presented a prejudicial attitude to a different race or group of people?” Prejudicial is a negative attitude toward an entire group category of people as mentioned in the “Racial and Ethnic Groups textbook” by Richard T. Schaefer. Every race and ethnicity are raised from their individual, culture and believes, therefore the lifestyle and future will be different growing up. I have the privilege of being born in The United States of America and can be characterized by my Mexican family which can be related to a social class.…

    • 785 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the MTV documentary White People, there is a scene where an Asian college student says, “If I was white I don’t think I’d have to wake up knowing that there’s a certain stereotype put on me. Being Asian, I’m smart, I’m good at math, I eat a dog.” That’s something I and many other Asians have been generalized to. They see us all the same. I’ve been referred to by a white boy as “that Chinese bitch” when I’m not Chinese or even East Asian.…

    • 1276 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When I hear the word “race”, the first thing that I think of is a person’s skin color, facial features and the texture of their hair. Although I am colorblind, I can’t help but to think of this when I hear the word race. This is due to the fact that the majority of the time when we fill out an application or any paperwork of importance the question of race is raised. I’m not sure why it matters, your experience and education seems more important to me. It seems as if some people still want to separate us depending on the color of our skin. Being that there’s so many races mixing, there’s no such thing as a pure race. Race seems to be unimportant to me. Ethnicity is a word that I prefer and enjoy when speaking of culture. Ethnicity makes me think of everybody’s struggle dating back from their ancestors to the present. Where did your ancestors originate? Where did you come from? Ethnicity is ones background and cultural differences. For example just because I am considered black doesn’t mean that I am from Africa; which means that I will be considered an African American. I thought for years that I was an African American till an African man that I was friends with broke it down to me and gave me some knowledge to read. He is considered an African American because he’s from Africa and now resides in America. I am considered to be a black American because I’m from America. This is weird being that my ancestors were American Indians. Your ethnicity is the group that others place you. I do have my personal opinion on all of this and why America still tries to identify us by race. Since my opinion was asked I felt the need to tell the truth on how I feel. Race and ethnicity are important in America because some people in the government still strives for division and don’t want us to come together as one. It seems as if the government gets more powerful when we separate ourselves from each other. If we all were to come together I…

    • 390 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Racial Identity

    • 628 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The story of Corey Laeblein’s experiences throughout life is a harsh reality of what people face in society. I do partially agree with his argument, “everyone’s been discriminated one way or another”, however, the magnitude in which people have been discriminated against varies so significantly it becomes incomparable on an equivalent basis. His overall argument becomes a humbling reminder the extent in which race plays a considerable role in how we are perceived and/or who we are accepted as. As discussed in lecture, the Thomas Theorem validates this with an understanding that situations perceived to be real, are real, and have real consequences. In Corey’s instance, being bi-racial didn’t allow him to identify with any existing groups within his surroundings, furthering the subdivision of the minority group as a whole. To join the “clique” of black students or to join the “clique” of white students would have neglected half of his own accepted identity in it of itself. As Corey states, “Me and my brother face different problems because his skin is darker than mine. I’m pretty light so people don’t assume that I’m mixed.” This is a great example directly correlating race with being based on the group as defined by outsiders. Perception overwhelmingly outweighed Corey’s self-identity as a bi-racial person because Corey’s light skin was perceived as white.…

    • 628 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ethnic Background

    • 667 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Often I have wished I had more predominantly "ethnic" physical characteristics such as darker skin or traditional Chinese folds in my eyelids, easily definable physical characteristics instead of my mixed features. In high school I traveled to Israel where many people would immediately speak to me in Hebrew assuming that I was Israeli. When I was living abroad in Finland, many Finns would assume I was Sami (Eskimo) and without hesitation, speak to me in Finnish. And traveling in South Korea, people would come up to me asking about my Asian heritage saying "You are Asian. Who is Asian in your family?" I was surprised to learn that it isn't only an American desire to classify ethnic identity, but a universal desire to categorize people by their race or ethnic background. I have been raised in a very happy family, a household complete with a mother, father and one sister, Rebecca. Our ethnic identity is best identified as an American melting pot.…

    • 667 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    All the time I get asked, “What are you?” To quickly get it over with I always “round” my ethnicities. I simply say “ I’m half Chinese and half white,” but I am so much more. I am 44% Chinese, 4% Pacific Islander, 2% Central Asian, 12.5% Norwegian, 12.5% German, 12.5% Swedish, 6.25% Irish, and 6.25% Swiss German; I am proud to be all of those. However, because of my mixed background, I do not look the part of either side of my family. My siblings and I stand out because my parents have the only mixed family out of their brothers and sisters, but I still can and choose to identify with both sides.…

    • 529 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    I wonder sometimes whether resembling my classmates in immediate appearance has been a good or a bad thing. They unthinkingly offer up 'dirty Mexican' jokes, only to find that I am not amused. They confide in me how they could never date a black girl or a black boy, and I can't support their sentiments. I wouldn't be here if such relationships didn't occur. Yet, I don't think I would change the way I look to deter such comments. What I inherited from my mother is my disguise almost, how I can uncover what people really think about the group to which I belong. If they could tell that I was the subject of their comments, they wouldn't say it to me, but they would still think it's okay. It gives me the chance to show them that there are some things that are never appropriate, no matter whose company they are in, because you never know what is behind the color of their skin.…

    • 1246 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    How People Percieve Me

    • 1037 Words
    • 5 Pages

    W.E.B Du Bois stated “The problem with the twentieth century is the problem of the color line…” I always wanted to know how other race feel when they first meet me or when they see me. Like I ask myself all the time why do people look at me like they do? Why does it always feel like someone always has to say something under their breath when I walk in the room? People are quick to judge you and make assumptions about you when they are not true. God made me, just as well as you, in his image regardless of how others may feel. I’m not going to change my personality for how people want me to act, that won’t be me I would be considered fake. I’m a unique individual I act my own way and how I was brought up to be. I have sense of humor, I’m a people’s person, I get along with most people, and I speak my mind and tell other what and how I feel.…

    • 1037 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays