Critical Response #2

In high school the hardest assignment in preparation for college admission was the essay. In order to prepare, the students were asked to write and essay with the topic of “Who am I.” My first response was to go about this in a snarky manner. I am a set of molecules, or simply my name. It is not an easy question, and its often a question that people avoid. The need to identify objects, people, and oneself, is innately human. the tendency to categorize has created a multitude of problems with societal institutions. In order to discriminate, one must first be placed into a category.  Perhaps the reason that I had such difficulty with the essay  is that I don’t necessarily agree with all the imposed characteristics and traits in a  given categorization. To make things more complicated when these traits and characterizations are not followed there is an attempt to categorize into the “best-fit” category. This doesn't always work, but imposed identities are given nonetheless. Not all of these categories are mutually exclusive (in reality none of them should be), but many are viewed as such. In the end what it boils down to is self-identity.

In each of the pieces for this week, there is an expression of dual identities. For Duncan this duality exists as being both American and Korean in descent and cultural aspects. Powell express this dual identity as Academic and Native American. In society cross-cultural boundaries are often strictly set up. It is not easy to cross such boundaries making a dual identity difficult. Duncan explains this well by using her mother’s disease experience as an example. She wasn't able to play the role of both daughter and caretaker through this process. The doctor’s elevated her to caretaker and made her solely responsible for the enacting of any particular treatment, appointments, or instructions. This also emphasized her american identity over her Korean. When the doctors ignored her mother and only talked to her it was essentially the same as denying her Korean identity.

In the same way, Powell was forced to ignore her Native American identity many times to remain “unbiased”. In order to fold the boundary between Native American and Academic, it is necessary to create a completely new medium of discourse. By using the languages of specific Native American groups, one is able to ignore this boundary and become a Native American Academic. Only by working outside of the traditional role of an academic can the two identities merge.

In Moraga’s case the identities are even more complex. she simultaneously attempts to appease the contradictions in her Chicana and English-speaking heritage, as well as her Lesbian and Catholic identities. Even if she no longer maintains her Catholic identity it lingers with her connections to her family. her lesbian identity also clashes with the imposed gender roles taught to her by her mother. By narrating via separate stores the true separation of each of these society-imposed or self-imposed identities can be seen.

Overall each of these pieces expresses the clashing of multiple identities. The reason for this clash is caused by the social construction and thus constraint of these categorical identities. The imposed identities are themselves the cause of the problem. It is ridiculous however, to assume that people fit into neat categories that never intersect with contradictory identities.