"Identity and belonging" - Expository Essay
Our individual identity is determined by what others think of us.
Our identity is comprised of inner qualities and outer representations of self. It consists of innumerable defining characteristics that make up the whole of who we are in any given moment. These fragments of self include our sexuality, gender, and sense of belonging to a particular culture, nation, religion, family, or some other group. Our identity includes our looks, personality, beliefs and fears. Each individual in society assigns themselves a particular role, whether it be as a mother, brother, retiree, performer, sportsman or as a part of their occupation, a doctor or lawyer. Often one’s entire sense of self is consumed by …show more content…

By trying to decide this she is under massive pressure because of our society’s stereo types.
Gender and race are two of the most important factors to take into consideration when looking at an individual's identity, as they are the very first two things you notice about a person when you meet them. Race is a very strong influence on one's identity. This can cause issues with racism; people affiliating themselves, therefore their identity, with groups that feel a certain way about another race or group. Just as with gender, people will make assumption about a person based on their race. If one is white people might assume they listen to country music or rock n roll; or if one is black people might assume they listen to rap or hip hop. These tie in with stereotypes, which sadly, are a part of our community today. There are a higher number of certain races in certain places, with also leads to how culture affects one's identity. Something that relates closely with race is language. A person's language is part of their identity too. It can show where they were raised because of the slang you use. For example, there is the Spanish language, and off of that original Spanish language there is branches of adjusted languages. Some of these include Mexican Spanish or North Mexican Spanish. All of these are based off the standard Spanish language, but depending on where one was raised they may speak one of these different variations of Spanish. This helps us identify