Understanding Culture Identity - Essay Example

Understanding Culture Identity In understanding culture identity, we may need to define the terms culture and identity separately. Many sociologists have defined culture and identity in variant ways. However, culture generally refers to the language, customs, beliefs, values and norms, mode of dressing, diet, roles, knowledge and skills, and other habit adapt in a given society (Browne and John 31-38). This paper seeks to discuss cultural identity at a personal understanding within the realms of different literature works that have been learned in class. Different societies manifest different cultures and pass it to future generations through social interactions. Elders and schools teach culture to the young ones. However, cultural disconnect can occur when different cultures interact. In a situation where teachers and students manifest different cultures, a culture disconnect is inevitable. Additionally, there are different types of cultures with others being dominant. A dominant culture enjoys free acceptance and sharing by the majority in a given society. We also have Global culture refers to similar ways of life in different countries and the undermining of cultures via globalization. Additionally, there is mass culture that refers to the simple, entertaining and easy to understand everyday culture. Culture serves the purpose of uniting the society members, uniting different societies, defining the uniqueness and identity of a society. An identity defines how individuals or groups see and vice versa in a given society. Socialization, mass media, family, and education form an identity (Browne and John 31-38). Cultural identity is thus the association of a group or individual to a given set of defined cultures. Its fundamentals include the society’s history, sociological, and socioeconomic factors. Cultural identity defines a society and the way it relates to others. Young people strive and are equally at liberty to change unpleasant cultural identities as applied by their parents. In the story, “How it feels to be colored Me” by Zora Neale Hurston (1891 - 1960), the factor of race, individualism, discrimination, self realization, education in culture disconnect, and color comes out clearly in ascertaining culture identity (Hurston 1-3). The story reveals Zora’s discovery of her identity and pride. When I went to Indeed Zora was a Negro in the United States who had no blood relations with the Indians. This was different from other black Americans who had Indian blood relations. Hence, her individuality and uniqueness comes to being. In the same way my individuality in high college was so unique in our family as I was the first born and the first to join college. In her childhood days, Zora greeted, sang, and danced in the streets to the Negros culture with all the loyalty. As a result, all loved her as she identified with their culture. This manifests the unity that culture identity brings in a society. However, when her mother died while she was only 13, she went to a boarding school. When I joined high school, I enrolled and actively participated in the College Bound. Zora’s culture identity manifests when she immediately becomes “colored” on joining boarding school. This brings a culture disconnect which Zora appreciates and indentifies with. The College Bound in my high school also changed my attitude on life and created many opportunities for me. Hence, the effect of education interactions with the teachers and other students plays an individual yet significant role in our culture identities. However, Zora is aware of how her new culture identity will subject her to discrimination. Indeed, her racial difference made her experience discrimination at the Jazz club (Hurston 3). I also witnessed some discrimination in my high school where some whites would not play or dine with me because I was African American. This proves the fact that some cultures discriminate over others. Nevertheless, she is ready to soldier on in restoring her pride in her culture identity. It was my pride to join College Bound and enjoy the benefits. Zora maintains a positive attitude towards her culture identity and other culture identities despite the discriminations. In my high school where we had various culture identities, I kept my best in respecting all the cultures different from mine. I think that it should be the essence of any society not to disregard other culture identities for a peaceful coexistence. More importantly, all humans are equal regardless of their culture identity. Hence, Culture identity cannot define our human character or personality. In the story, "Coming Home Again" by Chang-Rae Lee, the importance of food in the family as a culture identity dominates the story (Lee 1-6). Indeed, food was and still is very important in my African American culture. Chang’s mother hailed from Korea and adopted all cooking aspects from her mother. In fact, Chang who also cooks the Korean food says that the recipe, way of cooking and even the food has remained the same for all the time (Lee 2). I concur with this as I leant how to cook our traditional meals from my mother who also leant it from my grandmother. Hence, just as the traditional Korean food passes from one generation to another, so does my traditional food. This proves how cultural identity sticks in a given society. Additionally, Korean food features as one of the important aspect in the Korean customs. In my custom, we have the rite of passage. Indeed, I passed through it in my senior year of high school in the College Bound program. In this rite of passage, there were ritual activities, cleansing and teachings that effectively prepared us for new roles and challenges. The unique ritual activities are part of our cultural identity. According to Chang, all the family socialization took place in the kitchen as they ate and cooked the traditional Korean meal. In the same way, before I went to college we used to talk with my parents as we ate the traditional meal that was a good avenue to pass our esteemed customs. When Chang’s mother died, Chang and her father missed her cooking and conversations in the kitchen as she cooked and ate (Lee 5). Hence, in remembering her, Chang will obviously keep the Korean traditions. In the same way, in remembering our ancestors in the African American culture, we always follow the traditions they taught us. Chang learnt the Korean language from his mother who used it in both talking and cooking. In our African American culture, we have our traditional languages that define our uniqueness. Additionally, our traditional foods and even the mode of preparing them are definitely unique. The recipe never changes and I can clearly remember how my grandmother used to prepare our meals. In this context, I dictate the importance of certain aspects of our culture like food and language in defining our culture identity and passing it to future generations. This defines the uniqueness of our cultural identity. The stories, “Learning to Read" by Frederick Douglass (ORACLE 1), and “Graduation" by Maya Angelou, clearly relates education and culture identity. Indeed education at my high school level was very significant towards my identity. The whites separated the ancestral Negros from their parents. As such, it was hard to pass their cultural identity from one generation to another. The denial to access education was a form of discrimination against the Negros and their identity. In doing this the whites discriminates the blacks as well as their identity. When Douglass finally accessed education, he was able to speak out against slavery (ORACLE 1). In the same breath, when I went to high school and through the college bound, I increased my opportunities. This shows that education plays a major role in both affirming ones culture identity and initiating a culture disconnect. During the graduation, different speakers relate to the way of life between the whites and the black Americans. Mr. Donleavy, a white man appreciates the white kids and observes that they will get better lives and opportunities than the black Americans will. This manifests the discrimination of the white society on the Negros identity. However, a poem by her class valedictorian, Henry Reed restores her spirits. In my graduation, my family and I awaited the occasion with eagerness as I transited from being a young boy in high school to a man in college. It is worth noting that the white culture is the dominant culture in this context. In conclusion, I observe that culture identity should not limit one’s success. A better culture identity will foster unity among the society members and good relations with different culture identities. Education contributes to culture disconnect and learning teens are likely to modify or depart from the culture identity of their parents. The success of a culture identity depends on the ability to pass customs from one generation to another. Works Cited Browne and John Culture and Identity Polity books, 2008 Web 13, March 2012 < http://politybooks.com/browne/downloads/sample-chapter_2.pdf> Hurston, Zora How It Feels to Be Colored Me Web 13, March 2012 < http://www.mrisakson.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/How_It_Feels_to_be_Colored_Me.pdf> Lee, Chang COMING HOME AGAIN Web 13, March 2012 ORACLE Frederick Douglass Web 13, March 2012 Read More