Aguayo 1

Kristopher Aguayo
Ms. Emily Ehrlich
English 131
15 January 2015
Claim and Critical Analysis

Who we are, who people think we are, and who we actually are; is a
matter of perception. How do we know which perception is correct? Is there
such thing as a perfect genuine perception? Ones perception of who you are
may differ from the next. Your own perception of who you are may differ from
someone elses perception. Therefore how can we ever describe ourselves?
In addition, in process of describing ourselves we use words. Because we use
words, there is uncertainty in communication because we can never know if
what we are thinking and what we are saying is equivalent. Adding to this
complexity, we can never know if what we are saying is being perceived the
same in the mind of another person.
Identity is a moving target because our identity is greatly formed by
trends. These trends are constantly changing because they are cultural
atributes. For example, pink used to be a masculine color, Hitler put pink
stars on homosexuals and the result was pink becoming a feminine color in
western culture. There are always new ways to describe ourselves because
of the ever changing pop and the trends around us.

Aguayo 2

Identity is a moving target because our identity is constantly changing

due to the various social interactions we inhabit on a daily basis. If our
personality is constantly changing to fit these social interactions, where are
we most genuine? Is there one place where our behavior is most genuine? Is
our perception of where we are most genuine correct? These ideas would
imply us thinking we know who we are, but how could we when everything in
life is a matter of perception.
Our identity is in part a paradox. In order to define who we are, we
have to define how we act. In order to define how we act w,e have to ponder
if we are in control of how we act. If our person is constantly acting
differently to fit social interaction, then are we choosing to act or are we
programed to act?
Around the world people describe themselves differently. They view the
question of who they are in a different manner than what one might
consider. Our perception of identity may be completely different from
someone across the planet. How can we ever know what is right?
This issue is important because one of the biggest questions we face
as humans is the one of identity. We think of ourselves to be one way, but
we may be wrong. If our identity is constantly changing, how do we pin point
then? How can we define ourselves? Should we even at all worry about it?

Aguayo 3

Summary #1 Genres: shapes of meaning

In Genres: Shapes of meaning by the author Catherine McDonald
genres are the matter in question. McDonald starts the paper by
disassembling are perception of what a genre is by redefining it in various
ways. At the core one idea is pertinent throughout the entirety of the paper:
Genres are ways of being that we subconsciously create based on trends
practiced in various social interactions. She argues that we are each subject
to these trends without even knowing. Consider how we act in the lunchroom
compared to how we act in the classroom. There is an obvious difference in
our word choice and behavior in the two social instances. This is because
theyre different acceptable ways of being in both. Our person is constantly
adapting to the various social interactions we take part in. Alongside with the
idea if identity, this idea can lead one to question their identity. How can we
define something that is always changing; something that is fluid?
Summary 2 Differentiation in Self-Perceived Adulthood: Extending the
Confluence Model of Subjective Age Identity

Aguayo 4

This study aims to find a correlation between youths self-perceived

adulthood and racial, ethnic, economic, and social variables. The study
shows that ones self-perceived identity varies depending on those factors.
This study also shows that the age of self-perceived adulthood is getting
lower. Compared to 50 years ago, younger people perceive themselves as
adults. This means that the culture is changing and it is starting to form
younger individuals who think theyre adults.
The study defines identity as the subjective sense of his situation and
his own continuity and character that an individual comes to obtain as a
result of his various social experiences. This information is useful because it
shows the change in the culture between age and identity.