The Journey Of Self Discovery Of Identity And Culture Essay

The journey of self-discovery of identity and culture is a very challenging process because it involves discovering and revealing the good and bad experiences that shaped us as human beings. The effects of self-discovery includes: happiness, disappointment, clarity, enlightenment, and even self-fulfillment. However, it also entails fear, doubts, confusions and misunderstandings. Most importantly, it also means finding our ultimate purpose of life. According to Abraham Maslow’s arguments, in â€Å"The Need to Know and the Fear of Knowing,† boils down to finding our inner and outer knowledge of oneself. He concludes that â€Å"all factors that permit courage, freedom and boldness will thereby also free our need to know.† He argues that when we safely release ourselves from unnecessary fear and pain, it is one way of freeing ourselves from mental and emotional traps. He asserts that by bravely re-visiting all our choices of life, digging deep into our childhood, and even exposing our unpleasant experiences will eventually make us wiser and stronger. He emphasizes that each approach could be culturally diverse and is also based on individual’s needs. For example: In â€Å"No Name Woman,† Maxine Hong Kingston argues that a ghost haunts her for publicly revealing the family’s secret about her aunt disgraceful past. She recreates the events of her life, both imaginary and factual stories to help her better understand the Chinese culture as well as to figure out what part from her identity isShow MoreRelatedSelf Discovery In Anita Nairs Ladiesbor1330 Words   |  6 Pagesintends to explore the theme of self discovery through the act of journey in Anita Nair’s Ladies Coupe. Travel narratives are broad genres which illuminate mainly on people, place and culture. Journeys form the focal point of every travel narrative. In literature, the motif of journey is used as a distinctive idea or theme and is used to represent a cha racter’s epiphany or self realization. It provides a personal assertion outside the compressed state of one’s life. Journey is seen as a means of confrontationRead MoreFresa y Chocolate and The Borderlands1467 Words   |  6 PagesIdentity is the essential core of who we are as individuals, the conscious experience of the self-inside. (Kaufman cited in Anzaldà ºa, 1987, p.84) The objective of this essay will be to interpret the contradictions of identity produced in the movie Fresa y Chocolate and The Borderlands. When personal identity, is stifled and shaped by nationalistic discourse. By examining the polarised dichotomies of self-identity, juxtaposed against the internalised and dominant hegemonic discourse of imposed NationalRead MoreDiscovery Essay977 Words   |  4 PagesDiscovery Essay Discovery inhibits the ability to embrace new beginnings and accept a sense of change whether it is found or forced upon an individual. The places you travel and the people you meet can emotionally revolutionize a self-discovery through unexpected but anticipated terms evoked from curiosity. ‘Swallow The Air’ written by Tara June Winch and ‘The Thing Around Your Neck’ written by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie break the inhibitions of vulnerability, as their ideas represented throughRead MoreWhy I Am I?1576 Words   |  7 Pagesby many individuals, ranging from different backgrounds, cultures and ethnicities. Each individual, in some way or another, is struggling to come to terms with this question and are looking for answers within themselves. 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While the narrator of Invisible Man’s tasks seem less significant comparedRead More Essay on Individual Verses Society in Song of Solomon1101 Words   |  5 Pagescontrasts the image of a self-made individual with that of an individual who is the product of his or her society. Since society changes, the man who simply reflects his social environment ch anges accordingly. But â€Å"the true individuals self-discovery depends on achieving consciousness of ones own nature and identity†(Middleton 81). This is what differentiates Pilate and Milkman from Macon and Guitar.   There are direct similarities between Milkmans and Pilates self-discovery. They both achieve theirRead MoreMuslim Women Of Pakistan, By Tehmina Durrani s My Feudal Lord, An Autobiographical Narrative1164 Words   |  5 Pagesa woman that has the potential to expose and challenge a male dominated society. Durrani’s courage, resistance and mighty pen become agents for change. These agents, along with exposition of assumed authority of debauchery and superiority of male culture assist her in dismantling established societal pattern of marriage. The process of evolution encourages her to reflect on the woes of other women in Pakistani society and the ways to counter violence, inequality and isolation in feudal trap. The paperRead MoreAnalysis Of The Rea l Voyage Of Discovery By Jane Harrison And Beneath Clouds1263 Words   |  6 PagesMarcel Proust wrote that the â€Å"real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.† Proust emphasises the point that to experience a greater understanding of the world one must experience it through the eyes of others. Authors often use this notion to challenge an audience’s beliefs system, making their texts tools for acquiring new knowledge. This concept is explored and portrayed as a common theme throughout the Indigenous Australian texts, Rainbow’s End, byRead MoreAn Interview With Joy Ladin896 Words   |  4 Pageslives is quite another† (Baldwin, ). How can we be sure of the complex nature of our gender identities and gender expression, be genuine, when we have been socialized into looking at the world through the lens of a binary gender system since we were born? It seems to me that the definition and expression of womanhood are constantly evolving, and that is good news. My Biological sex is female, my gender identity is female, but is my gender expression what I am starting to question. It was after I readRead MoreDiscuss How Yolen’s Perspective on Personal Discovery Is Conveyed in Briar Rose.979 Words   |  4 PagesDiscuss how Yolen’s perspective on personal discovery is conveyed in Briar Rose. Jane Yolen conveys the idea about personal discovery by taking the reader on journey with the characters. This journey helps the characters find out who they are and where they belong. It is not easy trying to understand oneself. Throughout the novel the readers see the characters form strong relationships with one another, and stick together through the hard and good times. This helps the characters find out who