Identity is who you name yourself to be and how others see you. To yourself you are a scientist or a writer and to others you are American or well-educated. The language you use allows other to identify who you are while the language others use towards you shapes how you see yourself. We make first impressions, the people we talk to everyday influence who we are becoming, and we act differently around different groups of people. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Huck travels away from home down the Mississippi River with a runaway slave named Jim. Jim’s beliefs and words impacted Huck. Along with Jim, the people that Huck meets along the way make first impressions and teach Huck their own ways.
We are told that first impressions …show more content…
Most of the time this first judgement is the one that they remember you by. For example, in the article “The ‘F Word’” by Firoozeh Dumas, the author explains that she was rejected from jobs and made fun of because of her name. Her name was the first thing people read about her and they immediately knew that her family was not American and made their judgement based on that. She explains, “After three months of rejections, I added ‘Julie’ to my resume. Call it coincidence, but the job offers started coming in.” Because the name “Julie” sounded familiar and more American, her job applications were judged as any other Americans’ would be. Similarly, people are judgmental about how well others can speak English rather than their intelligence. In the article “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan, the author tells about her mother who speaks “broken” English. As her daughter who spoke with an American accent, she would make phone calls and appointments for her mother because her mother’s accent denied her the same experiences and …show more content…
Along with exposing parts of ourselves based on the situation, we also use a certain language that we associate with them. When people interact with classmates or coworkers that aren’t familiar, they most likely talk about school and a project they are working on. When they interact with their friends they most likely talk less about school and work and more about everything else happening in their life and use inside jokes. Around family, people are more themselves and carefree because family is usually loving and accepting. While it is often easy to be at ease when around family, sometimes is important to be polite and respectful towards adults in the family. For instance, Huck lives with Widow Douglas and her sister Miss Watson. When Huck is at home, he has to be polite, dress nicely, and learn about the Bible, “The widow rung a bell for supper, and you had to come in time. When you got to the table you couldn’t go right to eating, but you had to wait for the widow to tuck down her head and grumble a little over the victuals…” (12). While most of the time these slightly different personalities are all genuine, there are times when making yourself a completely different person is necessary. In the article “The Ways We Lie” by Stephanie Ericsson, the author explains that, “When I put on a suit to go see a client, I feel as though I am putting on another face…” Most days
We are told that first impressions …show more content…
Most of the time this first judgement is the one that they remember you by. For example, in the article “The ‘F Word’” by Firoozeh Dumas, the author explains that she was rejected from jobs and made fun of because of her name. Her name was the first thing people read about her and they immediately knew that her family was not American and made their judgement based on that. She explains, “After three months of rejections, I added ‘Julie’ to my resume. Call it coincidence, but the job offers started coming in.” Because the name “Julie” sounded familiar and more American, her job applications were judged as any other Americans’ would be. Similarly, people are judgmental about how well others can speak English rather than their intelligence. In the article “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan, the author tells about her mother who speaks “broken” English. As her daughter who spoke with an American accent, she would make phone calls and appointments for her mother because her mother’s accent denied her the same experiences and …show more content…
Along with exposing parts of ourselves based on the situation, we also use a certain language that we associate with them. When people interact with classmates or coworkers that aren’t familiar, they most likely talk about school and a project they are working on. When they interact with their friends they most likely talk less about school and work and more about everything else happening in their life and use inside jokes. Around family, people are more themselves and carefree because family is usually loving and accepting. While it is often easy to be at ease when around family, sometimes is important to be polite and respectful towards adults in the family. For instance, Huck lives with Widow Douglas and her sister Miss Watson. When Huck is at home, he has to be polite, dress nicely, and learn about the Bible, “The widow rung a bell for supper, and you had to come in time. When you got to the table you couldn’t go right to eating, but you had to wait for the widow to tuck down her head and grumble a little over the victuals…” (12). While most of the time these slightly different personalities are all genuine, there are times when making yourself a completely different person is necessary. In the article “The Ways We Lie” by Stephanie Ericsson, the author explains that, “When I put on a suit to go see a client, I feel as though I am putting on another face…” Most days