Identity is what defines us and makes us unique.
According to the Webster Dictionary identity is the distinguishing character or
personality of an individual. Our identity will establish the difference upon
those who surround us. Our childhood is the first step in developing our
identity. “Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's
opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.” (Oscar Wilde) Those who
carry the thoughts and ideas of another have not been able to acquire their
identity. One of the reasons why this happens is because those who carry the
thoughts and ideas of other people have not tried to put to together the puzzle
of their own childhood. Judith Ortiz Cofer
defines her identity by putting together the puzzle of her childhood within her
book Silent Dancing: A Partial
Remembrance of a Puerto Rican Childhood. In her book Silent Dancing, Ortiz Cofer makes a compilation of her childhood
memories which she calls her summer’s afternoon. Chapter by chapter she exposes
one memory at a time and ends it with a poem. When we take each event and put
it together we have a series of events that marked her life and forged her path
to a true identity.
One way or another, the events that take place in
our childhood will influence the decisions we make in our future. Even when we
do not see this directly the decisions we make are the product of our childhood
and this affects our identity. For example, Judith Ortiz Cofer was exposed to
two cultures throughout her childhood, today basically all her work is about
her identity and her culture mixture. “An identity would seem to be arrived at by the way in which
the person faces and uses his experience” (James Baldwin). When we manage to
identify what has marked us in the past, we can use this knowledge to define
who we are and obtain our identity. Exploring our past is a dangerous road for
which we need a vast amount of courage. Our past is not always a fairy tale
waiting for us to read it but, having the courage to read may give us the key
to unlock the door towards who we really are.
Another fact that defines our
identity is the environment to which we have been exposed throughout our lives.
Once again let us take Judith Ortiz Cofer’s childhood for example. Ortiz Cofer
came back and forth between Hormigueros, Puerto Rico and Paterson, New Jersey.
In Hormigueros she was surrounded by family and having the liberty to explore
what was around her. In Hormigueros, Puerto Rico she was free. On the other
hand in Paterson, Judith had different rules, she was not allowed to explore or
ask too many questions. She was meant to follow orders and try to fit into a
world in which she did not belong. This
is shown in her identity and she reflects it in her work. Ortiz Cofer
constantly compares the difference between living in Puerto Rico and living in
the United States of America. On the island she was the normal girl with a Mamá that had a cuento for every lesson she wanted to teach her children, in the
United States she carried la mancha;
she was not equal to those that surrounded her. This exposure to two complete
different atmospheres plays an important role in her identity.
It is when we complete the puzzle of our childhood
that we are capable of acquiring an identity. Judith took her time to put her
own puzzle together and by doing so she defined who she is today. We are not
capable of knowing what we really want and desire in life if we do not know our
selves truly. Those who do not know their selves make decisions based on what
others want and they let others take control of their lives. When you are sure
and clear of who you are and what you want, your identity will lead you through
the right path. I invite you to find the courage of exploring your past, finding
the key that unlocks your identity and becoming a free person. Identify your
summer’s afternoons and complete the puzzle of your childhood so you may find
your own path to a true identity.
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