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TammyTran
Mrs.Housepian/Ms.Smart
English1HPeriod6
19November2015
ExperiencesandEnvironmentCanChangeOnesIdentity
Somepeoplethinkthatonesidentitychangesoutoftheblue.Butitactuallycomesfrom
pastexperiencesandtheenvironmentthattheyarein.Walter,EsperanzaandCinderallhave
livedinanenvironmentandhadpastexperiencesthathelpedmoldthemintothepeopletheyare
throughoutthestoriesandplays.
Asaresultofonesenvironmentandexperiences,onesidentity
isaffected.
Intheplay,
ARaisinInTheSun
,byLorraineHansberry,Waltersexperiencesasan
AfricanAmericanandhisenvironmentaffectshisidentity.WaltersexperiencesasanAfrican
AmericanisshownwhenRuthspeaksofhim,WalterLeesayscoloredpeopleaintnevergoing
tostartgettingaheadtilltheystartgamblingonsomedifferentkindsofthingsintheworld
investmentsandthings(Hansberry17).ThisemphasizesthathisidentityasanAfrican
Americanischanginghismindsetandultimatelyconvincinghimthathecantachievehisdream
untilhestartsgamblingbecauseheisacoloredman.
HereWaltersexperiencesasanAfrican
Americanaffecthisidentitybecauseitlowershisselfesteem.
Furthermore,inthesetting
description,Hansberrydescribesthesettingoftheplaybywriting,Time:Sometimebetween
WorldWarIIandthepresent(Hansberry4).WorldWarIIcausedpovertyontheSouthsideof
Chicago,whereWalterlives.
Walterlivesalifeinpoverty,andthisaffectshisidentityby
makinghimfrustratedbecausehewontbeabletoachievehisdream.
Asaresult,ofWalters

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experiencesasanAfricanAmericanandthepoorenvironmenthelivesin,hisidentityis
changed.
Inthenovella,
TheHouseOnMangoStreet
,bySandraCisneros,Esperanzas
experiencesasagirlandtheenvironmentshelivesinaffectsheridentity.Esperanzashowsthat
beingagirlisdifficultwhenshewastalkingabouthergreatgrandmother,Shelookedoutthe
windowherwholelife,thewaysomanywomensittheirsadnessonanelbow(Cisneros11).
HereEsperanzaisemphasizingthehardshipsandsadnessthatcomeswithbeingawomeninthe
Mexicansociety.
Thisissignificantbecauseherexperiencesofhearinghergreatgrandmothers
storyaffectsheridentitybymakinglifeseemdepressingasawomen.
Inaddition,the
neighborhoodEsperanzalivesinissomewhatdangerousCisnerosexplainsthiswhenEsperanza
andherfriendswerewalkingaroundtheneighborhoodintheirhighheels,Bummansays,Yes,
littlegirl.Yourlittlelemonshoesaresobeautiful.Butcomecloser.Icantseeverywell.Come
closer(Cisneros41).AsEsperanzaandherfriendswalkthroughtheneighborhoodaman
approachesandtriestoharassthem.
Thedangersthatlieinherneighborhoodsuchasharassment
affectsheridentitybymakingherbemorecarefulofthepeoplesheassociateswith.
Becauseof
Esperanzasexperiencesasagirlandtheneighborhoodshelivesin,heridentityisaltered.
Inthebook,
Cinder
,byMarissaMeyer,Cindersexperiencesasanoutcastandher
environmentaffectsheridentity.Cinderillustratesthatsheisanoutcastwhentheauthorwrote,
Cinderknewtheyreallyjustdidntlikebeingnextto
her
(Meyer4).SinceCinderisacyborg
sheistreatedandvieweddifferently.
Thisissignificantbecausethewayotherpeoplelookather
canchangehowsheviewsherselfandeventuallyaffectheridentity.
Moreover,Meyer
demonstratesthatCinderiskeptinhorribleconditionbystating,Havingloathedthetoosmall

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footforfouryears,shesworetoneverputthepieceofjunkbackonagain(Meyer1).Cinder
haveworethatveryuncomfortablefootforfouryearsbecauseherguardianrefusestobuyhera
newone.
SinceCinderiskeptinbadshapeitcanaffectheridentitybymakingherfeelinsecure
aboutherbody.
TheevidencesuggeststhatCindersidentityhaschangedbecauseofher
experiencesasanoutcastandtheconditionsheiskeptin.
Asevidenced,onesexperiencesandenvironmentcanhaveanaffectononesidentity.
WaltersexperiencesasanAfricanAmericanandhisenvironmentshapedhimintoa
hardworkinganddeterminedindividual.TheexperiencesandtheenvironmentEsperanzalivesin
hashelpedherbecomeanindependentwomenanditalsotaughthervaluablelessonssuchas,
beingtruetoyourself.Cindersenvironmentandherexperiencesasanoutcastmoldedherintoa
determinedandselfsufficientyoungwomen.
Collectively,thesecharactersdemonstrateshow
theirenvironmentandexperiencesaffecttheiridentity.
Itisessentialforpeopletorecognize
howtheirenvironmentorthewaytheylivecanalteronesperspectiveonlife,andultimately
affectonesidentity.
Readersshouldalsotakeawaythatonesexperiencesthroughouttheir
lifetimecanaffectonesidentity.

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WorksCitedPage

Cisneros,Sandra.HouseonMangoStreet.
HouseonMangoStreet.
NewYork:Vintage
Books,1984.
Hansberry,Lorraine.
ARaisinintheSun.
Austin,TX:Holt,Rinehart,Winston,2000.Print.

Meyer,Marissa.Cinder.NewYork:FeiwelandFriends,2012.Print.