Critique with Technique (Writing)

Critical Thinking Skills (Analyze)
Identity DB 1:
Who am I? This is the question most people ask themselves when they feel they have either reached a bottomless pit in their lives, a loss of touch with reality, a traumatic event, or something else causing them to question or reevaluate their identity. For some it might take a life time to figure out, but for most it is through repeated trial and error during their teenage years when they find a sense of identity for themselves. White and Grealy come from completely different backgrounds, but share similar insights on the struggle to define themselves. Both authors explain the commonality of how we (sometimes) unknowingly cling to false identities because we are afraid to unveil our true self which lies beneath. By living from behind a “mask” or in a “tribe” we can lose a grip on what is and what is not “you”. We fight tooth and nail to appear to others to be just the slightest bit’ normal. What’s ironic about this is that there are so many people participating in this fight to be normal that often your own efforts go unnoticed. But what is normal? It is something that has no specific definition yet we form some twisted and impossible definition of our own, then we basically kill ourselves trying to reach this unattainable so called normalcy. Grealy explains from far away, normalcy is attractive and a place where people are happy; but when we get closer and try on the mask of the identity of who we desire to be rather than the identity that already has our name printed on it, we tend to become uncomfortable and disoriented. This is when we find it much easier and more clear to retreat back to our original and true identity. Another similarity between the two essays is there will always be a constant variable, in other words bully or enemy, that will try to bring you down and keep you from establishing your identity. In Grealy’s experience, a group of boys bullied her so terribly that she fled from the lunchroom and spent the rest of the year eating lunch in the counselor’s office alone. White also witnessed this same bullying, from the Queen Bees in a clique. The Queen Bees, or leaders, of a clique acted superior to the rest of the group, and tended to exhaust their superiority over one specific individual, the outcast. Both authors explain one of the stepping stones to establishing one’s identity, which is stepping out of your comfort zone. Gearly did this on Halloween when she wasn’t ashamed about her appearance, because she had a mask on. She felt freedom to express a different side of her personality, and through this she learned more about her self. White witnessed this when the “natural helpers” took the risk to interact with each clique at their school to ask them to donate money to the “penny wars”- a fundraiser to help provide shelter for the homeless. While White observed the fight to find your identity from the sidelines, Grealy participated in the fight first-hand; either way valuable lessons were taken away from their experiences.

Growing up in a small town like I did, there weren’t very many issues with cliques, at least there weren’t many that I experienced personally or was affected by. Going through elementary and middle school, typically there was the popular crowd, and then everyone else just kind of blended together. That’s one of the things I love about Snohomish, it’s a like a huge family, everyone is friends with everyone. Aside from cliques, like any other human, I have struggled and still struggle with finding my identity. Up until about six months ago, I thought I had it all figured out. I knew who I was, who I wanted to be, what I was going to do. I had a solid group of friends, a busy social life, and life was easy. Then I hit a bump in the road. After making many positive life changes, I was left with was a clean slate. I was back to basics. I started making new and better friends, I changed my social life, and the list goes on. But one of the biggest things that changed, was my identity. Six months later, and I still do not fully know who I am. I’m okay with that, I am willing to take the time to establish a strong identity that will last for the rest of my life, and that requires a lot of time. I’m not the typical teenager, and I never really was. I can’t entirely relate to either White or Grealy, but that can say that I have hidden behind a mask before. Upon entering high school, the pressures were high. Being the youngest in my family and the last to enter high school, both my older brother and sister had set the bar pretty high. My community and family, as well as my self, put the expectation on me to go above and beyond what my brother or sister had ever accomplished. Being the perfectionist that I am, I didn’t want to let anyone down, so I strived for these lofty goals. This continued until one day when I realized that I was trying to achieve the identity that others set before me, instead of the identity I was meant to pursue. That day, I removed the mask that the pressures from my family and friends had formed. That day, I started the journey of discovering who I am, and it is yet to be completed.