Ranjani Nellore Identity

People spend much of their time trying to figure out their identity—who they are. But what makes up our identity? Our identities are very complex and have many distinctive parts. Our identities are comprised of and influenced by things such as our race, culture, and heritage. All of these factors can fashion who we are and how we view ourselves

One important aspect of our identity is our race. People often categorize themselves based on their race, it influences their friends and associates, interests, and in certain cases their places in society. Race can be an important factor in our lifestyles and who we associate ourselves with. For example, in “Black Like I Thought it Was”, Wayne Joseph spent his entire life believing himself to be a black man. Him taking pride in his race gave him a sense of heritage and a sense of self. After taking a DNA test that reveals he has zero percent African blood. This discovery affected Joseph’s sense of self and he becomes severely confused about his black past and saying that he is black. This shows that race …show more content…
Our culture influences our way of life, beliefs, associations, and social lives. In “The Girl With the Red Dot”, Ranjani Nellore uses the way of dress of her Indian heritage to help define her identity. Nellore questions whether or not based on one’s culture is identity something that is rooted in the past or of belonging to a specific group. She says that the inherited sameness gives one the feeling of belonging and it stays with us in our manners and attitudes. Nellore says that her choice to not wear a bindi in India but to do so in America is apart of her identity because she has the choice to be different. She says apart of her identity involved being unique and using her lineage was her way of doing this. Nellore states because of cultural distinctions among communities Indians are selective with the Indians they make friends with—something their culture