On page 43, the author states that “…we are inexorably dependent on social and cultural categories for our well-being and satisfaction. To say that the subject/self is made or constructed is to say that it’s dependent on myriad things other than itself.” To what extent do you agree with this statement? What effect do you think our dependence (or lack thereof) has on us as individuals? Additionally, what effects does it have on us as readers or writers?
ENGL 299 | Intro to English Studies
Dr. Myra Seaman | Spring 2017
Reading this made me realize how I’ve never really thought about how when we talk about constructing who we are is also, in a sense, talking about how others have influenced us. I am not sure if I completely agree with the idea that we are totally dependent on social and cultural aspects to be happy, but I am confident that we all at some point in our lives look to these things to find comfort and satisfaction. However, who we are as people is develops over time and most of us come into ourselves based on our experience with other people and how they have influenced us. As the authors also say on page 43, “who you are is dependent on recognition of your identity by others”. This is not necessarily a bad thing. A combination of these traits and experiences that involve other help us to learn and advance as people. Learning from others helps us realize how we want to act and the type of person we want to be. It allows us to be the best versions of our individuals selves. Furthermore, as readers it allows us to focus on how characters develop and how their interactions are affecting them inside their own stories. It can help us to make connections even, with different characters and their identities. As writers various influences helps us to produce a type of work that can be for many different people and create a piece of literature that in turn impacts our them as readers.
I agree with their statement that to not be one label is to simply give yourself another and I also find it true that it is near impossible to separate yourself from the culture around you. If you throw every book, tv, and internet enabled device out of your house and shut yourself in you are still in beaded with the influence of your parents who were influenced by their culture. In this part of the argument made by “Theory Toolbox” I agree, however I do think it is still important to keep in mind that even if we can’t control the culture that influences us it’s important to remember that we do control how we let the culture we are taking in influence us. I feel like this is what makes the argument important to have, it’s not the question of labels you’re running away from, but what labels you chose to pick up. If one says “I’m not that, I’m an individual” the importance to me at least, is not in the dropping of the label the speaker is not, but in the fact the speaker choses to pick up the label of “individual” meaning they’ve taken in the culture around them and chose to be something influenced by it but in away different from others. In this, I feel like there is some choice left to the person.
I feel the same is true for reading. The reader is influenced by many factors like the text, known history of the author, and time period, for example, much without a choice. However it’s how the reader takes in all the influences and determines how they form his interpretation that shows the readers individual, self made choice.
I somewhat agree with the statement that being unique and/or having a label is just a social construct that cannot really be avoided. For example, on page 43 they mention that “After all, there’s no point in being ‘unique’ unless other people know it!”. I don’t really think there is any way to actually be considered “unique” simply because there is always some type of cultural or influential element that has an affect on ones self. Although, I think it is important to think about how even though you are being influenced, it all depends on who you are and if you chose whether or not to really follow these certain standards of life. I found it really interesting about how they gave an example on how advertisements can really take a toll on what we consider socially accepted or necessities.
I think this may have a negative impact on writers because it could limit ones individuality when it comes to how they want to write. It is possible that they could be influenced by a certain writer or author and feel like if they write like them, then they will be just as successful. I think it is important to have some type of “uniqueness”, or simply just a different way of approaching something without thinking about how someone else would have done it.
I believe the book is saying that we are all unique individuals with unique personalities, and a general characteristic for humans is the search for people with similar interests and ideas. “Perhaps the easiest way to state this point is to say that we are social animals, and one of the things we want from each other is recognition.”(43)Everyone is unique in that some like to have many friends, and some like to keep a small circle. Either way, people want to be happy in life, and they want to share that happiness with people they enjoy being around. Social and cultural categories can fit into certain ways of meeting people, but through the diversity of schooling one can meet a plethora of people from different backgrounds and upbringings. This acts as a bridge for those with different social backgrounds or beliefs to find an appreciation for others and their beliefs and become friends through kindness and respect of different cultures. Social categories are meant to be broken to expand our knowledge as humans and our ability to relate to others.
I wholeheartedly believe that we are almost entirely dependent on social structures for our sense of identity. While we have the agency to choose how we respond to our circumstances, the options provided are limited by social contexts and the laws of nature. A person raised in the poverty of Brazil’s favellas will find it extremely difficult to become a tech developer in Japan, and instead will most likely stuggle to raise themselves above the poverty line while supporting their family, remaining in the same region in Brazil. We have been spoon fed the fact that we can be anything we want to be, if we work hard enough, but we have been socialized from infancy and influenced by everyone we interact with, from our parents to our myriad of teachers, who all are constantly shaping our paths. The identity of the “self” is seemingly concrete, but in reality is constantly changing, as influenced by our surroundings and our own hormones and emotions, which fluctuate constantly. Think of the example of a teenager donning all black and listening to angsty music, trying to be a nonconformists during their formative years. The oft repeated adage “This isn’t a phase, it’s who I am, Mom/Dad!” causes most people to cringe at their own blunder years. Not only do they claim that the emo/alt movement is their new identity, one that will change as hormones subside, but they are conforming to a social group, albeit a “subculture” that is not “mainstream.” in an attempt to be unique… just like everyone else. To truly not be influenced or dependent on society in any fashion would leave a human feral, as everything from music to language to houses are social constructs, as conceded by the writer. It is quite literally impossible to truly shrug off “subjectivity,” because even when one shrugs off their dependency on society, they are still subject to the acts of nature, as observed by naturalist authors such as Stephen Crane. Crane claimed that despite humans perceptions of social constructs, such as justice, equality, and fairness, nature is acts with total impunity. Our own agency is restricted by natural forces outside of our control. We’re only rolling with the punches the best we have been taught.
I think the statement has some truth to it. We exist in the context of what surrounds us. I think our experiences are a part of what shapes us as beings. If we are exposed to certain things, they will effect us to some degree. The things that we are not exposed to, will have no effect on us. So I think the self is to some degree, dependent on social and cultural categories. Who I am is somewhat reliant on my status as an American. I might be someone drastically different if I were born and brought up in another country. Same goes for my race, I have a different experience in the world then say, a white person. Those experiences have shaped me into who I am. There is no way to really know If I would be the same person on the inside, if I had a different exterior. As writers, the content of a work would be dependent on the writers doing/ Influence alone. But a writers influence on a written work is dependent on what has already influenced the author. As readers, we might react to certain things based on what we’ve learned from the world. We might agree and disagree on certain things in a book, because of our beliefs and values that have been shaped by culture and society.