Resources about Identity in Early American Literature
1. Garrett, Brian. Personal Identify and Self-Consciousness. New York: Routledge. NetLibrary. 2 June 2007 <http://www.netlibrary.com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/Reader/>.
This website is from a book that focuses on what personal identify is and the problems behind personal identity. It lists criteria for personal identity. This website is used in helping to define personal identity to determine if it is present in a specific authors work. The resource describes the theme and provides a list of test/references to further research on the theme. This website is a book with an author which is copyrighted and published.
2. Pachter, Marc. "The American Identity." eJournal USA: Society & Values. December 2004. Online Journal. 5 June 2007. < http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itsv/1204/ijse/pachter.htm >
The main purpose of the website is to define the idea of American Identity. The site is well informative about every aspect of American Identity. It covers the many ideas that have molded the current identity of America. The information provided is abundent about the subject. The website is dedicated to covering the society and values in the United States. The criteria that I would follow is looking at the section Equality vs. Freedom. It helps give an idea of how the authors expressed their thoughts and state of mind about freedom and equality. Different authors came into mind when reviewing this website especially the early African American writers that wished for freedom and equality. After reading different text this site gives a prospective of the state of identity during those times. This site is credible due to its affiliation to the state and goverent. Its from a credible website that has very well informative journals.
3.
Society Shapes our Identity < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7vD9aX3Km4 >
This is a video that looks at how society shapes identity: language, wealth, news, music, school, poverty, relationships, politics, celebrities, art, culture, religion, entertainment, fashion, and holidays. There are so many factors that contribute to our identities.
4. “Identity.” __Encarta__. 2007. 3 June 2007. < http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861619974/identity.html >.
This portion of the website provides a dictionary. Identity is defined as “the name or essential character that defines somebody or something.” One can find their identity by looking to their “essential self,” or the set of characteristics that somebody recognizes as belonging uniquely to himself and constituting his individual personality for life. This description of identity relates to Enlightenment in that people during this time were in search of a new, solid identity. It could be said that the United States was on a quest for its “essential self” through changes in government, power, beliefs, and values. Progress was being made toward the desired identity of America.This website is sponsored by the Microsoft Corporation and its information comes from the published Encarta dictionary
5. "Identity." copyright © 2005 by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. 6 June 2007. <http://www.webster.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?sourceid=Mozilla-search&va=identity>.
Webster's online dictionary defines identity as, "the distinguishing character or personality of an individual." The identity of a person is what makes them an individual. Not one person is exactly the same. Identity of authors or even characters when speaking about American Literature is what defines that author or character. When reading literature the identity of each character is cruical to that writing. All the details that describe that person is what makes them real to the reader. It is important for the reader to be able to make a mental picture of the character if there are no pictures.
6. Personal Identity (philosophy). Wikipedia. 1 June 2007. June 9, 2007. < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_identity_%28philosophy%29 >
This article explains the philosophical idea of identity. Identity transcends all literary movements and works. It is therefore applicable to the enlightenment period. When Identity is examined and studied it helps the reader understand those spoken of in the text.
7. Oxford English Dictionary. Second Edition 1989. June 2007
The definition of identity is
1. a. The quality or condition of being the same in substance, composition, nature, properties, or in particular qualities under consideration; absolute or essential sameness; oneness.
absolute identity, that asserted in the metaphysical doctrine of Schelling that mind and matter are phenomenal modifications of the same substance.
2. a. The sameness of a person or thing at all times or in all circumstances; the condition or fact that a person or thing is itself and not something else; individuality, personality.
personal identity (in Psychology), the condition or fact of remaining the same person throughout the various phases of existence; continuity of the personality. (Oxford English Dictionary).
This is a website is an online dictionary that helps define words to define. The criterion it uses is the search in word fine search. This website is resourceful in reading for interpretation of the literary term “identity”. This is a credible site.
8.
Ronning, Anne Holden. “Literature as an Empowerment of Identity.” 8 June 2007 < http://www.ifuw.org/seminars/Literature.pdf>.
Given as a seminar by the author, the article discusses the “increasingly multinational and multicultural world” in which we live, and how literature has become a means for these cultures to establish a sense of identity through expression. She writes, “The search for our roots, for who we are, a dominant feature of late twentieth century society and its literature, must, however, always be in a dialogue.” This applies nicely to “Civil Disobedience” since it was a dialogue between Thoreau and the politically active. She also writes that identity is not merely a cultural thing, but can be national as well, stating that “literature can also function, through its analysis of different cultural identities, as a link to national heritage.”
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