Understanding Culture Identity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Understanding Culture Identity - Essay Example Understanding Culture Identity In understanding culture identity, we may need to define the terms culture and identity separately. Many sociologists have defined culture and identity in variant ways. Different societies manifest different cultures and pass it to future generations through social interactions. Elders and schools teach culture to the young ones. However, cultural disconnect can occur when different cultures interact. In a situation where teachers and students manifest different cultures, a culture disconnect is inevitable. Additionally, there are different types of cultures with others being dominant. A dominant culture enjoys free acceptance and sharing by the majority in a given society. We also have Global culture refers to similar ways of life in different countries and the undermining of cultures via globalization. Additionally, there is mass culture that refers to the simple, entertaining and easy to understand everyday culture. Culture serves the purpose of uniting the society members, unitin g different societies, defining the uniqueness and identity of a society. An identity defines how individuals or groups see and vice versa in a given society. Socialization, mass media, family, and education form an identity. Cultural identity is thus the association of a group or individual to a given set of defined cultures. Its fundamentals include the society’s history, sociological, and socioeconomic factors. Cultural identity defines a society and the way it relates to others. Young people strive and are equally at liberty to change unpleasant cultural identities as applied by their parents. In the story, â€Å"How it feels to be colored Me† by Zora Neale Hurston  (1891 - 1960), the factor of race, individualism, discrimination, self realization, education in culture disconnect, and color comes out clearly in ascertaining culture identity (Hurston 1-3). The story reveals Zora’s discovery of her identity and pride. When I went to Indeed Zora was a Negro i n the United States who had no blood relations with the Indians. This was different from other black Americans who had Indian blood relations. Hence, her individuality and uniqueness comes to being. In the same way my individuality in high college was so unique in our family as I was the first born and the first to join college. In her childhood days, Zora greeted, sang, and danced in the streets to the Negros culture with all the loyalty. As a result, all loved her as she identified with their culture. This manifests the unity that culture identity brings in a society. However, when her mother died while she was only 13, she went to a boarding school. When I joined high school, I enrolled and actively participated in the College Bound. Zora’s culture identity manifests when she immediately becomes â€Å"colored† on joining boarding school. This brings a culture disconnect which Zora appreciates and indentifies with. The College Bound in my high school also changed my attitude on life and created many opportunities for me. Hence, the effect of education interactions with the teachers and other students plays an individual yet significant role in our culture identities. However, Zora is aware of how her new culture identity will subject her to discrimination. Indeed, her racial difference made her experience discrimination at the Jazz club (Hurston 3). I also witnessed some discrimination in my high school where some whites would not play or dine with me because I was African American. This proves the fact that some cultures discriminate over others. Nevertheless, she is ready to soldier on in