Identity

“Self Knowledge and Awareness are the most integral elements of an individual’s identity, surpassing the importance of any external influence”. Discuss the ways in which this notion has been used to convey the meaning of identity in the three Australian texts you have studied
Self knowledge and awareness, is not the most integral element of an individual’s identity, it is the final step, it that can take years to reach and for some is constantly out of reach. Finding and understanding identity through self knowledge and awareness is a process, and one that draws upon many aspects in everyday life to achieve this. Through the three Australian texts studied in class, The Divine wind, The Shifting Heart and Looking for Alibrandi. The characters are used to understand the meaning of identity conveyed in the three texts. The most integral parts of identity are the biggest influences in striving to achieve self knowledge and awareness.
An individual cannot hope to achieve self knowledge and awareness without the presence of a culture. It is the culture that teaches and guides an individual through the decisions they will make in life. It begins to mould an individual the moment they enter this world. This is evident in the character Mitsy, “born and educated in Broome”, is labelled forever by society based purely on her “Japaneseness”. Mitsy’s parents are Japanese and try to maintain a connection with the Japanese culture and way of life, this in turn has been passed down to her as an infant, before she could begin to make her own decisions and   form her own identity. So it has become the basis of her identity. This culture, learned as an infant is the most influential force in shaping all that she knows and all things she does. This will continue to shape and form her as an individual for the rest of her life, as well as her current the ties to the Japanese culture such as her mother making and selling soy sauce and also living in Chinatown.   The text lets the reader...