Sargusingh 1

Faith Sargusingh

Pamela Bollman

ENG3U

March 13th 2021

Identity: An Annotated Bibliography

“Identity.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers,

www.psychologytoday.com/ca/basics/identity.

This website talks about what identity is in a personal sense, a societal sense, a

relationship sense and more, while also mentioning how they all connect to form one whole

identity or one whole person. Many factors can contribute to identity, including one’s ethnicity,

parents, social media or native language. The younger half of your life - from your teenage years

through to your thirties - is most often where most find and finish creating their own unique

identity. Erik Erikson, a psychologist, had a theory that the lifecycle can be divided into eight

stages that each contain a conflict, and the resolution of those conflicts would then lead to a

certain development of personality. This source is useful because it discusses how various factors

can develop an individual’s identity and also provides an explanation as to why certain events

(negative or positive) shape our personality. Reading through this website personally taught me

about how we look at ourselves as a whole. Obviously, we somehow connect the different

versions of ourselves (child, girlfriend, student, customer) in some way, but I’ve never thought

about how those pieces connect in our brains. However, through this site and Erik Erikson’s

theories, I was able to learn a great deal about identity, and how we humans view ourselves.
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Disney. Lemonade Mouth, Disney Channel, 15 Apr. 2011.

Lemonade Mouth is a Disney Channel film about five musically gifted students

struggling to find their identities. Particularly, Mo (played by Naomi Scott) was confused

between what her parents wanted her to be and what she wanted to be. When she got to school

she would change her outfit just so she could be herself and not what her parents wanted her to

be. When her boyfriend cheated on her, after she got together with her new friends and formed a

band, she performed on stage a song called, “She’s So Gone”. This song was about her breaking

out of who she used to be, a people pleaser to her parents and her boyfriend. After this she found

the courage to stand up to her parents as well, telling them what she wanted to be instead, and in

the end, they supported her. This source is useful because we are able to see how others can wear

down our identity by having expectations for us to meet in their minds. Mo’s parents (much like

my own), had a view for what they wanted her to be, without letting her explore what she wanted

for herself. It was as if she wasn’t her own person. This made her feel as though she could never

be who she was inside and she almost lost herself in the process of trying to be everything they

wanted. Furthermore, this source reminded me that breaking free of people like that is only

beneficial. Being alongside people who treat you as a slave and a second chance - to do what

they couldn’t - are not good people to have in your life. While Mo’s parents were overall caring

and realized their mistake, those unwilling to change only brings harm towards you and your life

and being with them (especially during the years where you are supposed to be growing your

identity for yourself) is traumatizing and can taint your view of yourself. Therefore, I’m happy

and proud of the decisions I’ve made, and Lemonade Mouth as well as “She’s So Gone”,

reminded me of my own strength.

Adames, KJ, director. Identity SHORT FILM (Award Winning Inspirational Short).

Identity, Youtube, 24 May 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikGVWEvUzNM.

This short film, directed by KJ Adames, was about how we have different identities with

different crowds. With your parents, you are more likely to be sweet and obedient, with your

friends - open and fun, with your teachers - hardworking and intelligent. However, for some

people, they are not open or fun or smart or devoted. Therefore, they create a persona to fit in

where they stand, as humans are social beings and desire to fit in and connect. This persona can

have terrible effects on the way one views themself, as it can make you feel as if who you are on

the inside is not enough. This source is useful as it explains how we may slightly alter our

identity when we are with different people. For example, around your spouse, you would not act

the same as you would amongst your professional colleagues. It is important to know when it is

appropriate to switch your personality slightly, and when that change can be harmful. This short

film taught me exactly that - that while being professional or casual when needed is appropriate,

hiding emotions and who you are inside in order to fit in with peers, is very harmful, and never a

good idea.

Thomas, Angie. The Hate U Give. HarperCollins, 2017.

The Hate U Give is a #1 bestselling book, which has been inspired by a true story, and is

now turned into a film as well. The novel talks about how identity relates to one’s origins and

race. In the early stages of the novel, Starr’s (the main character) best friend from her childhood,
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gets shot by a cop during a pull-over in the middle of the night. Some argue it was dark and he

was black, and it seemed like he had a gun, but Starr wants justice for her friend, and she fights

for it. She is tired of seeing people stereotyping blacks just because of the way they looked.

Though her friend did sell drugs illegally - he did it only to help his drug-addicted mother to pay

back her debt - and was one of the sweetest men she knew. This source is particularly relevant

because it speaks about how society views race as a part of an individual’s identity. Personally, I

am mixed Indian and German, however, growing up I considered myself brown (which then

turned to black) because hardly anyone around me was even slightly tanned. My first friend was

pale as a ghost (truly) and my next was from Belarus (it borders Russia). I noticed how everyone

would look at me weird when talking about slavery and how no one reminded me to put on

sunscreen because I was the only one who never got sunburnt. And I took on that identity. The

same concept goes for in the novel, except the whites of that area are trying to justify someone’s

actions that were wrong and cowardly, pinning the blacks as violent and aggressive and below

them. However, the darker race would not let this title fall on them and they fought to be treated

equally, and for Khalil’s (Starr’s childhood friend) life to be treated like it mattered. This novel

taught me that our race is part of who we are, but it is not a negative thing. Through the way

people interact with us due to our race may change, that doesn’t put a value on our skin. I don’t

care if people mistreat me because of my race and I will keep being happy about who I am and

about all the physical features that make me Indian and make me me.

Nichols, Joe. Freaks Like Me, Sony ATV Publishing, 2015,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fu5-gEUJCs.
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“Freaks Like Me” is a single by country singer, Joe Nichols. In this song, he talks about

his identity in many ways, including how he ties his personal identity to his nationality

(American) and how he forms his identity based on the way he interacts with others. In the first

verse, he mentions how he would “always get the door for a lady... if she's 4 or if she's 80”.

These short few lines imply that he thinks himself to be a gentleman, due to the fact that he

respects women, no matter their age or what they can give them in return for his kindness. Later

on, in the song, he also talks about how he “believes in the USA” and loves a lot of the

stereotypical things they enjoy there, such as beer, four-wheel drive and Catholicism. This

implies that he ties his nationality very deeply into who he is as a person (potentially due to

patriotism). Furthermore, Nichols also says that he appreciates the people who can be proud of

who they are with no shame, as he is. This further proves that the song is about how Nichols

views his own identity and also tells us he is a prideful person (as if we didn’t already know).

This source is useful because it shows us how deeply nationality can be rooted in one’s own

identity and also how the way we interact with others impacts our identity as well. The last

source talked about how race and ethnicity contribute to identity, but rather this one talks about

community and nationality. Whether you are from the USA or not, sharing their beliefs, ideals

and home will land you a happy community full of pride and love for their country. This source

also mentions how the way we interact with others can say a great deal about our identity. For

example, if I beat up someone every day at school, many students will start labelling me as a

bully, and I might even start to think of myself as mean-hearted. It is important to know how

interactions can teach you about identity, as it can help you to notice fake friends in your life and

others’ as well. Through discussing how interactions shape identity, this song reminded me of the

importance of recognizing social cues to unravel one’s true identity and intentions.