Maya Angelou "graduation" identity and culture
Maya discusses the stereotypical challenges of society faced by black people in term of their culture and identity. This paper aims to examine the essay of Maya Angelou, which is about graduation identity and culture. The subject that the author has been covered in the essay is the sense of identity and the impact of culture on the development of identity. The occasion of the writing is the graduation of Angelou. During the graduation ceremony, the guest speaker made racial comments, which provoked the author to write the essay. Maya Angelou wrote the essay ‘Graduation’ in order to express her views about the prevalence of racial differences in her culture, and the impact of those differences on her identity.
According to Angelou, the identity of individuals is made up of different unique characteristics. These characteristics are both internal and external. This suggests that the cultural factors also have an impact on the identity of people. Maya Angelou believes that culture is an integral component of human existence.
Angelou has written the essay in order to express her frustration with the culture. According to Angelou, the culture does not treat all people equally. In order to explain cultural differences, Angelou has presented her experience of graduation. Angelou has discussed, in her essay, that the culture does not provide equal opportunities to the people of her race. Angelou has described how racial differences between black and white people prevail in the American society. Angelou has used imagery in order to motivate the black people of her society to follow their ambitions (Angelou 27). Maya Angelou has also discussed how the negative cultural experiences of black people affect their identity. Angelou believes that people must prevent negative cultural experiences to form their identity.
The most important concept associated with identity is that it is dynamic. This concept can be applied to every individual. It can be agreed that people go through different changes during their course of life. The changes taking place in one’s life contribute towards changes and shifts in the identity.
The essay of Maya Angelou named ‘Graduation’ can help understand the concept of identity and shifts in identity. In her essay, Angelou has discussed different shifts, which occurred in her identity over time. In the essay, different events of her life have also been presented. For instance, at one point, Angelou has referred to her 6th grade ceremony. It was the time when she realized that the concepts of racism and stereotypes exist in the society. Angelou also realized that different factors existing in the society lead towards this kind of behavior. These factors affected the identity development process of Angelou. Angelou also observed changes in her identity when she listened to the Negro National Anthem. Based on her experiences, Angelou has argued that it is common for all individuals to go through different identity changes over time. However, the most significant changes, which occur in the identity process, take place when individuals reach at the maturation stage.
The age at which individuals become mature is different among different individuals. According to the essay, Angelou matured over the last few years. She also said that the maturation process had a significant impact on her personality and identity. The author has explained different changes, which she observed when reaching the maturation stage. Angelou said that her priorities started to change along with her attitude. Furthermore, she also realized that she had become a very different person (Angelou, pp. 31). Angelou reached this stage when she finished her bachelor’s degree. After the graduation, Angelou started to work as a technician and a supervisor. Since she was required to perform two kinds of jobs at the same time, she felt that she was not appreciated properly. The whole experience made Angelou resentful. Furthermore, Angelou also went through peer pressure when she was in school. She has explained how she was engaged in binge drinking in order to fit into the environment. Nevertheless, the entire experience resulted in increasing the confidence of Angelou. The experience also resulted in enhancing the skills and abilities of Angelou.
In order to explain the process of identity, Angelou has also discussed challenges faced by her after graduation. According to the author, when she finished graduation, she was not aware of the right path to follow. The transition to the real world was a challenge for the author. This challenge is common to all people who are entering to the real world. At this stage, people are required to set new goals in order to meet the challenges of the practical environment. The most common challenge faced by people at this stage is the fear of the unknown. Angelou also went through the same challenge.
Angelou has said, in the essay, that the experiences of her life made her wiser. The prior experience of the author contributed towards shaping their thoughts and perspectives. On the other side, the thoughts and perceptions affect the identity of Angelou. In order to retain different perspectives and experiences, memory plays a vital role. Therefore, it can be agreed that memory is also an essential component of the process of identity development. When developing identity, people go through different conflicts. For instance, the perception of people about their identity is different from the perception of other people about their identity. People from the community; for instance, friends and family members often try to impose their identity upon other people. The perceptions made by the outside world are often based on the physical appearance and characteristics of people. However, the perceptions of people about themselves are based on their internal strengths and weaknesses (Angelou 25).
The stereotypes of race and gender have a significant impact on familial relationships. The traditional male dominated roles in families contribute towards the development of negative perceptions among female members. The differences between different gender roles and stereotypes among these gender roles are associated with identity development. When these conditions exist, the familial relationships suffer because family members develop negative perceptions about each other’s gender roles (Angelou 29).
The feelings of anger towards the prevalence of stereotypes in the society also influence the development of identity. Angelou has also shared her thoughts about the way people perceive others. According to the author, she feels disappointed when people judge each other based on factors, which cannot be controlled. For instance, the author is an introvert and she believed that people perceive it to be arrogant. The author has also shared her experience when listened to the personal insight of a rape victim. In the essay, the rape victim said, “The rapist did not touch me.” According to the victim, her negative experience would not ruin her perception of her self-identity. The experiences of the victim helped the author understand differences between external and internal identities. People should not allow negative thoughts and negative experiences to define her identity.
In order to overcome challenges which are brought by racial and cultural and gender classification factors, the author developed the belief that it is better to avoid the impact of negative external factors on one’s identity. It is because the negative experiences often develop negative perceptions of people about themselves. This results in the development of weak identity. The author only allowed positive experiences to influence her sense of identity.
Angelou believes that her identity is dynamic and it changes according to the environment. It is because the components, which make up the identity, are present in the external environment. The identity development process is, therefore, subjected to external circumstances. However, the identity development process is not limited to external factors only. It also involves physical appearance and the internal strengths and weaknesses of a person.
Works Cited
Angelou, Maya. Graduation (Tale Blazers). Perfection Learning, 1990. Web. 14 Oct. 2013.
