Are We Really Ourselves

A detailed Summary of Are We Really Ourselves

In the hustle and bustle of our crazy world we need to pause and ask ourselves if we are really sheep? In saying the word "sheep" I am merely referring to most people as followers that do not possess the quality of leadership. Introduction to "Rereading America" author Gary Colombo states "As we grow up, we accept a certain way of looking at the world and a certain way of thinking," which should not be the case, people need to try to make decisions that will pull them out of routines similar to everyone's; originality is something to keep in mind when trying to accomplish this goal (3). Mike Rose author of "I Just Wanna Be Average," borrowed Jack MacFarland's identity, who was Rose's mentor in his short story, who then "provided a critical perspective on society" therefore helping Rose to establish his own identity (173). To accomplish individuality people must be open and yet skeptical to new ideas, formulating themselves into critical beings (2). The educational system for example should include the opportunity for students to use critical thinking, that is, to question ideas and experience new ways of viewing the world. My own educational experiences and Mike rose's Voc. Ed experiences illustrat

Creating one's own identity is a grueling thing to accomplish especially during teen years. Life to a teenager is all about the people they fit in with and the clothes and style they maintain. Sometimes young adults may imitate the "hip" character at the time to fit into a certain group, a bold choice with their hair or clothes might make them noticeable and that is one thing adolescences do not want in school. Students' peers are their worse critics. Usually to scrape by people might latch on to someone's identity until they can accept their own. MacFarland was the man Rose most admired most at the time, Rose borrowed some of his characteristics including drinking and smoking and even started using the lingo that Jack spoke (172). Borrowing MacFarland's identity to obtain his own did not harm Rose but, the life style grew old, hence Rose was starting to find his own identity (173). Colombo is almost referring to mine and Rose's experiences of being copycats when he states "[get] outside your own skin and [see] the world from multiple perspectives"(2). Getting another persons view of the world can be very helpful, it makes you open your eyes to new things, and that can expand your knowledge. Too many times in my life I would catch myself mimicking someone else's characteristic by following the fads that would come and go, from the prep school girl to the local tomboy. I altered my look and attitude not only from year to year but also sometimes day to day. I could never compose in my mind who I wanted to be in life so I went with what struck me as "In" at the time. There was one time when I was impersonating Brittany Spears to the fullest. It was crazy; from the skirt to the hair I was obsessed with her. My imitation of Spears proved itself important because it gave me more confidence than I had; I am somewhat bolder now than I was before. Bits and pieces of life experiences made me into who I am today. We often synthesize the "crowd" mutually with our own uniqueness; and we accomplish this through critical thinking.

Overall reading this paper you should have noticed all the comparisons between Rose and myself. The fact of the matter is tha

Some common words found in the essay are:
Brittany Spears, Julius Caesar, MacFarland Rose, Borrowing MacFarland's, Jack MacFarland, Jack MacFarland's, Voc Ed, Gary Colombo, , Mike Rose, own identity, macfarland's identity, college macfarland, mike rose, critical thinking, educational system, macfarland rose, own identity 173, identity 173,

Approximate Word count = 1465
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English