Identify Racial or Ethnic Background

Question :

Is race Hurston’s most important feature?  How else does she define herself?  How does her sense of self change?

Answer :

In the essay “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” by Zora Neale Hurston, race is an important feature for Hurston because it shapes her identity but it certainly does not define her (Hurston). Due to the oppressive interactions with a racist society she understood the cultural importance of her race. Hurston does not let the race become the entire definition of herself as a human being and celebrates her uniqueness as an individual. She addresses herself as she “became colored” when she was 13 years old. She explains herself this way as it is the identity imposed on her by the American society. Hurston went through a change and identifies herself as a spiritual version who does not limit herself within the beliefs of the human society.

My race and ethnic background are my pride but they do not define who I am or how I should be treated. The main factors that shapes our identities are our culture, our preferences and our life experiences. Race, ethnicity and religion are part of a person’s identity and not whole of it, as it is often portrayed. The perception of others as opposed to our own perceptions about ourselves can have both negative and positive effects. It has a positive effect when others express a positive and encouraging perception and it can also have the negative effect of damaging the confidence when others have a discriminatory perception. Our perception of identity defines our choices and our identity defines our actions. It’s our values that shape our identities because values are our core principles through which our identities are projected.

The exploration of race and identity and their inter-relationship reveals that no one can be fundamentally defined by their race. It is important to celebrate the ever changing human nature and emphasize racial discrimination.