Identity_Essay

“Our identity is shaped by the world we live in”. In what ways is this true of your core text and two related texts' Your response must include a detailed consideration of at least two of your core poems. Identity is what constitutes an individual and differentiates them from others. The environment holds a profound role in shaping an individual’s identity. One’s identity is greatly subject to change and modification by the surroundings through their environment, relationships and community. Whilst a variety of texts support this idea, two core poems by T.S. Eliot, “Rhapsody On A Windy Night” and “The Love Song Of J.Alfred Prufrock” superlatively reinforces how factors such as judgment, past memories and experiences can alter the identity of the individual. The poem “Bourke” by Henry Lawson and the 2009 film, The Hurt Locker by Kathryn Bigelow also represent the shaping of identity through experiences and memories. “Rhapsody On A Windy Night” is a T.S. Eliot poem which conveys how past memories and experiences have haunted a lonely man for many years and how his dismal surroundings have only emphasised this. The protagonist of the text is clearly troubled by his bleak, and almost surreal atmosphere, apparent in the repetition of “twisted” throughout the poem, and the use of occult imagery, such as “lunar incantations”, “ lunar synthesis”, “spaces of dark” and “The secret of its skeleton, stiff and white”. “Twisted” is also used in the context of being a symbol of unease and aberrancy. As a “crowd of twisted things” are ‘thrown up high and dry’, this leads them to ‘surrender’ whilst the moon “twists a paper rose” as “she” is alone and reminiscing. The constant mention of time (in “Half-past one” to “Four o’clock”) hints that he believes that he is running out of time and that his miserable environment has rendered his attempts to create a meaningful identity futile. The anaphora and personification of the street lamp reinforces the surreal tone and also forebodes a despondent conclusion of this journey (“The street lamp sputtered/muttered/hummed”, “Every street lamp that I pass beats like a fatalistic drum”). Hope is also a primary focus of identity as a lack of hope seems to exist in this community. Mention of ‘giving up’ and melancholy images are emphasised in this text. Furthermore, “eyes in the street trying to peer through lighted shutters” represents the extent of isolation present and images of “rust” and “skeletons” only accentuate the desolation and surrender of the personnel. The man also seems to begin as a symbol of hopeless decay (much like the metaphor of the crab ‘gripping the end of a stick’), thus leading him to embark on a tedious journey to search for meaning and comprehend his true ‘identity’. The arousal of past, unpleasant memories is evoked in the descriptions of the depressed civilians, including the woman with the torn dress, the seemingly disillusioned child (in which the narrator can “see nothing behind” their eyes) and the moon, who has “lost her memory”. As the “lunar incantations dissolve the floors of memories” and “midnight shakes the memory”, the narrator finally returns home, only to be once again troubled by “Memory!” and to distance himself from everything, to “sleep, prepare for life” whilst “the last twist of the knife” metaphorically illustrates his demise and surrender. “Bourke”, by Henry Lawson, is a reflective piece which demonstrates how past memories can create identity, especially those of the narrator from “Ninety-one” and “Ninety-two”. To emphasise the musing of the past, the text is written in past tense, expressed in first person and includes use of some old English. Lawson employs extensive imagery in the first stanza, constructing a harsh environment. The “scorching, blinding sandstorms blew” on “glaring iron-roofs of Bourke” and “no sign that green grass ever grew in scrubs that blazed beneath the sun” contrasts the narrator’s personal view of ninety-one and two. Lawson reflects how though this horrid environment destroys much, it doesn’t destroy human spirit and pride, where “save grit and generosity of hearts that broke and healed again” because “the hottest drought that ever blazed” cannot impede upon “hearts of men”. Nostalgia flows through the narrator as he recalled the simple, biased life that existed long ago, when “they drank, when all is said and done, they gambled, and their speech was rough”, and when “to hint a bushman was not white…would mean a long and bloody fight in Ninety-one and Ninety-two”. This poem revolves around past memories and time, similar to “Rhapsody On A Windy Night”. However, as “Bourke” presents a desire and yearning for the old times, the protagonist from “Rhapsody” is struggling to suppress his past and remove from his memory. “Bourke” focuses on how the pride of an individual can construct identity, utilizing his recollections of the common man in “Ninety-two” “Ninety-one” to convey this theme. Lawson uses the example of the old fights in “The yard behind the Shearers’ Arms” where they would ‘wash the blood away’ and “then shook hands, as strong men do- and washed away the bitterness- in Ninety-one and Ninety-two” afterward. He proudly states that “Ah! Men knew how to stick to men in Ninety-one and Ninety-two”. Lawson also suggests how the emergence of a new factor in society can dramatically affect identity (essentially describing how environment affects identity). He describes that “the cruel new Australian star drew off the bravest and the best”, and how now those “western towns have altered quite” as “they don’t know how to drink and swear, they’ve forgotten how to fight; they’ve almost lost the strength to trust, the faith in mateship to be true-the heart that grew in drought and dust in Ninety-one and Ninety-two”. He concludes his reflection with his nostalgic statement that if things could turn back to the way it used to be, he’d “go to sleep” [die] “with mind content”, and “leave my [his] name to Bourke to keep- the Bourke of Ninety-one and Ninety-two”, which expresses his view on change and its effect on the identity of not only the new generations, but even himself, of the past generations. The T.S Eliot poem, “The Love Song Of J.Alfred Prufrock” explores how identity is easily altered by the environment around it, and the damage indecision and doubt can have on identity. Eliot characterizes the aging Prufrock as an insecure, isolated and a passive man who seeks the meaning and significance of his identity. Prufrock is confronted by the boundaries of procrastination and submission, brought about by his regrets, his doubts and his insecurities. The text argues that if one is unable to overcome these boundaries, they will lead a life that is unrewarding and insignificant. The anaphora of “there will be time” represents his consistent deluding of himself in order to vouch for his adjournment and inaction. His insecurity leads him to postpone his actions as he feels that he is insignificant and that he is inept in changing anything, shown through his words “Do I dare disturb the universe'”, whilst “How should I begin'” and “How should I presume'” express his confusion. Prufrock is also constantly misunderstood by others, leading to questioning of the significance of not only his identity, but his existence. His rhetorical questions “Do I dare'” and “How should I presume'” alert the reader to his sense of insecurity. The cloudy imagery of the “yellow fog” and use of passive language as he “lingered” and “curled” further supports this notion of procrastination and mental cowardice. Prufrock is also very affected by others’ perceptions of him. This is seen in his thoughts of how others will remark upon his faulted figure (“How his hair is growing thin!” and “but how his arms and legs are thin!”). An allusion to death is also made as Prufrock cites he has “seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker” and “in short, I was afraid”. This indicates to the reader the inevitable death looming over him, with Prufrock fearing his life has been empty up till that point. As he strolls down the “half-deserted streets” with “muttering retreats” and “restless nights”, these are personified to be metaphors for Prufrock’s view that he is a meaningless existence, leading to his regret and timidity. All these only lead to his abandonment of hope and his indecisiveness on changing. Here, he hides the truth and swallows his fear to appear better, but this only forces him deeper into demise and he eventually emerges regretful and overwhelmed. He finally remains sceptical toward the importance of his existence and identity and his ultimate capitulation is presented with the words “I grow old…I grow old…” “Till human voices wake us, and we drown.” The Hurt Locker is a 2009 film directed by Kathryn Bigelow, surrounding Operation Iraqi Freedom, and the impact that war has pressed onto individuals. The story revolves around three central characters, members of a United States Marine Corps Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) squad, Specialist Owen Eldridge, Sergeant J.T. Sanborn and Sergeant First Class (SFC) William James. The film portrays the effect of experiences, relationships and war on identity through deep characterization. The film opens with the Chris Hedges quote “The rush of battle is often a potent and lethal addiction, for war is a drug”. This acknowledges an unknown factor of war and forebodes danger. This is later most prevalent in the character of SFC James. Specialist Eldridge is the least experienced of the group, who blames himself for the death of his previous team captain. He is constantly overlooked by the team, and so is the most vigilant of the group. This is evident in the common camera angles with him straying in the background. He is at first very confident, and jokes among his teammates and friends. However, after his captain’s death, he plunges into depression, as he did not seize the opportunity to save him by opening fire on the terrorist. As his new team leader (SFC James) is introduced, he is distanced further and further from the group, and has his presence neglected. He is shown carrying the majority of the equipment and has a slightly different uniform to the others. After his psychologist (Colonel ‘Doc’ Cambridge) is killed by an IED (Explosive), he spirals down further and is sent home after being accidentally shot by SFC James in a rescue attempt. His character expresses change in identity through his loss of hope in such an unforgiving environment. Sgt. Sanborn is a textbook soldier, always abiding to the rules. He finds James as a rough, “rowdy boy” and irritating & distracting. The overwhelming danger of war is present when Sanborn contemplates killing James with an IED as James ‘searches for his gloves’. This produces the inhumane and unseen side of Sanborn’s character, where he is actually considering killing a teammate out of annoyance. However, a major shift in identity and personality is evident as he is willing to put himself at risk and complete the mission. The danger prevalent in their objectives is emphasised by use of the ‘shaky cam’ and ominous, foreboding music. A seeming constant wail of sirens and shouting in Arabic also adds to this effect. Through these experiences, he grows closer to James, he reveals that he is undergoing a conflict between war and family. His girlfriend wishes to conceive a child, but he claims that he “ain’t ready for that yet” and is devoted to his job. However, after his various encounters with danger and death, he finally surrenders and questions how James can care for his wife and son and yet risk his life everyday. “How do you do it, man' You know that every time we go out, every time you suit up, its life or death, man.” James, stunted, replies that “I guess I just don’t think about it.” Sanborn eventually resigns and marries his girlfriend. Through his character, Bigelow explores how war can change someone to something completely different. SFC James is at first the converse of Sanborn. He is labeled the “cowboy” who also experiences the war-family conflict. However, he is an ‘adrenaline junkie’, addicted to the “rush of war”. He is overly confident on his missions, and almost belongs there, but his costuming suggests isolation from his team. Whilst his team dons digital desert camouflage, he wears a woodland camo vest and helmet. His introductory scene demonstrates his difference to the others already. He is smoking a cigarette, listening to heavy metal and asks Sanborn to remove the safety boards on the window which stops mortars. He is an insubordinate, idiosyncratic character, demonstrated by his behaviour and costuming. His character is also lacking in intimacy at the opening, where he has no concern of others’ views of him, contrary to Prufrock. As “The Love Song Of J.Alfred Prufrock” uses extensive imagery to forward its idea, The Hurt Locker uses complex mise en scene to present character and tone. He later, however, grows affectionate to an Iraqi child selling DVDs at Camp Victory. He psychologically breaks down in a moment of weakness after he believes that the boy has been killed and used as a “body bomb” that James needs to disarm. Nearing the conclusion, he returns home to his family, only to feel alienated from society. He recites his stories of death to his wife but cherishes the time spent with his son. He breaks out into a moment of emotion as he speaks to his infant son. “You love everything don’t you' Yeah…But when you grow up, you may find some things that you used to love are no longer so special. When you get to my age, there might only be one or two things you love anymore.” Although James’ character doesn’t undergo an identity change during the course of the film, it is obvious that war has changed him from who he used to be and alienated him from society outside of the battlefield. He eventually surrenders to his addiction, like Prufrock, and returns to Iraq, with the words “Days left in Delta Company’s rotation: 365” on the screen, provoking hope and determination. Through these texts, it can be observable that environment plays a significant factor in the shaping or changing of identity. These environmental effects include relationships with others, the harshness or ease of their living conditions and what affects choices of an individual.