Re-Addressing Identity free essay sample

In her essay, Are We Worried About Storms Identity or Our own? Patricia J. Williams asks the philosophical question, Are we worried about Storms identity or our own? Her argument implies that we worry about our own identity as she describes her analytical process, a personal narration from which she derives her analytical thoughts, as well as an analogy. Williams writing thoughts are effectively expressed in her essay and consequently, the philosophical question, are we worried about Storms identity or our own? At her introduction, Williams starts off with a short personal anecdote: When my son was 2 years old, he went to a nursery school where he often played with a cheerful little girl Ill call Jessie. Williams establishes herself as a mother off the start and as a maternal figure, she compels the reader to settle down and listen to what she has to say as she has established her credibility. As Williams continues with her anecdote, she illustrates a cute story of her male child and his playmate whom she calls Jessie, and concludes her anecdote with the nursery school teacher identifying her child after a security guard and Jessie after a mini-hostess with the mostest! In comparison to the main topic and Williams story, Williams paves the way with a transition into the topic of assigning gender roles. After the anecdote, Williams creates an instant shift from a colloquial maternal figure to a writer of liberal perspectives in culture and politics. Descriptive phrases such as smiled warmly and gosh-darned adorable turn into, center of an international controversy and a full fledged commitment to life-long gender suppression or neutered identity. Having written with these intellectual word bombs award credibility to Williams once again and with sophisticated diction, her wording makes the reader think more intuitively throughout her essay. Along with the shift in her descriptive literature, Williams shifts into her topic and introduces the story of Storm. Storm, the five month old baby whose parents have decided not to share their childs sex, and often referred to as the genderless baby, has had an overwhelming negative response by the public. Williams, making long story short, leads straight into the public response and gives examples of common words people have used to criticize the story as creepy and freakish. (pg. 546) As Williams projects the feelings of the public response, she retains from revealing her feelings on the subject at hand. Additionally, Williams mentions, I will leave to mental health experts the propriety of Storms parents stance. (pg. 546) Far from being critiqued, the author states her stand up front essentially in terms of not diminishing her credibility before she has the chance to voice her thoughts. At this point, Williams plants the seed of doubt contrary to what the reader may be thinking as the reader may still be in awe by the actions of Storms parents. Using an anaphora and egalitarian ideologies, were all just people, were all just equal, were all American citizens, and furthermore with nationalism principles, it doesnt matter what your religion is and I dont see race, Williams gives the reader insight as to what the parents of Storm argue. As written by Williams, Yet when some intrepid soul actually follows identity-erasing truisms to their logical, uncomfortable ends—refusing altogether to engage in the conventions of gendered society, as with baby Storm—it is profoundly unsettling with a startling view, this quote effectively establishes a ground for an argument altogether with an authoritative tone. A shift is made in the spectrum of the audience now that the author has made her position clear. Williams, instead of referring to herself, now addresses a collective audience including herself as her old phrases change from, I will leave to mental, while it seems to me, and when I read about storm to we want our boxes, what we are really seeking and our anxiety in response. Williams establishes a connection with the reader now more than ever as she refers to human emotions and common experiences. Humanizing her the arguments more, Williams effectively earns the readers appeal to sympathy. Gender assignment as Williams describes, led her son and his friend Jessies teacher to describe them in such unconsciously distinct ways. (pg. 547) Williams describes that as we ask the question, is it a boy or a girl? (pg. 547) we seek to assign the child to a specific gender because we need to do so as to order our world. Williams bring forth key evidence in our own language to support her claim as she states that, In English, there is no universal pronoun, no general reference to common humanity; in order to speak comfortably, we automatically must yield to partitions of him, of her, of gender. (pg. 548) She further on states that, in the absence of pronouns, address necessarily becomes specific, individual, even intimate. (pg. 548) Williams, by using a formal definition of the universal pronoun, enforces her logic and reasoning thus boosting her credibility as well. Williams is very clear, concise and by the book making her case effectively. Towards the end of her essay, Williams emerges with philosophical questions such as what ifs? What would it mean if we were forced to hold in abeyance that foundering loss we feel we encountered the limits of the known? ; What if we had to greet one another.. and the security guard in the hostess were made manifest? (pg. 548)Williams then persuades the reader to mediate over the concept of an identity and its loss. Williams ends her essay with a reflective feeling leaving the reader to redefine their thoughts overall. When presented by such scandal like that of Storms identity, people tend to question the rationality of the parents, but on the other hand, Patricia J. Williams seems to do the exact opposite. Shown in her essay, Williams argument implies that we worry about our own identity and at how we determine order and through her analytical process, a personal narration from which she derives her analytical thoughts, and an analogy, Williams effectively makes her thoughts expressed in this essay, as we do of our own.