Among the essays encountered in your academic life, an identity essay proves the most challenging. Although many people can effortlessly write about their dog (Tommy), their family, and their best day, defining oneself often proves a challenge.
What defines me? Where do I start with my identity essay? If you were struggling with writing a self-identity essay, you are at the right place. This article will analyze the approach for writing a college essay about identity and offer some identity essay topics to guide your topic selection.
What is an identity essay?
A self-identity essay is an essay geared toward explaining your beliefs, personality, and interests to a reader. This analytical narrative encapsulates your highlights in life and reactions to how various moments define you.
Simply put, a self-identity essay is a narrative about yourself.
How to write an identity essay
Often, students take the identity essay lightly seeing they are the subject of the narrative. Many often end up surprised at how hard it is to define oneself and confused as to where to start. Let’s look at the approach to writing an identity essay and some tips to start your paper.
Process of writing an identity essay
- Brainstorm
You are a product of your experiences from childhood up to this moment. Although each moment has led to the person you are, some experiences have provided much bearing to your life.
Bearing this in mind, it is great to coalesce all the moments you find meaningful and organize your narrative before you put the pen on paper. The failure to do this may result in a paper lacking flow as you pursue the fond memories that spring in mind as you write your essay.
- Outline
After jotting your key moments, organize them to achieve flow and lead towards the key idea on which you want to base your identity. Are you looking to define your empathy, persistence, or perseverance? Plan your experiences to highlight how this attribute was developed and how it currently defines you.
- Draft
With your outline ready, you can proceed to write your work while adding the necessary information to make your narrative catchy. The draft allows you to gauge the gaps in your narrative, allowing you to fix your paper before submitting the final draft.
- Revise
An error-laden paper does little good in the way of your final score. After writing your paper, set aside time to proofread your work and fix any grammatical and structural errors.
How to start a cultural identity essay
Often, students find themselves stuck with ‘I am, ‘I do’ openings in their essays and thus fail to hook a reader. Like other essays, the introduction for an essay on identity and culture should whet your reader’s appetite into knowing more about you.
Some of the best methods to start an identity essay include:
- A famous quote
e.g. We are defined not by our birth name but rather by our actions and although our name is often used to refer to us, our personality is what makes an image in the minds of people we interact with. In my case, I have come to discover an innate fondness for making people feel better about themselves. A need to elevate one’s confidence for I have experienced the downward spiral of lacking self-esteem.
- Rhetorical questions
e.g. In what way is an individual unique from a crowd? Are we not the product of our surroundings? Does our self-identity surpass our surname and fashion taste? Are we defined by our failures, achievements, interests, or actions? I believe that we are made unique by our actions and not by our failures.
Tips for writing a self-identity essay
- Select a narrow idea that can highlight the traits you want to define within the provided word count.
- Use definitive words to paint an image in your reader’s mind.
- Use transitions to achieve a sense of flow in your narrative
- Proofread your paper to eliminate various errors
Essay topics on identity
Interesting identity essay topics
- Racial identity – identity development process
- Why do teenagers need to forge their unique identities?
- How does your favorite music shape your individuality?
- What traits, attitudes, and actions make up a man’s identity?
- Identity and art
- Personality development and the things that most impact it
Cultural identity essay topics
- Who are you now, and where do you envision yourself in the next 15 years?
- The concept of your identity throughout your life
- What part does your family have in the development of your personality?
- Cultural identification and socialization’s significance in learning
- Globalization’s effect on identity and culture
Gender identity essay topics
- What are by far the most vital elements of identity and culture?
- How does culture influence identity?
- How childhood cultural experiences shape personality?
- Why should you think about cultural identity when making commercials?
Personal identity essay topics
- Ethnic background serves as a prism through which people see other aspects of society
- Social identity and self-identity: transgender community issues
- Religion’s influence on self-identity
- The importance of cultural identity preservation
- Understanding personal identity’s importance
