Family and Identity
A family is the smallest unit of any community usually having the closest and most comprehensive ties. There is therefore a belief that the values in a family will be represented in future generations to come, commonly referred to as upholding of a family name. The outcome of many children especially adolescents depends on how they relate to their parents/guardians and the cultures of the families. Families that have well defined cultures tend to have more cultured members compared to where freedom is without much supervision. Bonds formed and the trust that the family members have among each other often reflects in the societal relations as well, both formal and informal. This paper therefore focuses on the discussion that family traditions and cultural legacies contribute to and inhibit an individual self identity (James, and Merickel, 2005).
(Seamus, 1939), in the poem clearly showed how family values are passed on to generations. He brought out the difference between physical and mental labor among members of the same family which despite the differences, were ale to show how family ties worked. For instance, the farming profession of the father and grandfather were physical labor as opposed to his mental labor in his writing career. However, he described his pen as what he would dig with, thus showing the relationship of his career and the one that he was brought up with. He had the identity of a farmer having been brought up by a father who was a farmer. In the poem, it is also clear that the strengths and capabilities between the mental and physical labor clarifying that there was less tire in mental labor.
The other issue in family ties is the degree of determination children pick from their parents/guardians. Hard work is an admirable culture which many people tend to adopt from their close family members as is seen with the author. A person can identify with his grandfather’s deeper and repeated digging for good turf (Seamus, 1939), thus showing that a family member’s thoughts can be greatly influenced by his background and culture.
James, and Merickel, (2005) argued that, “… family traditions and cultural legacies contribute to and inhibit an individual self identity.” This supports the above argument. For instance, in most traditional families, the role of a father is very important and gives a sense of belonging to most children especially adolescents. This is by the imitation that they will draw from the behaviors of their parents and the cultural practices. Similarly, the values and legacies are passed through the practices such as naming, religion and production activities that the future generations tend to follow. As discussed earlier, a father figure is important in playing this role. Firstly, the identity in today’s world just like the ancient times was passed on through the father. This is in terms of adopting the common surname that is passed on by the sons in the family. The cliché, ‘keeping the family name alive’ is not yet scrapped off. It can be literal and also deeper in the sense that the surname is used and at the same time traditions of the family and the cultural practices are not ignored. They are respected to the core.
Finally, the self identity as owed to cultural legacies and traditions are influential in the way families relate in different aspects. For instance, a family may have a tradition of doing things together and supporting each other in difficulties. This will enhance development of a generation with more open minded people which is adopted from a family value. There may be a family that has a culture that promotes openness in speaking and evident happiness with cultured members. The values passed will be similar and the self identification of their children will be towards the same direction. It is therefore undoubtedly correct that the culture of a particular family unit, their traditions and legacies are always passed on to their future generations which may later identify their off springs.
Works Cited:
James, Missy, & Merickel Alan. Reading Literature and Writing Argument. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005. Print.
Seamus, Heaney. Digging. 1939. Reading Literature and Writing Argument. Ed. Missy James, Alan Merickel. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005. Print.
Shabot, Naomi. Family and Identity. A Linguistic Analysis of Agency. 2005. Web. 17 Aug, 2010.
