<p>Is identity something people are born with or given, or is it something people create for themselves? </p>
<p>Identity is much more than the name of features one is born with. Actually, identity is something that people create for themselves by undergoing various challenges and changes and making choices. This claim is substantiated by the examples of Ki Moon Ban, current Secretary-General of the United Nations, Oprah Winfrey, an American television host, and Heathcliff, a protagonist in Emily Brontes novel Wuthering Heights.</p>
<p>Ki Moon Ban, the sixth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, is one individual who created his identity with his actions. Ban was born in . During his childhood, his father owned a warehouse business, which later went bankrupt, only to take away the f.amilys middle-class standard of living. Yet, Ban persisted with his studies, especially those of English despite the familys lack of financial support. According to local stories, he normally walked six miles a day to a fertilizer plant where he could practice his English with American advisors there. When he won an essay contest sponsored by the Red Cross, this triumph earned him a trip to the United States and a meeting with President Clinton. His position in the United States could not have been achieved without Bans such efforts and love for studies.</p>
<p>Oprah Winfrey is another person who achieved her current status as one of the most influential figures in the world through her own hard work. Although she is now ranked among the wealthiest people of the world, she was born in rural Mississippi, to a teenage mother. Because of her familys lack of financial support, Oprah did not receive formal education while other kids of her age attended school. Meanwhile, she discovered her talent as a speaker, while mimicking those on the television screen, and began co-anchoring at a local evening news at the age of eighteen. Undaunted by the challenges brought by her race, Oprah endured and now, she is credited with having revolutionized the tabloid media industry with her intimate, confessional self-titled talk show. Like Ban, Oprah worked her way up the ladder from the very bottom to become who she is now: the greatest entertainer.</p>
<p>Heathcliff in Emily Brontes novel Wuthering Heights is the last example of a person who developed his own identity through marked changes in his life. This novel follows the life of a mysterious, gypsy-like man, from his childhood to death in early thirties. Originally a kid of no definite origin, Heathcliff was adopted by the wealthy Earnshaws. This event allowed Heathcliff to experience a sudden rise in his social status, now a son of the richest family in county. In addition, when his beloved woman Catherine marries another man, Heathcliff decides to transform himself and succeeds by becoming a much more educated, gentle businessman when he reappears in front of Catherine. Heathcliff chose to undergo this major change for himself.</p>
<p>People are not born with features that later are used to define them. After careful analysis of Ki Moon Ban, Oprah Winfrey, and Heathcliff, it is undeniably evident that people, indeed, create their own identities by making certain decisions and behaving in certain ways. It seems only reasonable to conclude that although innate features may contribute to shaping ones identity, the most integral part comes from ones actions, or more specifically, ones interactions with the surroundings.</p>