<p>Please read and grade my essay. Feedback is appreciated!</p>
<p>Do we need other people in order to understand ourselves?</p>
<p>In modern society, individuals are often encouraged to explore their own identity and discover themselves. The task is considered a personal and private endeavor that only one person is responsible for. However, understanding ones identity is reliant on interactions with others. Only through relationships and growth can one truly learn about oneself. This is seen in numerous examples in literature, which show how pertinent understanding others, is to realizing ones true nature.</p>
<pre><code>Alice walkers novel, The Color Purple, follows a young girl named Celie. Celie is married away at a young age and forced to bear children with a practical stranger. Through subjugated and controlled, Celie is resigned to her place in society because she has known no other way. However, when she meets Shug Avery, a wild, performer who is free and liberal in her thinking, Celies world is revolutionized. She comes to learn that she is capable of independence and strength, and is talented and warm more than she thought. Through her understanding of Shug, Celie comes to see herself, in a new light; a strong and powerful woman. This shows that by meeting and learning from new people, we can enhance our self-understanding. By widening our world-view, we can understand our purpose and place in society.
Another example can be noted in William Goldings novel, Lord of the Flies. The plot follows a group of young boys who are stranded on an island by a plane crash, without adults or a means of escape. As the group adjusts to life on the island, Ralph, the main character, is elected as leader. At first, Ralph is dedicated to maintaining order and seeking rescue. He remains loyal to the standards and structure of English society, from which he comes. However, as the other boys discover the appeal and seduction of the wild, a seed of savagery is planted in his heart. Ralph gives in to the other boys and joins their revelry and killings. Through his time with these hunters, Ralph discovers that he is capable of evil and barbarianism. This demonstrates once again that by interacting with others, we can reveal and discover sides to ourselves that we never found. In fact these relationships reveal more of our true nature than self-reaction could ever show.
In conclusion, understanding and interacting with others is key to discovering our true identities. It is our duty to ensure that others shape us for the better, not worse.
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