Joseph Murphy Period 6/7 9/8/14

Cul-ture (n): the beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a particular society, group, place, or time.
Iden-ti-ty (n): who someone is; the name of a person
It is my belief that words have meanings. This is a belief that Im sure more than 99% of
humans have. Its natural for us to assign different meanings for different words. However, while all
words do have different meanings, who is it who really justifies and determines the actual meaning of a
word? We all have different experiences, so we all have different true meanings of a word. When I say
to think of a dog, one might think of a black pit-bull, while another may dream of a yellow Labrador. The
same applies for nearly every word out there, such as small, house, bowl, etc. If words as simple as these
can be construed differently by all of us, then how could words as complex and broad like culture and
identity be narrowed down to a strict definition as the ones aforementioned? They cannot, in my
opinion.
When attempting to define culture and identity, a paradox occurs, for it is nearly
impossible to define one without the other. A culture is defined by the identity of the people that it
contains, and the identity of a person is heavily influenced by the culture in which they live. Who
someone is defines them, but what makes them who they are? Different people look for different things
to set aside a person from another.
Given all of this information, I acknowledge that an answer to the questions must be
given, and so they shall be. What is culture? Rather than a meaning, I believe an example would be
better suited for an answer to this question. A culture is: the classroom in which we sit, the country in
which we live, the house in which we grow, the community in which we support, the ideals in which we
believe. A culture defines us. It gives us identity. It gives us a way to define who we are.
Upon delving into exploration of the examples given, one could realize that, in fact, the
very examples I gave, the words printed on the page, they are the definitions listed above, just worded
differently. This is the beauty of the English language. The beauty of our minds, as humans. Just because
one person is right doesnt mean another is wrong. Very few things are purely factual. Most things are a
matter of opinion and experience. It is up to us, our culture, and our peers, to give ourselves an identity,
to find our opinions through experience, and to live and to define more than just words, but to define
ourselves.