Identity
- The collective aspect of the set of characteristics by which a thing is definitively recognizable or known.
“Know thyself,” said Socrates. “If a man cannot say what he means, he can never mean what he says,” said RJ Johnston. Indeed. Until we are rock solid secure in knowing precisely who we are, at a deep level independent of the world and any other person, we cannot experience our own, our very own, life. And living a life defined by the world can never be strong or happy (arguably it can be meaningful ~ if one believes one’s only worth is in digging wells for waterless towns, then that contribution holds great meaning and legacy, even if the life that carries it out is otherwise a great pretending). Following are excellent illustrations of people denying who they are, discovering who they are, and deciding what they think about who they are.
Examples of Identity in Film
- A History of Violence
- About Schmidt
- Alien Nation
- American Beauty
- An Education
- An Officer and a Gentleman
- As Good As It Gets
- Baby Boom
- Batman Begins
- Blow
- Boiler Room
- Bound
- Boys Don’t Cry
- Breakfast at Tiffany’s
- Broadcast News
- Brokeback Mountain
- Bugsy
- Clash of the Titans (1981)
- Clash of the Titans (2010)
- Continental Divide
- Crimes and Misdemeanors
- Dead Man Walking
- Defending Your Life
- Despicable Me
- Everything is Illuminated
- Flawless (1999)
- Frailty
- Galaxy Quest
- Girl, Interrupted
- Half Nelson
- Hannah and Her Sisters
- Hop
- In Bruges
- Ink
- Keeping the Faith
- Kramer vs. Kramer
- Leaves of Grass
- Lone Star
- Megamind
- Mighty Aphrodite
- Monte Carlo
- Moonstruck
- Mystic River
- Never Let Me Go
- Normal
- Notes on a Scandal
- On Golden Pond
- Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
- Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
- Private Benjamin
- Red Dragon
- Rise of the Planet of the Apes
- Rock Star
- Rounders
- Runaway Train
- Rushmore
- Salt
- Saturday Night Fever
- Secretary
- Seven
- Shall We Dance? (1996)
- Signs
- Something’s Gotta Give
- Sommersby
- Soul Man
- Stage Beauty
- Star Trek: First Contact
- Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
- State and Main
- Stranger Than Fiction
- Sunshine Cleaning
- Taps
- The Breakfast Club
- The Change-Up
- The Cider House Rules
- The Cooler
- The Edge
- The Experiment
- The Full Monty
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009)
- The Good Girl
- The Graduate
- The In-Laws (1979)
- The Lord of the Rings (full trilogy, special edition boxed set of
- course)
- The Matrix
- The Queen
- The September Issue
- The Shipping News
- The Silence of the Lambs
- The Town
- The Tree of Life
- Thelma & Louise
- Thumbsucker
- Undertow
- Up in the Air
- Whatever Works
- Where the Wild Things Are
- White Oleander
“identity.” The Free Dictionary by Farlex. 18 Dec. 2011. <http://www.thefreedictionary.com/identity>.
Libra, INTP, English Major, 
Back from a seriously scary health relapse in mid-October and returning to action. Kudos to my patient friends and colleagues, you're the best. New programs and more unrolling this year, here's to 2012!
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