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Using Five Metaphors For Identity Essay

Decent Essays

Elements of literacy, such as metaphors, are a practical tool to find different perspectives and personal identity. The authors of the research called “Literacy and Identity: Examining the Metaphors in History and Contemporary Research” review various ways of conceptualizing identity by using five metaphors for identity documented in the identity literature: identity as (1) difference, (2) sense of self/subjectivity, (3) mind or consciousness, (4) narrative, and (5) position. This research was really helpful for my study because it gave different perspectives and interpretations of the concept of identity. It should also be clear that the different metaphors of identity carry consequences for how literacy practice, skill, learning, or teaching is understood. A key point is that it is simply not enough to say that identities are produced in social interaction, that they are multiple and shifting. It is not enough to say that identities are positions and that identities are the product of a developing mind. What we think of literacy shapes how we see identities working in people’s literate practices or learning (Moje, Luke, Davies & Street, 2009, p. 432). Have you ever thought about who you are? Growing up I asked this question to myself more than once. I came to the conclusion that I could be a friend, brother, boyfriend, husband, father, all at the same time, but these are just an aspect of me. They do not represent who I am inside. Metaphors helped me to look at identity

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