Ann Raimes Reflection

I feel that when you look into identity and figuring out your own identity that it goes a lot with self independence and growing up, things that you would learn through time and experience. Of course identity goes along with gender, age, ethnicity, etc...., but the defining line is whether or not you open yourself to different forms of identity. For example, I am part of the Sigma Chi Fraternity, and I feel my identity changed when I joined Sigma Chi, because it is something I share with only my brothers. Granted it might seem more secluded and secret, but I feel experiences like this help to diversify oneself in finding their identity.

To reference Ann Raimes when she said "They ask: What does it mean to be old or young, male or female, gay or straight; rich or poor; black, white, Jewish, Latino, or Asian; single; married; or divorced; and so on?"

I feel as if the only way to answer the questions that Ann Raimes raises would be to live your life regularly, because you can't know what it's like to be married if your only 7 years old. Granted I do understand in certain cultures the age of marriage is low, but I believe that it requires experience with age, and your surroundings that define who you are. That too can change for any person if they were to for example go to college out of the country. They would be breaking out of their personal boundary in which they would live in a different lifestyle and could understand the identity of those around them that they would consider to be out of the norm.

When Ann Raimes goes on to speak about reading critically I feel that her argument is very correct in how she explains herself. When she states that reading critically involves not only the writer but also the reader itself. It helps to interpret in your own identity in a way as well as what the writers identity is to. The fact that Ann Raimes lists strategies for critical reading shows that she is concerned about the reader understanding fully what she is saying as well as teaching you(the reader) how to interpret other college level work.