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"Fences" was my favorite piece of literature from the semester. It had a very interesting plot, with twists that made me want to read more. It touched on different topics including racism, identity, and family roles. Also, I knew there was a movie but had never seen it until after reading the play. Reading it first led to a more clear understanding of the film. It was definitely, easily my favorite reading so far!

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The song by Hip-Hop artist tells a story of a young man whose life was shared by the things who grew up witnessing. It describes how those experiences in certain neighbors, seeing irregular situations unfold, and growing up in these places helped shape the successful musician he is today. Similar to Barack Obama's use for literature, J. Cole expresses how music was an outlet and played a huge part in his life progressing.

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The characters in this story express feelings of living in poverty. The self proclaimed short comings are examples of experiences affecting outlooks and identity formation. There are things that happen in the story that the main character wishes she could change, in order to change the direction of her future. The hardships that the writer describes are a big deal to some and a blessing to others, again just depending on the background and upbringing of the person experiencing them. In this case, the main character believes that a better house, neighborhood, and even peers may lead to a better life.

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This poem, similar to others relating to passages into adulthood, aid the concept of cultural practices making people unique. In the literature, certain ways of doing things were descried as the right way of doing things. Ways of which others may do differently in other cultures, genders, etc. The writing suggests that these specific ways of doing things are required in the next phase of life,adulthood.

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My experience reading this was that things like background and upbringing play a role in becoming self. That environments filled with minorities have a different outlook on life. Going back to the idea that people will assume different identities based on the things they grew up seeing and being around. The author makes that connection and encourages to chase dreams regardless of those differences that some may see as disadvantages.

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This poem is another piece of literature that focuses on the opinion of a black man on racism. Still, depicting how different situations and encounters in life will create a lens for one's view. In other words, how one person views something, may be completely opposite of how someone else views it based on their differences. The author tries to express how one side views it, and how the reason the views are different is because of the opposing experiences. The oppressed having a negative outlook, compared to the oppressor having a better experience, due to differences like race. These feelings of indifference definitely contribute to identity.

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Reading this poem shed light on racial differences in equality. The writing demonstrates a desire for change and want for equality among African Americans. A different kind of situation than the other works, but still a major piece of identity can be found or discovered through it.The way that the character expresses the feeling of self worth, despite the lack of reciprocity between races, gives a sense that some identity has already formed.

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In situations, people can influence and be influenced was my experience reading this short story. This writing told the story of somewhat uncontrollable differences affecting life also. For multiple characters, who they saw themselves as and who they wanted to be seen as was an ongoing conflict. The conflict was resolved in the end with an outcome that affected everyone involved. Decisions continuing to be made relevant in identity.

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This story is relatable to the main idea that differences in life that make people unique, can be brought together through literature. The author of this piece expresses problems in every day life that lead to rare not every day situations. Not all good results, the story still identifies the need for conflicts to be resolved. The writing gives light to problems that occur, that still allow for formation and creation in who someone is.

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My experience reading this was exciting. As it relates to major situations, experiences and decisions creating one's values and beliefs in life, this piece was ideal. The process of trying to make others happy while also trying to achieve self satisfaction could be imperative in the stages of life. The literature demonstrates how choices have to be made along the way.

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In this short story, writing uses another opportunity to show how conflict can become a lesson or major game changer in someone's life. The author demonstrates the need for the main character to make decisions for himself based on his own beliefs. These decisions will be influential in his future. Again, the differences in family, gender, social class, all contribute to the importance of the situations faced. The story adds to the thought that moments matter later.

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This work demonstrates how moments in life like the passage of childhood to adulthood play a major role in identity. Based on different race, culture, and background these moments may vary. For the young girl in Quincenera, this Mexican tradition was the entrance way into who she will be in life, according to her cultural beliefs. This piece supports the point that writing allows for expression of important times in life. Through writing situations become outlines for life,

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Obama pretty much stated how writing played a role in him defining who he is. Also that all the things about him and his life that he encountered were made able to come together to create the whole individual he is.

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"Yes, I think so. For me, particularly at that time, writing was the way I sorted through a lot of crosscurrents in my life — race, class, family. And I genuinely believe that it was part of the way in which I was able to integrate all these pieces of myself into something relatively whole." -President Barack Obama 

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"Yes, I think so. For me, particularly at that time, writing was the way I sorted through a lot of crosscurrents in my life — race, class, family. And I genuinely believe that it was part of the way in which I was able to integrate all these pieces of myself into something relatively whole." -President Barack Obama 