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AnaTerrones
ProfessorBeadle
English113B
04April,2016

Identity plays a significant role where it makes youunique,andcanhelpyoudefinewho

you are (SelfIdentity). In the book
Every Day by David Levithan, the author creates a main
character whos sixteen years old and goes by the name of A. Throughout thestoryAisin
the process of discovering him/herself identity. Asphysicalappearancechangeseverydayafter
midnight. It seems as physical appearance is a problem for him/her. A had to attach to the
individual personality. The constantly shifting of imagines does not allow him/her to have a
family, love, friends, etc. His/her own identity start to reflect more after A meets Rhiannon,
and fall in love with her. Even though it is difficult for them, because As constantly shifting
appearance. However A confront his/her problem, by searching ways to see Rhiannon, or by
taking his/her own acts to save others lives. Many will argue that physical appearance does
matter, because is a way to show other who you are, your identity but in the book shows how
physical appearance does not really matter by giving us the example of A. He/She pass
throughtoughsituationseventhoughhe/shedoesnothaveaphysicalappearance.
Self Identity is what define who you are. A way to express your identity can bethrough
your physical appearance. Physical appearance can communicate your personality. It usually
gives a image of your identity. For example it can says, what you like, who you are, what it's
your culture, etc. Llewellyn Negrin in his book
Appearance and Identity
wrote,
"In postmodern

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society, physical appearance has become increasingly central to defining personal

identity"(Negrin 9) . Society encourage to show other who they are, by what they wear, the
brands that they use, etc. Most of the people do it by the fact theyenjoyit,butsomeonepeople
do it just to become different. HowevermostofthetimesPersonalidentityaffectthephysical
appearance of each individual. In the book
Everyday
, A does not have a physicalappearance.
He/she does not have a body where he/she canshowhis/heridentityasothersindividualswould
mostly do. As a result of As problemofconstantlychanging body, Abelievesthathe/shecan
not build his/herpersonality.WhenAisinabody,he/shetrytotalkandactaswhattheperson
will do, and by not doing what he/she think that will bebest. Thereforethepersonwillnothave
problemsafter,andwillcontinuewithhis/herlifewithanychange.
People mostly express theiridentitythroughtheirphysicalappearance.Theylike toshow
it throughtheirclothes,items,styleandeven brands.AsEscalaswroteinhisjournal
SelfIdentity
and Customer Behavior: "Important thought leaders inourfieldhavedescribedanddocumented
that consumers use possessions and brands to create their selfidentities and communicate who
they are to the society and as well to themselves "(Escalas 15). People got use to brands with
their physical appearance to demonstrate who they are, or want to be (Selfidentity). society
created a world where we as a population criticized each other , where people judge others by
how they look, instead by the person actions and decision theymake.(Identity).Withcritizatio,
people tries to look similarity to others, therefore they would not become different. Individuals
are looking just fit in. Some of them are afraid of showing up. Physical appearance hasbecome
important aspect in society. In the book
Everyday A got use to his/her constantly shifting
physical appearance. He/She experimentmanypersonalities,andhowpeoplehavetheirdifferent

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themes. Even though A cloud not really show his identity through his/her appearance, but it
did not seems as it was a problem for him/her. In a way teaching that physical appearancedoes
notalwaysmatter.Physicalappearancedoesnotalwaysshowwhoyoureallyare(Personality).
In society there are individuals that have problems figuring out their identity. Most of
them are afraid of showing who they are, because of been judge. Therefore they start imitating
othersidentities,andstartlosingtheirownpersonality, andforgetwhotheyreallyare.According
to the article
Self Identity and Culture says: Understanding selfidentity is important to
inter/cultural communication because as you learn who you are, you learn how tocommunicate
effectively with others(Jackson, Gleen, Williams 117). Knowing who you are and learning,
helps you interact with the society. Speak as thewaytoexpressyourself.InthebookAisina
someone's body, it is difficult for him/her to build his/her own personality. Everyday A not
only borrows a personsbody,he/shealsoborrowstheindividualidentity.Itisimportantforhim
to follow it, because anydecisioncanchangetheperson'slife.He/shehavetoact,feelandactas
the individual would do. He/she use the individuals memory to keep the person life as it was,
and knowing what he/she have to do. Therefore others that know the individual will not notice
that there is something wrong, and that A is inside of the individual.Adeclaresinthebook
that when he/she was younger, he/she felt that he/she was losing him/herself (Identity) because
of using others personalities. Repairing it each year. Therefore A decides to always keep
his/herownmemories,believingthatitwillhelphim/herrememberwhohe/shereallyis.
Deep inside A knew that he/she was not the person from the body that he/she was
inside. A had his/her own characteristics, ideologies, etc. but he/shecouldn'tdemonstrate itor
show it because it was not his/her body/life. It was a problem and a confusion for him/her. As

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A conference in thebook
EverydayEverydayIamsomeoneelse.IammyselfIknowIam
myself but I am also someone else (Levithan 1). Each Time that A is in someone's body,
has to play the role of the individual. Even if A thinks different than the individual. A
respect the otherpersonslife.Triestokeepitsmemories,becauseiswhathe/shegotmostfor its
own, it is a way to keephis/heridentity.AfterAmeetRhiannon,he/shestartshowingmoreof
his/her personality. The feelings for Rhiannon, start to show, making a change for A. He/she
start making decisions for his/her own. Its acts and own feeling were starting to show. He/she
start doing things that he/she wouldn't do it before, because he/she couldnt cost damage in the
individuals lives. A start seen Rhiannon even though he/she was in differents bodies. His/her
personality was start getting strong because of his/her love. In this aspect A wound care of
his/her physical appearance. The only problem for him was waking up in a body where the
individualwouldlivefarfromRhiannonis,andalsoinabodythatwouldbenewforRhiannon.
Many people had been judged by their appearance. A everyday example is the person
who dresses up, think, express or acts different from others, which is rejected by society for
those same reasons. Today the majority of people care aboutistheappearanceandgoagainstto
the different. The discriminacion has reached a critical pointwhere makestolookasindifferent
on the phenomenon and they discriminate against people who is different. The physical
appearance of a person is also their ownidentity,andmustberespectedat all timesandinevery
situation. A question that people can argue is: Does physical appearance matters? Some people
believe that it does not, because physical appearance not always shows who you really are. A
way to dress or look do not tell your personality. Physical appearance should be openly
expressed by anyjudgingcomingfrompeoplewhodonotbelieveinbeingunique.Inthebook

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Everyday
A through the pass of the year, learn that his/her personality is in his/herinside.By
keeping his/her memories is a way to keep his/herself identity. This book can teach how
nowadays society is wrong about physical appearance.Peoplecanbe uniqueanddifferentfreely
withoutanyjudging,andthatthereisnothingwrongaboutit.
Authenticity, originality and independence, are some words that can be associated with
the idea of identity. Self Identity defines who you are. People show their identities mostly by
their physical appearance. It is a way for them to demonstrate who they are. Nowadays in our
society people take care a lot about their physical appearance, because it suppose to describes
them, and show it to others. People in the society can see somehow who you are by your
appearance. What they see is your style. Somehow thissocietyis ajudgmentalone.Mostofthe
people criticize others because of their look, in how they feel, act,talk,etc.Thereforepeople do
notwanttobedifferent,andstartimitatingothers.Thereforetheyarenotdifferentinsociety. By
doing this situation they can lose their selfidentity, because they are not showing who they
really are. Inthebook
Everyday
byDavidLevithandescribe acharacterthatgoesbythenameof
A, feels that he/she does not have a identity. A have a condition where everyday change
bodies after midnight. Where he/she have to act as the person would do, by attaching to their
personality. A can not have or show his/her own characterics. His/her physical change is a
problem for A when he/she find Rhiannon, and falling in love with her. Overall A can not
have a normal life showing his/her personality as any other individual could. Without having
friends, family, relationships, etc. However A pass through all this situation, and in the book
giving the society a lesson. Physical appearance is a way to show our self identities. People

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should feel free of expressing it, without any worries that they will be discriminated by others,
justbecausetheyaredifferent.Beendifferentisnotwrong.

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WorkCited
Llewellyn Negrin.
Appearance and Identity. Fashioning the BodyinPostmodernity.
Palgrave
Macmillan.2008.Print.Pg.9.
Escalas, Jennifer, et al. "SelfIdentityAndConsumerBehavior."
JournalOfConsumerResearch
39.5(2013):xvxviii.
AcademicSearchPremier
.Web.March27.2016.
Levithan, David.
Everyday.
Random House Childrens Books, New York, 2012.Emberedition.
2013.Print.Pg.1
Jackson,Gleen,Williams.Chapter6.
SelfIdentityandCulture.
Print.2005.Pg.117