Culture is the shared beliefs, religious values, language, customs, practices, and social behavior of a particular nation or people. This sense of belonging to a culture directly affects a person’s identity. Someone’s speech, dress, manners and social interactions are a direct result of cultural influence. Maalouf uses the example of identical twins being separated at birth and raised in two different cultures. Although genetically identical, when reunited as adults, they may differ in their style of clothing, language, values, morals and more.

Culture directly affects an individual’s identity by setting social standards and “norms”. No matter what the culture, people have the desire to conform. Each culture has its own “norms” which people will conform to f

Some people can be connected to many cultures at once solely on the basis of language. My great grandfather was an Italian immigrant who spoke both English and Italian. This diversity in languages tied him to his original Italian culture as well as his adoptede American culture. This example can also be used with children who grow up speaking a different language at home than they do in their schools.

or social approval and acceptance. Individuals and their identities are representations of their culture. For example, in our Western culture, a bare foot girl wearing a toga on the street would be considered a social non-conformist, whereas, a socially acceptable girl in jeans and a Gap sweater is characterized as the cultural “norm”.

“A double conscience is the sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity.” (DuBois 142). This double view of one’s self is often caused by cultural prejudice. Generalities about a culture are a result of ignorance and intellectual laziness. It is wrong to make generalizations and all encompassing statements about a group of people with individual identities. In Du Bois’ writing, the freed African slaves have a distorted identity and image of self . This is evident in the eyes of the racist white Americans. The American’s saw the freed slaves as an inferior ignorant, poverty-stricken race whereas the black saw themselves as hard working, artistic, and intelligent. This double-sided view does not only relate to the African Americans. Unfortunately, the same point can be made for differences in religion, gender, culture, and race.

Class structure occurs within each culture to identify the rich from the poor. This monetary separation sets limitations and boundaries on each class. As shown in the previous paragraph the wealthy class has a distinct advantage. They receive better educati

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