"Mirror Mirror on the Wall..."

In constructing my own response to the "Who are you?" blog post, I began to think about a lot of things that can shape a person's identity. As many of you pointed out, people are largely a product of their environment; whether that is good or bad remains to be seen by the person. Many of you also made reference to the fact that parents and upbringing have the greatest impact on who you are, and for the most part, at least at the tender age of 15-17, I would say that is probably accurate. Now, my question(s) for this week sort of hinge on that idea; that is, how other people's perceptions and thoughts about who YOU are actually contribute to what you think of yourself. What is the difference between what "they" (friends, family and/or teachers) think you are, and what you can be? What is the difference between what you think you are (right now in the moment), and what you think you can be? How much do you take other people's perceptions of you into consideration as you form your own self-concept? What I mean is, how important is how others see you in the grand scheme of figuring out who you really are? Definitely a deep-thinking question, I know, but since I know who you are, I know you can do it! (200-250 words/45pts)

Who Are You?

This is one of life's most burning questions...well, at least it is for me. I am constantly on a quest to figure out who I am, because I really think it is important to know even if you don't always like what you find. What are the "things," and by that I just mean characteristics or personality traits, that make you who you are? How do you think you got that way? How have you changed over the past 2 years of high school? (Don't even try to tell me you haven't changed since you were a FRESHMEN!) Do you anticipate any big changes in the future? Do you like who you are? Have you always liked who you are? Do you even know? Talk a little bit about all of these things. (150-200 words/40pts)

Epiphany

The word epiphany means a sudden, brilliant insight or perception that you get from seemingly out of nowhere. On a deep, philosophical level (my favorite kind), it means to suddenly just "get" something that has a great impact on your life in some meaningful way. In all of the books we are reading, Huck Finn, A Lesson Before Dying, or Their Eyes Were Watching God, the main characters experience some type of epiphany that changes their outlooks on life.
With that explanation in mind, talk a little bit about an epiphany you may have experienced in your life. What was it about? What triggered it? How has it changed your life in a positive, meaningful way?