Gre analytical Writing issue essay Topic 101

GRE Analytical Writing ISSUE Essay Topic - 186 
"It is primarily through our identification with social groups that we define ourselves." 
GRE AWA Analytical Writing ISSUE Essay Sample 
Solution - 186 
The identity of a person is his characteristics, features or beliefs that help in distinguishing him 
from others. It gives the answer to a stranger who is unknown to you and thus helps in defining 
your persona. However, one wonders what the best definition of a person would be. I believe the 
definition of a person depends upon the people he is interacting with. While superficially we can 
identify ourselves with social groups in order to define ourselves, a deeper definition becomes 
explicit, giving importance to ndividual identity within a social group. Holding this view, I agree 
with the statement only partially, and I would like to add that a person does not only define 
himself by identifying with a social group but also by his personal characteristics that differ from 
others'. 
People are generally a part of some social group or the other. This social group can be identified 
for its distinct characteristics from another and these characteristics help the person define his 
personality. This is the definition of an individual as taken in the superficial sense. For example, 
if a student visits a foreign country for an exchange program, he refers to himself according to 
his nationality, which is the social group he belongs to. In an international beauty contest, we 
have different contestants from various parts of the world and they are referred to as Miss Africa, 
Miss Venezuela etc. Sometimes an individual is a part of more than two social groups at the 
same time. That means that a person can be a Christian as well as an Indian. Belonging to a 
social group helps to identify peculiar characteristics of a person with the members of the same 
group and distinguish from those of another. It is not only a matter of convenience to refer to the 
broader social groups that a person belongs to but also the only thing that significantly 
distinguishes a person from others. 
On the other hand, I hold that the true definition of a person lies in what he is when he stands as 
a single unit, without attaching himself to any social group. It is this definition of the self which 
is more important and detailed when it comes to the description of a person. For example, if a 
person goes for an interview for a job and is asked to define himself, he would have to bring out 
his personal definition by introducing himself by his name. Further, the employer would like to 
know his personal achievements, interests, experiences and skills. It would not matter to him if 
the candidate belongs to any social group. Similarly, the personal achievements of people like 
Newton and Graham Bell is what helps to define them. 
Further, the view expressed in the statement also does not help to define a person who does not 
belong to any social group. There could be many people who are not socially active and thus do 
not identify themselves with any group in particular. The statement does not help in defining 
these people who however may establish their personal identities. 

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In the end I would like to conclude that defining a person by identifying him with a social group 
only defines him on a superficial scale. However, on a detailed scale, it is the personal 
characteristics, interests, sex, achievements, skills and ideas that make a person different from 
the other. 

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