Dense Question

Text: How has William discovered his identity and purpose through his experiences, failures, and achievements in his life? 
Other World or Lit: How is William’s discovery of himself different from Equality’s discovery of himself? How are they the same?
Reader: What is an experience in your life that helped to shape your identity? Was it a positive or negative experience, and how did it effect you?

       William’s unfortunate circumstances throughout the book such as the famine and him not being able to go to school helped to shape his identity and purpose because he was forced to discover new things on his own and be inventive. Because of the famine, William could not afford to go to school, so he went to the library where he read the books about electricity which inspired and gave him the knowledge to create the windmill. This then led to the trials of other inventions like alternative heat and radio transmitters. He did these things to help make life easier and more comfortable for his family and the people in his immediate community, and helped him to realize how much he liked to do for others. His identity became his selflessness and his giving heart, and his purpose was to help others.

       William discovered himself through helping other people and that gave him satisfaction and happiness. Equality discovered his identity through the realization that he was a lone human and he could accomplish things on his own that no one else could; his discovery was internal and self-directed. However, the discoveries of oneself were the same because the two characters both had obstacles they had to overcome and inventions that they made that ultimately led to their discoveries of identity.

       My identity has been shaped through a handful of situations throughout the past few years. Some of them being positive experiences, and a little more being negative. It seems that identity is shaped the most when one is faced with obstacles, as was the case with me. I now am more mature, more outgoing, more cautious, less boring, more caring, and I have more common sense. I guess you could say that in order for someone to grow, mature, and discover who they are, they have to experience life first, in all its glory and tragedy.