Human beings have always required the need to communicate their ideas. When a person expresses his or her personal ideas and values it becomes an expression of personal identity. Communication is the way in which human beings can gather information regarding another person’s identity as a human being. Personal identity is very important because it is each person’s individual identity which separates him or her from the rest. Identity is essentially the reason behind the need for human expression through communication. In order to express personal identity human beings have created systems of language which convey human feelings, thoughts and emotions. Language is a system of understanding the human expression; or a set system of sounds or symbols which when strung together create a specific meaning. The need to express identity has made language an irreplaceable aspect of the human condition.
Language is the vehicle in which humans use to convey their personal identity. Without language no person would be able to express what it is that he or she feels, thinks or considers their own personal identity. Language is used to communicate personal identity by creating a system of understanding that many people may utilize to form a common mode of communication. Language is crucial in understand other’s identity as well as projecting personal identity because without common mean of expression, no one could communicate to someone else. Language creates, through both written and oral forms of communication, the method needed to organize expression. This organization of expression becomes a shared language or a systematic means of communication through sounds or symbols (http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=language).
Expression of identity through language has continually been an aspect of the human condition. As the means of expression has progressed and become more sophisticated. Human beings are the only species that have created a way to record their expressions of personal identity. The written language is the human species’ way in which personal identity has been conveyed since its beginning. Sharing information through a common form of expression has created a means for human beings to understand, question and convey personal identity.
Not all aspects of a person’s identity needs or is desired to be shared. However, since humans express themselves through shared languages, secrecy can be difficult to maintain. When people can only use and understand one system of expression anyone may become privy to information if they are exposed to it. This weakness in language created mankind’s need for code. Code is the human fix for the transparency which language can create. Code and language are the same because each is used to relay information but unlike language, code is meant to be shared with only a few. This exclusivity in code provides a protection for information. Code is used to hide information so that only those who understand the rules of a certain code will understand the hidden message.
Information is a valuable component in the structure of human identity, which is why code has become so commonplace. Code has been utilized to protect information from being acquired by those who it is not meant to be shared. The acquisition of information results in knowledge which in turn creates power. History has shown that any person or entity that has knowledge is in a position of power. Knowledge creates power because obtaining more knowledge provides another means to convey personal identity. In today’s world it would seem that protecting information would be a thing of the past due to our current accessibility of information. Through the steady progression of human advancement in communication, information can now be shared easily and quickly. This however, does not mean that society has moved away from the need for secrecy. Throughout time and continuing today code is used to protect information which in turn protects power.
Code seems likes a means of communication that would be only reserved for those who had life changing information to be kept hidden. Human history has proven that this is not the case; throughout history code has and is still used in ways that for many go unnoticed. This everyday code is the varying use of human language. During periods of history when men and women sought to express their personal identity they used coded language in literature to convey their personal identity (their thoughts, beliefs etc) the values which these authors portray in their literature are coded messages found within the metaphors and deeper meanings of a text. Because human beings have constantly needed to find a mean of expression literature in every period reflects this notion. Human beings have used literature to convey personal identity attributes which may not have been in vogue (or worse taboo or illegal) during their time. Language like code is a particular set of guidelines which results in the ability to communicate thusly making the written language code.
Code has become a necessary component in the expression of the human identity. Language and code work together to create a means for human beings to convey their personal identity. Throughout history the importance of human expression of identity is reflected in countless aspects of life. History has shown that communication of identity through the written language makes human beings uniquely superior to all other species inhabiting this planet. Human beings have fought for the freedom to express their personal identity by going against the common value system of an era and forging a new path, lead by strong personal identity and a way to share it with others. The human being will always need a way to express their personal identity; the written word will always be the code which evolves with human beings so that we may always express personal identity.

Human Beings and the Fight for Identity Expression:
Language and code are important to the human process because it is these vehicles which human beings are granted the ability to express personal identity. Personal identity has proven throughout history to be an extremely important component to the human makeup. Human expression has certainly proven to be a necessity in the human condition; as mankind has progressed the ability to express personal identity has become easier. Though identity expression is easy today, this was not always the case. In the past only those in positions of good fortune would have the skills necessary to create written documentation of personal identity. The ability to read and write during this period of history made those who were already in power of privilege in even greater positions of obtain power because only these men are able to acquire knowledge themselves. The peasants were not afforded this same luxury, these men and women were not exposed to the education needed for them to understand the written code thus forcing these men to rely on those in the positions of power to guide him. Without the ability to understand the code that is written language, thousands of men and women during the medieval period were made to suffer.
Today mankind can look back and see the progression toward the open identity sharing that is common today. In the medieval period, individuality was not always preferred so expressing personal identity would have been frowned upon. The medieval period, is particularly good at highlighting a dark period in expression of personal identity. The medieval age was far cry from what humans are accustomed to presently. Men and women in the medieval period were only valued if he or she belonged or was associated with the ruling class of the time. The men and women who comprised of this elite class were an incredibly small fraction of the population, yet these men and women because of their status, were the only people with the ability to record personal identity.
Only those with the ability to read and write would have the privilege of making a record their personal identity. Though men and women could express identity through oral communication, this means of expression is lost after the sounds fade. The written tradition of expression provides a means which human beings can express their personal identity through the collection of thoughts, ideologies, emotions; experiences etc and maintain a record of this information. This is an incredible gift to obtain in the middle Ages because illiteracy was the norm within the people. Only those who had the access to education would have the ability to read and write, these people were very lucky because only they were given access to the code of language which provides a means to understand and express identity.
Literacy was not the only reason why men and women were not given the opportunity to express their personal identity during the medieval period. Literacy coupled with the inability to quickly reproduce information (aka books) left the written word in the hands of only those in positions of power, religion or wealth. The common man of the medieval period would most likely be a peasant, living and working on the land of another more powerful man. These men in power would be members of the king’s court granting them power over the common man. The common man during the medieval period had no time to worry of personal identity expression, they were more concerned with providing a meal there was no time to search and find meaning to personal identity; this was a luxury reserved for those a peasant worked for. These men, the nobility, were the men who comprised the King’s court are granted not only power by direct relationship to the king but also power because they were the privileged few who were able to seek ways to expand them through identity expression. This imbalance caused the ruling class to gain more power over the serving class due to the power which is a result of knowledge.
As the medieval period progressed the lower classes began to understand of the injustices present in their everyday lives. Peasants were made known of these injustices due to the introduction of new technology which forever changed the pace in which human beings can record their identity. The invention of the printing press created two powerful contributions to human beings and their need to express their identity. The first, the printing press granted the ability for information to be quickly accessible (compared to the past) to more consumers. The printing press was able to do so because it took away the crux in the written word: the slow process. The printing press revolutionized how identity could be consumed through the written word because it provided a means to get information to many people in a shorter span of time. The printing press also made a powerful contribution in the way in which personal identity was valued during the medieval time. Because this was a day and age of devotion to the ruling class, personal identity was not valued. With the introduction of the printing press one person was able to take their personal identity (the ideas, values, experiences etc) and reprint them and make it available to many. When more people were exposed to language in its written form, the population took steps toward better acknowledging the individual identity.
The printing press enabled men to for the first time be recognized for their identity. This was made possible because the men, who used written language to convey ideas that went against the normal day to day beliefs of a particular period in history, became associated with their words, thus creating recognizable personal identity. The printing press was the first step in the continually human progression of personal identity. This worked as a starting off point in the gradual development toward the blatant freedoms of personal identity expression of today.

Literature: expressing identity quietly
Throughout human existence what is considered normal or appropriate as changed often. Each society has a specific set of rules that a person should live by in order to be a typical and functioning member of society. Unfortunately there have been several instances in human history where the normal state of being or thinking has been detrimental to a certain group of people. Women have been in the past the unfortunate receivers of many unfair rules set by society during the time. The 18th century in British history reveals a time when women were not quite able to bridge the gap with their male counterparts. Women during this period were not given the same rights which most women are granted today. In this period of history women were the unfortunate recipients of many societal rules which regulated their own personal power. Women grew up being the property of their father and when they were married would become the property of their husband. Because of the oppression which women felt during this era, personal identity expression was certainly frowned upon by those who comprise of normal society.
Since women were not encouraged to express their personal identity women authors found it very difficult to include these issues in their works. The popular genre for women’s authors in the 18th century was the novel; today the novel is the most popular book genre consumed by the public but in the 18th century it was seen as trite and low. (Avatar) Because of this stigma attached to the novel, many had dismissed these author’s works because they could not contain substance. Two women of this period in literature used structures in the English language to act as a code to express personal identity. Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte were pioneers for women authors due to their revolutionary changes they each made to the novel.
In Jane Austen’s novel, “Pride and Prejudice” the conventions which were normally thought of as silly were made important through Austen’s infusion of her pioneering thoughts which are hidden in her text. Austen uses the written word like a code using literary technique to hide deeper meaning behind the characters and plot of her novel. “Pride and Prejudice” is extraordinary because it uses conventions which were always used in the genre but through Austen’s subtle use of language in a particular way can create a deeper mean through her words. Austen’s re-representation of her own her own personal beliefs through the story gives Austen the ability to provide an audience details of her personal identity without tarnishing her place in society.
Austen first explores identity through her new way to portray the heroine of a 18th century British novel. Before Austen’s pioneering efforts the heroine of these novels was always a mindless, fainting idiot who had to wait for prince charming to tell her how to act and what to do. This surely was a reflection of the current social beliefs and values; Austen’s work is exemplary because she took this common novel convention and turned it upside down by making her heroine completely unique to the time. Jane, the heroine in “Pride and Prejudice” is Austen’s portrayal of what she probably wished she could have lived in her own life. Jane is plain yet smart and desired. Clearly Austen wishes to explain to her audience that the common notion of what makes a woman worthwhile during her time should be explored and questioned. The use of the written word is important because through literary technique such as metaphor Austen provides a deeper meaning to what could be a meaningless sentence. This works as code because unless the reader is privy to the signals which Austen is presenting in the story the reader would not be able to decipher the literary techniques as means to express identity.
Through the characterization of Elizabeth, Austen is able to provide a character to a reader who is tremendously different than the norm but yet still familiar. This is important because the 18th century reader would instantly make a connection with the familiar structure of this type of novel; but what sets Austen apart is how immensely different her heroine turns out to be. Today’s readers of “Pride and Prejudice” may have a hard time seeing the revolutionary character that is Jane. Once again, this is also a purposeful action on Austen’s part. Austen wished to make Jane’s character familiar yet different enough to raise questions. Austen was successful able to portray the repressed anger she had with the societal conventions of the time but was able to raise these questions from behind the character of Elizabeth.
Bronte encodes messages of personal identity much like Austen does in “Pride and Prejudice”. Bronte is most famous for her work in the governess novel “Jane Eyre”. Bronte uses the same language coding and uses her novel to provide insight into Bronte’s identity. For Bronte she uses her novel to reflect many personal circumstances which may have happened in her life. The novel’s protagonist Jane lives a very similar life to the one which Bronte led. These similarities are no accident. Bronte wrote about her life because it was the only way in which this woman could express her concerns. By using her personal experiences Bronte creates a way in which a reader can almost peer into the mind of this 18th century author.
Neither of these women were given the ability to express their identity without the use of a filter. For these two authors the filter for which they could express their feelings was in coded literary language. Through their novels these women expressed their ideologies, even though both women did not hold the common ideals of the time. Because of the efforts of these authors expressing identity can be done through encoded language in a text. This code is a code between the author and anyone who understands the rhetoric necessary to reveal the expression of identity between the lines.

Blogs, Emails, Texts – Written Language but does it provide clues to identity?

It seems like there is little value today for the written word. Human beings existence as a species has revolved around the need to maintain or provide better means of communication. In this day and age communication between people is easier than it has ever been. Every day necw technology is created which makes human expression easier. Though has technology has made expressing oneself easier it has also cheapened the sentiment. As technology progressed the written word is no longer written, instead keyboards have replaced pens and men and women today express their identity hiding behind a screen. The internet has given birth to identity theft, a new threat in the security to identity and knowledge. Identity theft can cripples anyone who falls victim to it because identity has become so much more complex today than in the past. Still, human beings use the written word to express their identity but today it does not hold the same brevity it once did. After human beings traded their writing utensils for computer keys the recorded expression of identity did not hold as much clout.
Before the influx of technology in our life the written word was an important means of expression. Handwriting was taught in school because it helped provide an identity attached to your ability to record your personal identity. Now students are no longer as focused on the need to have good penmanship. Children today are much more likely to use typing as the method of recording personal identity.
The simple move from a handwriting oriented society to a typing oriented society certainly provides an example of a large shift in the recording of human identity. Before blogging men and women maintained diaries and journals kept in their own hand writing detailing the pieces of their lives which created personal identity. Now as identity records are kept in blogs rather than diaries it is hard to ignore the sad laziness of it all. The ability to express ourselves identity at the drop of the hat has made the human race lazy and complacent. Blogs have given everyone a soapbox to stand on, not necessarily a venue to explore identity. Internet platforms like blogs have almost given today’s society an entitled feeling to expressing their identity. Identity expression is no longer only a way to explore a better way to do things. Now identity expression has become the normal occurrence.
The written word does not hold the value it had once held before, the written word no longer is a time consuming effort. People use written language every day through text messaging, email etc.
Like the written word, movies also do not hold the same respect they once had. Like everything else in today’s world movies are made to earn more money. There is no longer the dedication to progress, instead humans use the movies and the written word just to make more and more. This is so apparent in the film industry today; the trite narrative has taken place as a staple in movie productions. In 2010 James Cameron film “Avatar” the trite narrative was used to explore identity. “Avatar” uses the same conventions every move uses (boy and girl from separate worlds, something keeping them apart) and vaguely hides a theme of identity among the plot. Unfortunately, Cameron is not the story teller that Bronte and Austen were. “Avatar” like many films in the recent years is not geared to create a piece of work which continues to shape human identity. Instead, “Avatar” uses the familiar conventions found in stories that DO shape identity and drowns them in expensive special affects and loud noises.
Today’s society has taken identity expression for granted. Because everything is so easily accessible and our identity can so easily be on display, humans no longer respect identity like they once had.