One Earth, one ancestor, one shared history— yet eight billion people. Despite having a common origin, are all these individuals really that similar? In reality, the different social, economic, and physical environments people grow up in directly shape their identities, giving rise to unique individuals. In Brandy Colbert’s “Oreo” and Tochi Onyebuchi’s “Samson and the Delilahs,” characters Joni and Sobechi encounter people with varying ethnic identities, socioeconomic backgrounds, and personal interests. Both Joni and Sobechi expand their perspectives to either discover new ways of thinking or new interests after interacting with different people, revealing that only through meeting with diverse viewpoints can one learn new ideas and grow as…show more content… Thus, when she visited Junior’s hometown, “all [she] did was talk about everything that was different. . . how [she] couldn’t believe [Junior] [didn’t] have a nanny. . . and [she’d] hate to live in such a small town” (Colbert 141). Yet after she develops a better understanding of Junior’s perspective and home, she apologizes for her comments, stating, “I’m sorry for what I said, Junior. All of it” (Colbert 142). Due to her immense privilege, Joni is not in touch with the community her extended family lives in. Growing up in an affluent and predominantly white neighborhood directly caused her to develop misconceptions about her extended family’s different ways of life. However, after interacting with Junior, Joni crosses both socioeconomic and racial divides, recognizing her ignorance and admitting that she incorrectly judged his family. By growing to understand Junior’s perspective and traditions, Joni expands her narrow-minded view that poorer neighborhoods definitely offer a lower quality of life. Similarly, Sobechi grew to expand his hobbies. Originally, he was only passionate about debate; however, when Dez introduced him to heavy metal music, “His body is
