Embracing Your IdENTITY
As a mathematician, the word identity causes me conflict. In mathematics we use the term identity in two similar but slightly different ways: one, to refer to a transformation that leaves an object unchanged; and two, when referring to an equation that is true for all possible values of its variables. For example, when we write
a result that is achieved by expanding the brackets on the left-hand side, we should really write
as the left-hand side and the right-hand side of the equation are always equal, regardless of the value of x. The expressions are identical once they have been evaluated.
In contrast, when I consider the meaning of identity in everyday language I think about the characteristics that determine who or what a person or thing is. Unlike the mathematical definition, these characteristics are not fixed and will inevitably change throughout a person’s life.
I spent some time last weekend considering my own identity and what it is that makes me who I am. Some of the attributes that I came up with, such as teacher and mathematician, are perhaps obvious to you but others maybe not so much. Throughout my teenage years I was a competitive swimmer and when injuries stopped me from getting in the pool I started coaching instead. At school I took part in each of the annual productions and had leading roles in Les Miserables and My Fair Lady. I was also fairly academic at school and was regularly called a geek or a nerd by my peers and, while meant derogatorily at the time, I have since learnt to embrace these terms as positive parts of my identity.
Some of these attributes are no longer significant parts of who I am. I don’t consider myself to be an actor any more and usually refer to myself as a former swimmer. However, music and my preferred music genre, emo, is a large part of my identity and has been from a young age. I was given my first instrument when I was 9 years old and in the 25 years that have passed since then I’ve picked up two further instruments, albeit not to a particularly high standard. I spent most of my teenage years aspiring to be a rock star, and had a fairly successful stint gigging in my local area with friends from school. Believe it or not, the boy on the left in the photo is me when hair grew out the top of my head rather than the bottom of my face.
While contemplating the significant role that music plays in my identity, it made me consider two of my current favourite bands. Both of these bands have made a conscious effort to put their music at the front of their public identity. PRESIDENT, who formed earlier this year, are a four-piece band that wear masks to conceal their features. Their lead singer, The President, unfortunately has a very distinctive voice and staff and parents may know him better as one of the members of mid-2000s pop-punk band Busted.
The second band, Sleep Token, are fronted by an anonymous singer who goes by the stage name Vessel. They too don masks but also wear corpse paint, a tradition started by black metal bands in the 1960s, to further conceal their identities. At concerts, they don’t talk onstage and they’ve only ever done one interview in order to preserve their anonymity.
Many of you might see the choices made by PRESIDENT and Sleep Token as gimmicky or a marketing ploy but, for me, making a conscious decision about their public identity allows me to focus solely on their music and the enjoyment that it brings.
In assembly on Monday we listened to Damocles, a piano-driven song by Sleep Token. While it focuses predominantly on the band’s anxieties surrounding the pressure and expectations that come with fame, the underlying message, as with many of their songs, is about their struggle with their identity in the face of unanticipated fame and success.
Our teenage years, the time of life that Senior School pupils are mostly at, are often when we start to make sense of the world and figure out our place in it. We aren’t quite yet sure about who we are and perhaps don’t have the confidence to step out of our comfort zones. So, my message to pupils this week is this: have the courage to try new things, embrace your identity and, most importantly, don’t be afraid to be you.
- Dr Tom Fraser-Bourne, Mathematics Teacher & Director of Studies
