Is identity something people are born with or given or is it something people create for themselves Identity is created during a course of one's life. Experiences shape us to be what we are today. Acute analysis of historical as well as literary examples in context shows that identity is not a trait we are born with. The first occurrence that shows how we create our own identities is in the story of Vincent Van Gogh. Vincent was born a precocious child who loves to paint, albeit lacking discipline. Once Vincent skipped school, and was harshly punished and scolded by his father. Since then, he made a promise to himself that he would become successful and live a life of his own. Vincent started painting; his determination drove him to become the best of his town in the Netherland. Later, he invented one of the most renowned painting techniques in the century; he was dubbed, by numerous critiques, the greatest painter of his time. Therefore, Vincent's actions prove that identity is not something we inherit from our predecessors, but rather something we created ourselves. Another occurrence of how fame is created during a course of one's life is in the story of Zheng Faoni. Born in one of the richest families in Thailand during the late 18th century, Zheng was treated as if he was a baby angel. His parents were lenient, never scolded, and never punished him for his wrongdoings. As a result, the spoiled Zheng grew and became a lazy person. Knowing that he could depend his life on his parent's money, Zheng never learned to work. Soon after his parents' demise, Zheng quickly squandered all his parent's money and became a homeless man. Like Zheng, many options are available for us to choose. Those who are wise choose smart choices. And the others, who are more myopic, choose pleasure over practicality. As demonstrated by this example, no matter what we were and how much money we had, it is options we choose that form our identity. In summation, the notion that identity is an inheritance from our predecessor is misleading in many ways. As we navigate through life, our identities are formed through choices we chose and options we made. It is only by believing in our actions that we can succeed in life.