Essay on Conformity and Rebellion - 834 Words

â€Å"Lead or Follow† Should I conform? Should I rebel? This has and always will be, a constant battle struggled individually, or as a society. A certain amount of conformity needs to exist in life in order to avoid disorder. This is the reason we have laws. Take those laws, rules, control, or even expectations, to an extreme, and some form of rebellion is probable. Struggle with these opposites, and you have a catalyst for war, or perhaps, being fired from a job. Literature represents life, and this theme can be found at the root of many literary works. â€Å"The Lottery,† by Shirley Jackson, reflects blind conformity by the villagers with a hint of rebellion. Every June 27th the lottery takes place; the prize for winning is death. The†¦show more content†¦Jing-Mei feels differently though, â€Å"Unlike my mother, I did not believe I could be anything I wanted to. I could only be me,† (359/80) and she was correct for she had no natural musical talent. J ing-Mei has a desire to please her mother, but an even stronger one to choose her own life. She pacifies her mother by going to piano lessons but puts in no effort. Jing-Mei is â€Å"†¦determined to put a stop to her blind foolishness,† (356/48) but her mother’s desire to create a prodigy to compete with Aunt Lindo’s daughter, keeps her focused on the impossible. That is, until Jing-Mei escalates this conflict to its breaking point in rebellion. Stunning her mother, she shouts â€Å"Then I wish I’d never been born! I wish I were dead! Like them,† (359/77) referring to the twin daughters her mother lost in China. Sadly, the mother’s desire to have Jing-Mei conform to her expectations creates a constant battle between mother and daughter, and, in rejecting those expectations, seeing disappointment in her mother’s face all too often causes Jing-Mei to feel, â€Å"something inside me began to die† (353/18). In Hanan Mikha†™il ‘Ashrawi’s poem, â€Å"Night Patrol† we get a more subtle view of conformity and rebellion. It is of a soldier’s inner battle to adhere to his duties, against his desire to be elsewhere. The soldier finds himself in the â€Å"depths of confrontation I/ never dared toShow MoreRelatedPeer Pressure, Conformity And Rebellion Essay1586 Words   |  7 PagesPressure, Conformity and Rebellion How does peer pressure, conformity, and Rebellion affect Adolescents in society? Karla Rios Prof: Jocelyn Castillo Social Psychology Fall 2016 New Jersey City University Abstract The purpose of this literature review paper is to navigate and explore different effects in society towards peer pressure, conformity and rebellion. This study attempts to answer the following research questions: How does peer pressure, conformity, and rebellion affects adolescentsRead More Conformity and Rebellion in Antigone Essay769 Words   |  4 Pageswe can’t accomplish those goals. 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It is the story of man who is subconsciously fed up with the materialism and monotony of everyday life and thereafter creates a new persona inside his mind to contrast and counteract his repetitive lifestyle.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main character is actuallyRead MoreStylistic Descriptions of Psyciatric Institutions of the 1960s in Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and the film Girl, Interrupted1031 Words   |  4 Pageshospitals act as a microcosm for society, where characters are used as symbols to represent aspects of society. The settings represent conformity and rebellion, prejudice against minorities and authority figures ruling absolutely. Both authors use stylistic features to position the audience to respond to ideas common in both texts. Within a society, non-conformity and individualism are conveyed in a negative light, which is explored through the institutions of both texts. 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The Lottery and the Unknown Citizen both have conformity within the characters. In The Lottery they have many characters that conform to the olden ways, Mrs. Adams and Mr. Adams for example. Her and her husband both want the lottery to precede for generation’s to come becauseRead MoreRobert Merton : Strain Theory1606 Words   |  7 Pagesyour goals a sort of strain tends to occur, which is where Robert Merton developed his strain theory which consisted of five types of deviance: conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism and rebellion. To begin with, conformity is defined as the act of matching attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to group norms. Whether it is noticeable everyone uses conformity continuously. For example, you are in class with your friends and the professor is giving a boring lecture. You and your friends want to leaveRead More Babbit by Sinclair Lewis Essays1737 Words   |  7 Pages Babbitt: Conformity In the Sinclair Lewis novel Babbitt, the character of Babbitt is completely controlled by the power of conformity. Conformity is so powerful that even after babbitt realizes the stifling nature of the society in which he lives he is powerless to change his fate as a member of conformist society. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;George F. Babbitt is a man who is completely controlled by the conformist society in which he lives. Pressure to conform lies in all aspects of BabbittsRead MoreLife As A Conformist795 Words   |  4 PagesConformity is a person’s belief or behavior that is influenced by their environment. Rebellion is the act of refusing to listen or follow authority. There are several costs and benefits of conformity and rebellion. The assigned readings points out many of these examples. However living a life as a conformist, rather than a rebellion would be a good decision and a safe one. If one is a conformist should they continue living that way or change to be a rebel? The cost of conformity would be in questioned