...The book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury has many themes, but one of them is conformity vs. individuality. This theme shows that conformity and individuality can never be associated together because they contradict each other. Conformity is an act of consenting with someone or something to the extent that the person agreeing has no say and just follows. Whereas, individuality is the separation of the crowd or means that their is one single personality present. Through the whole plot of the story, there happens to be many representations of this theme. One distinct character that has this particular theme written all over them is Clarisse McClellan. On page 26-27, there is a section of dialogue between Guy and Clarisse, one of her responses...
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...While conforming to society’s ideals are beneficial, it is also very harmful for the person to lose their sense of individuality. There would be no way to differentiate people from others as they would all think and act alike. These two themes of conformity and individuality recur throughout the three works: Anthem by Ayn Rand, Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut, and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. These three works establish a society in which every citizen needs to conform to the society’s ideals and those who refuse to follow these are seen as outcasts and punished. Conforming to society's beliefs will cause and help fix some problems. If everyone chose to stick with society's ideals, there would be less fighting amongst people, everyone would be cooperative and helpful, but each person would lose their individuality. They would not be able to think for themselves, know what they believe in, or even form their own identity....
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...Andy Weber Dr. Guerra American Literature 28 October 2014 Conformity Versus Individuality in “Bernice Bobs Her Hair” Anyone who might read the short story “Bernice Bobs Her Hair” by F. Scott Fitzgerald might analyze it and immediately take note that it is a story with a strong central focus on societal norms of the early 20th century and how those norms begin to change, especially among women of era. In “Bernice Bobs Her Hair,” we observe as the story’s central characters—a pair of young women—challenge the traditional gender roles set upon them by society, and in doing so, challenge the idea of conformity itself. Clearly this reflects the actual mindset of young women who lived during this time, as the 1920’s is particularly known as a time when women truly began to break societal norms and expected roles. But while the theme of identity and feminism seems clear to us, there also appears to be an underlying message that contrasts with this initial idea. Although “Bernice Bobs Her Hair” is a story about progression and escaping from societal norms, it leaves us with the strong notion that society is ultimately more comfortable with conformity. Some of the more obvious themes found within this story include those such as feminism and identity, which easily go hand-in-hand with one another. Feminism is a particularly interesting theme in this story because of the timeframe in which it takes place. As stated before, the early 20th century saw a drastic cultural change in...
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...is what life is like for people in Fahrenheit 451. Fahrenheit 451 is book set in the future in an unknown country. The government has censored material so much that most of society conform and become oblivious to what the government has done. Although there is a presence of individuality in Fahrenheit 451, the presence of conformity is more prevalent. Conformity is when a person complies with rules, regulations, and social normalities. Individuality is a quality or character that makes a person different from others. Through the use of individuals, such as Clarisse and Mildred; the government; and media and technology Fahrenheit 451 highlights the key elements of both individuality and conformity....
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...Human beings lives are lived around the separation of individuality and conformity. Sometimes we are confused and pressured into deciding if we want to be individuals or conformists. We live in a society that functions as a whole and need conformity in life. People want to be accepted by others and belong to something bigger. Living in society, we are under pressure to surrender our individuality to our surroundings. Acceptance is one of people’s most demanding goals in life. Logan Feys is correct in regards to being strong and free enough to live independently. The writer points out “entering society on no one’s terms but your own.” Advisors, teachers, friends, family, etc. should not pressure an individual into entering society and conforming...
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...other “societal” values. By doing so, however, he loses his own self-esteem and heavily relies on others for motivation and criticism. This trend of conformity is very evident in high schools, where students strive to be a part of a particular clique by following the latest fashion and updating themselves about the latest...
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...In Robert W. Krepps short story “Pride of Seven” a young Masai boy, The Sheep, must kill a lion to become a man, but struggles to do so because he wants to keep some individuality in a place of social conformity. The narrator, a Western man who joins the Masai culture, asks the Sheep to join him in watching a group of seven lions, to which The Sheep chooses one of the lions to be the one he will kill. The Western man is torn between supporting his Masai friend and the lions he loves to study every day. When the day come for The Sheep to kill his lion, the entire tribe accompanies him to observe, but when they arrive at the bowl where the lions typically are, they are gone. The narrator climbs up onto a high rock and witnesses the seven lions...
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...‘Our relationships with others help us to define who we are.’ Context 4, Sample B This sample uses the prompt to show understanding of the text, brings knowledge of various texts to the discussion and shows good control in the writing. Bruce Dawe suggests in the introduction to his anthology of poetry, that ‘Each of us is both a private person and a public person.’ Despite this simple truth, our personal sense of identity and individuality is under serious threat from two entirely separate, though equally negative entities, alienation and conformity. Holden Caulfield, the protagonist in J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye struggles to find a sense of belonging in a world that he feels is increasingly demanding conformity, resulting in his self-imposed isolation and lack of genuine sense of self. As a young person, about to embrace a largely foreign world, it is imperative for myself and other young people to find a balance between our own individuality and the concession we choose to make in regards to our individuality when seeking connections or relationships with others. Everyone must realise that while we are each unique, we are also members of the human species, sharing universal characteristics and experiences. Therefore, the relationships we have with others will inherently help determine much of who we are. Only once we have made these realisations can we begin to gain a coherent understanding of the functioning of society and avoid Holden’s predetermined fate...
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...Einstein said it best “It is important to foster Individuality for only the individual can produce the new ideas,”this is true if we try to be ourselves we can do many things. It seems that anyone who is different, anyone who stands out from the crowd has a BIG target on their back. Why does it seem like conformity holds so much more value in our society over individuality? The definition of conformity is compliance with society, standards, rules, or laws. I don’t want to flow with society, do you? I want to think for myself, I want to make my own decisions, and I want to support others! In my opinion, nonconformists are necessary to achieve progress in our society, they should be embraced and appreciated, because without them, we would not be where we are right without like Steve Jobs, Einstein, and so many others. There is a video called “Dangerous...
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...Conditioning makes way for Conformity What is one’s individuality composed of? Of what is it forged from? The majority of one’s personality is influenced by hereditary and the environment. The world around us influences us more than people think, more than people should wish for. Everyone grows up, constantly being conditioned by the world around them. For example, people begin to talk the way their friends and co-workers do, using similar diction, phrases, and dialect. In Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, the differentiated hereditary aspect of individuality is completed taken away as the world’s “hatcheries” are able to produce and purposely condition infants to become like everyone else. The government determines what the humans’ lives...
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...Charlotte. In the movie “Little Miss Sunshine”, the theme of being different in terms of being a non-conformist and acting according to your own beliefs is consistently shown throughout the whole movie. Individuality is an aspect that is most effectively portrayed by Richard Hoover, the father who primarily orchestrated the robbery of his father, Edwin from the hospital to go to his daughter’s beauty contest. This scene effectively depicts Richard’s difference in terms of individuality by utilising dialogue. Richard’s speech emphasises his non-conformity. He questions the whole family, “There’s two types of people in the world, winners and losers. So what are we? Are we winners, or are we losers? The dad challenges the family to reconsider not going to...
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...Human nature dictates that conformity is the safer choice than individuality. When placed in a situation where one must either speak their mind and face severe consequences, or remain silent, there is much less risk in taking the second option. In Antigone, this is the dilemma that the title character is faced with where she must decide if she should honor her brother and die rather than say nothing and leave his dead body unburied outside the city walls. In the present day, those may not be the exact circumstances faced by most Americans, but one current topic that relates to this theme is conforming to gender roles and expectations. Written over two-thousand years ago, Antigone is ultimately based upon the struggle of an individual person...
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...Uniform teaches that conformity is more important and dominant than individuality. Millikan’s school uniform policy is appreciated by some, not by most. I am not asking for the whole uniform to be taken away, but some leniency will go a long way. The issues with uniform is the enforcement, the extra work for the parents, and how the uniform deprives students of choice and individuality. I have asked just over 50 students and each and every single one of the students when asked about their complaints on the uniform complained about how there is a poor uniform system. First of all the staff are biased when it comes to enforcing uniform. Personally I have seen many students go up to staff members and have a full conversation and walk in completely out of uniform. Second of all the change out system is faulty. After talking to those same students 80% claim to have been fined for the borrowed clothing that they returned including myself. Also 70% said their clothing that got confiscated was lost. Also even teachers disagree with uniform because when students are out of uniform they must go to change out which takes out of class time or even leading to detention that takes out of training time for the athletes. So uniform takes away from valuable class and training time....
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...L’Homme Sans Tete (The man without a head) (Juan Solanas 2003) and Copy Shop (Virgil Widrich 2001) are short films based on the idea of providing an effective medium of how social commentary criticises society whilst providing insight into the composer’s perspective of social concerns. L’Homme Sans Tete and Copy Shop both deal with the social concerns of individual identity and conformity to society’s standards. Many of the issues raised in these short films are positioned in such a way that the audience sub-consciously recognises them and either relates to or confronts Solanas and Widrich’s interpretation of them. Solanas’ dealing with the idea that conformity does not equal happiness through Mr. Phelps and Widrich confronting his audience with how repetitive daily life has become through the Employee....
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...However, both character’s continuous preaching of free-thinking and liberty lead to a tragedy at the climaxes of the texts, suggesting that an equilibrium must be found between both conformity and freedom. Both texts suggest there are strong similarities between institutions and modern day society, with the figures of authority revoking any philosophies or behaviours that may spark free-thinking and independence. Through the use of these various techniques, Weir and Kesey effectively portray the struggle for independence within the communities. In both the film and the novel, contrasting characterisation is utilised to portray the struggle for independence between both the protagonist and the population. McMurphy is continuously contrasted to his fellow inmates; although he is seen as an extreme representative of them, he refuses to adapt to the conformity of the institution and preaches independence and free-will. The extroverted, reckless...
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