Conformity In Schools Pros And Cons

One of the biggest controversies in the United States is whether or not public school students

Conformity killed my mind. Conformity kills one’s individuality, creativity, and the ability to think and act on one 's own. Society writes out these rules and standards that they hold everyone to, as if their building a character for a book or movie, it kills our imperfection and who we are as a person. And it can stop use from seeing the truth when it’s right in front of us and changes our whole perspective on reality.

I strongly believe that individuality should be valued over conformity. Today I will tell you how precious and rare individuality is, and why we should value it over conformity.

As a student, I am often troubled by the rigid routines of the school day, despite the fact that I am actually a very habitual person. The constant ringing of bells, lectures, bellwork, classwork, homework, each a daily practice throughout the school year. Although all of these components promote conformity, which will ultimately support the balance of school and societal norms, they also tend to threaten each student’s own unique characteristics. This then poses the question; to what degree should schools encourage conformity versus individuality? Certainly, a level of conformity is required to achieve a balanced society however, the overall structure of the school day and class, including the methods used to teach and mandatory classes,

Personal rights for the citizens of our country are guaranteed by the Constitution of The United States of America, and this poem illustrates direct disregard for those rights. “You are not presumed to be innocent if the police have reason to suspect you are carrying a concealed wallet” (lines 13 – 15) shows the disregard for personal rights. Nearly everyone carries a wallet and that statement says the personal right to be innocent until proven guilty doesn’t apply to certain people as the government sees fit. In lines 16 – 17, “It’s not our obligation to inform you of your rights” contradicts to the law of having Miranda Rights read to an individual upon arrest. Further showing they can disregard a person’s rights as they feel necessary, the poem

Many individuals is faced with the decision of conforming or choosing personal desire, and it is not an easy decision. It is hard because being shunned by others for being different is not a good feeling. Choosing to conform over personal desire, often leads to loss. On the other hand, personal desire is what sets others apart and gives them joy. In the poem, “The Jackhammer Syndrome”, Al Purdy discusses the good and bad memories he has experienced. He goes through his memories of when he had fun and made mistakes, but he reflects on what he could have done better. The author of “The Jackhammer Syndrome informs against choosing the welcoming joy of conformity over the long-term gains of personal desire. Making the decision to pursue conformity over personal desire may seem easy at first, but if the choice is to conform, the joy it gives will not last. Making the decision to pursue conformity over personal desire Conformity may seem to give joy at first, but it does not last. When Al is playing pool with his brother, he wants to win badly, but losses. However when he did not care to win, Al wins! Conforming can lead to loss but personal desire has much to gain. If the choice is to conform, personal identity may be lost. In my life, I recognize several instances in which I found several similarities between Al and myself. I have made decisions that were not always good ones such as swimming across long distances with friends.

Conformity is a concept that has been heavily researched in the field of social psychology. Conformity is defined as a change in behavior, beliefs, and attitudes due to group pressure perceived as real (encompassing the presence of others) or imagined (encompassing the pressure of social standards) (Myers, 2010, p. 192). The concept of conformity is a powerful influence on the tendency for people to arrange their thoughts, perspectives, and ideas with others, especially when in a group. This takes away from a person’s individuality because they want to feel accepted by others and therefore, a person will accomplish this basic need of approval through conforming.

The short story “Harrison Bergeron,” emphasizes the potential of a dystopian society from trying to make the society a utopia. Ideas of creating a perfectly equal and utopian society is so popular today because an abundance of people in this world want the world to be perfectly equal and a utopia. While people are trying to make this world equal and a utopia they have realized how impossible it is. The author of “Harrison Bergeron” presents a dystopian society throughout the story by describing all the negative effects trying to be a utopian society has brought. In paragraph 3, the text shows what most people have to wear by saying, “ He was required by law to wear it at all times. It was tuned to a government transmitter. Every twenty seconds

Ayn Rand’s Anthem connects to daily life, society, and history through conformity. In some parts of the world, people are sheltered from the truth of the world, and of life. In society, people are expected to fulfill their roles, and impossibly high standards, therefore being pressured into a subtle conformity, and forced to an obligation in order to please society.

uniforms will not end all confrontation between the student, it will only change the reason for it.

As readers, we see how the analysis of conflictive themes has been taking over literature scenarios. When reading between the lines of certain books we can perceive themes such as conformity and rebellion. Mostly these themes can be seen in writings from times of social upheaval. According to The Oxford Dictionary, the word conformity means “behavior in accordance with socially accepted conventions or standards”, while rebellion means “the action or process of resisting authority, control, or convention.” These terms create a constant battle among societies. A certain amount of conformity needs to exist in life in order to avoid disorder. This is the reason society has laws, rules and expectations. Literature represents life, and these themes can be found at the root of many literary works. Conformity can also be considered as silence. This silence is based on the restrictions of real feelings and thoughts in some literary pieces. During the sixteenth century, the emphasis on conformity was at its height. Works of literature from this time period have often reflected a fascination and frustration with this particular characteristic. People do not want to be restricted in terms of expressing opinions and developing certain activities. When facing oppression, denial of their freedom, they rebel, and that contributes to the part of the process of change in society. Not all kinds of rebellions are rationally fundamental, but when they are, it can transform society for the

Conformity can mark a loss of the individuality and humanity within a society, but those who do not conform will be seen as strange and different. Bradbury and Vonnegut warn against conforming and becoming a truly equal society.

Willa Cather's "Paul's Case," displays the conflict between conformity and individuality through the main character, Paul. On a number of occasions, Paul is forced to lie and steal to escape the conformists who wish to control him and stifle his unique imagination. However, his lying, stealing, and attempts to escape the conformists, only force Paul into isolation, depression, and feeling a sense of shame for his individuality. Throughout the story one might see Cather's constant contrast of individuality versus conformity, as well as Paul's lying and stealing. Cather seems to draw the conclusion that extreme individuals, much like Paul are simply misunderstood, and not offered the acceptance they desire

The dystopian society within Ayn Rand’s Anthem utilizes diction to convey a strict collectivist theme and enforce both unity and equality among its members. Following the Great Rebirth, the futuristic society portrayed in this novella has a profound fear of returning to the Unmentionable Times. This time period is illegal and immoral to acknowledge, for something went terribly wrong and influenced the government’s decision of maintaining complete control over everyone and everything in the society through the use of language. The fear of reliving the past erases the basic concepts of freedom and individuality, giving members of society no purpose other than that of serving the government as a cohesive group. Although the society successfully enforces collectivism by owning its member’s identities and by stripping its member’s vocabularies of personal pronouns, it fails to outsmart the rebellious protagonist of the novella.

People have been changing their behavior or obeying someone else’s commands for years. This continues today in our everyday lives. Conformity and obedience seem similar but differ in several ways. Conformity is defined by psychologists as a change in behavior or belief to accord with others. Similar to this, is obedience. Obedience is defined acting in accordance with a direct order or command. Normally people conform to reap a reward or to avoid punishment. If we comply with a direct order or command it is considered obedience. Most of the time when people comply, it is to be accepted among others so they are not seen as outsiders. On the other hand, when we obey, we are obeying a command an authority figure