Geeks Shall Inherit The Earth Essay

Author, Alexandra Robbins, in her novel The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth, describes her quirk theory and establishes its credibility as she centers her theory around seven different characters as she narrates their high school experiences. Robbins focuses on the negative effects of popularity and how social norms can affect an individual, regardless of what social group they belong to. She creates an amusing, informative tone in order to appeal to the geeks, freaks, and popular crowds with relatable experiences and strong essays in regards with the social scene, exclusivity, and how one handles a given situation.

I chose The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth by Alexandra Robbins based on its title alone. Not only did this title draw my attention from the list of other available options for this class, it made me think about people like me actually being successful despite their past transgressions against the social norms. Throughout the book, Robbins introduced concepts that I was familiar with through personal experience. Connections to Gossip Girl and Freaks and Geeks, Robbins’ quirk theory was thoroughly expressed while giving me another medium to connect to. I could have stopped reading at any time, but Robbins’ execution of setting her quirk theory around her “characters” storylines allows a flowing transition from a story to a theory or main idea.

Social conformity can cause issues in the real world if it is overused. For example, conformity can cause a bystander effect. The bystander effect is when people follow the crowd and fail to react when people are in need. Conformity can also cause people to do things that they don't necessarily want to do, but they do it because they don't want to be the odd one out. In the short story “Anthem” by Ayn Rand, conformity is a big idea in the book because everyone is controlled by how they think and speak.

Individuals often find the definition of identity complex and difficult to comprehend. A balance must be struck between the contending concepts that a person’s identity is founded on how they view themselves, or how others perceive them to be. During the 20th century, strict adherence to archetypal roles was expected. Who an individual was, how they interacted with others, and their status in society, was determined through the judgement of others and subsequently, the archetypal roles they were placed in. For Stephen, a young fifteen year-old who is struggling on achieving true self-fulfillment in a society that is male dominated, he drives his sense of identity and self-perception from how others see him.

The book The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth is a book that everyone should read at one point or be taught from in school. It explains school cliques, high school emotions, popularity, and outcast life. The author, Alexandra Robbins, studied many years, about a decade, for this novel to come to life. Throughout her words, she explains that outcasts, whether they are nerds, punks, losers, loners, “tree huggers,” math geeks, band members, etc, are the future of our world. I agree with her when she says that the qualities that people exclude for in school help individuals exceed in life.

“Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth” John F. Kennedy. In both cases the conformist and the nonconformist face problems because of their choices. When you are placed in situations that can effect you, do you chose to conform or not? Boxer, a horse from the book, Animal Farm, is an example of someone who chose to conform with everyone one else under the oppressor. Martin Luther King Jr. on the other hand stood out amongst the masses against all of the people that tried to keep him down. It is undeniable that these two beings are completely different. One chose to conform and the other did the opposite. Conformity and nonconformity can be both good and bad things. While this is true, both result in long-lasting effects. Conformity is a double-edged sword that stabs those in the line of power, while also slashing the hands of those who reside under the authority. There is no way to avoid this.

An issue that has been circulating is whether or not to conform. Rob Siltanen says, “... The ones who see things differently. They 're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can 't do is ignore them. Because they change thing.[...]” ( cited) What he says is agreeable because the one that does not conform, will be the one that changes themselves,their society and even their future. This matter is an open topic of debate because one may agree that an individual does not need to conform to society 's ideals in order to find their happiness or be successful in life.

“Everyone is smart in different ways. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life thinking that it’s stupid.” ― Lynda Mullaly Hunt, Fish In A Tree. The theme of this story is you shouldn’t let anyone make you think that you don’t belong because your different and that were are unique in own special type of way and we should appreciate our differences. This is the theme because Ally learned an important lesson not to care what other people say, to have confidence in yourself, and also to accept differences and express

Second, society teaches us to conform by not thinking for ourselves. We are simply told how to solve a problem or accomplish a task. We are never taught why

In years past, I felt as if I need to conform to what was around me to fit in or be considered a normal person. I struggled with this for a long time until I realized on how unhappy I was. I thought that if I had done all these things that I belonged with my peers .I learned that I would be much more happy in my own skin and doing things that make me happy as well. I learned that it was okay to be different and have a strange personality and perspective on life.

Each and every person on this Earth today has an identity. Over the years, each individual creates their identity through past experiences, family, race, and many other factors. Race, which continues to cause problems in today’s world, places individuals into certain categories. Based on their race, people are designated to be part of a larger, or group identity instead of being viewed as a person with a unique identity. Throughout Richard Wright’s Black Boy, Richard is on a search for his true identity. Throughout Black Boy, one can see that Richard’s racial background assigns him with a certain identity or a certain way in which some

While those who conform may feel regret because they did not follow their own path and finally do what they always wanted to do. This might also make those who conform empty because in the end when they look back on life they might start to realize that they have lived the life of a cog meaning that they led an ordinary life their whole life. While those who conform might feel unique and enlightened no matter the consequence.

Conformity hampers creativity and originality. Having to conform stops free thinking individuals from being able to pursue their dreams. I am a very independent thinker. But due to conformity I am not able to do all that I want. For example, I love to wear tank tops. Muscle tank tops are my favorite. But school rules in force no shoulder showing. I have to conform to their rules each day I go school and I am unable too fully express myself the way I want. My creative nature is brushed aside for a supposedly better learning environment. Just like how my little brother’s creativity is hindered due to his age.

The feeling of being judged for the experiences an individual faces can be detrimental to the person 's personality by that these experiences result in you trying to become someone you are not so that you hide what society feels is your flaw, your race. Starr lives in two completely separate worlds, Garden Heights and the area surrounding Williamson High School. These two worlds hinders Starr’s ability to voice her opinions and thoughts about anything because in both of these areas there is this fear of overstepping boundaries. Overstepping boundaries in either area causes an individual to become threatened, for example, in Garden Heights, Starr silences herself whenever she is around gang members because she is frightened that the gang members will harm both her and her family for her opinions. Starr silences herself when she is at Williamson High School, especially since she is one out of the few African Americans that attends there, because her opinion is outnumbered by the majority of the population who are either ignorant about the issues that affects Starr’s race or cares less to even hear issues that occurs to others beside them.

I think that now in life that I am not at a great risk of conforming. I know that growing up at one point or another I was influenced to conform to a great many different aspects of life. I am stable in who I am and what I am today. I think as a person grows older in life it is harder to sway to conformity. I just don’t feel the need to impress or to be or act like some thing I am not. I have always had a hard time with both authority and also obedience. I think that in my opinion they go hand and hand with each other. I think that fear of authority or the stubbornness of just not wanting to both has a clear view of