Peer Isolation In Laurie Saunders's The Wave

Being in a group effects others individuals causing them to stop thinking rationally, they make decisions to fit in with the rest of the group. In the article “The Monsters

I believe the overall message of Henry David Thoreau´s “Solitude” is to differentiate solitude and loneliness which are totally different. It is more of a state of mind than something real. People around by other people would feel more loneliness than people who are physically alone. For Thoreau being in solitude is the best way to discover your mind and spirituality and is the best way to know yourself.

“The Virtues of Isolation”, written by Brent Crane, states that under the right circumstances being alone can provide significant psychological help. The article stated that scientists often associate isolation with negative outcomes due to it having adverse effects on the minds of children. However, when it is voluntarily pursued, it can be shown to have significant befits—some would even say its therapeutic. That temporarily isolating yourself gives you a chance to take a step back and take a good look at yourself. It alleviates the stress on our everyday lives and lets us relax. That the difference between solitude as therapy and solitude as misery depends on the quality of self-reflection that a person experiences, and the ability to reintegrate into social groups when their ready.

Isolation is the separation from others and/or society whether it be physically or emotionally. In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, I believe that a central theme is that the isolation from family and society, especially at a time when one is faced with difficulty, can have a negative effect on a person. The main characters in the story, Victor Frankenstein and the monster, both experience the same suffering of being alone in different ways. The negative consequences are the death of their loved one and eventually the end of their own.

The Wave is a story about a high school senior class that has been intrigued to join their teacher’s cult known as the Wave. Several people tried to prevent the denial of his movement. Laurie Saunders the main character in the wave, is a rebellious girl who is very ashamed of this movement and is not inspired by her history teacher. He shows them a very emotional video of what Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party did. Some of the students take it more personal than others do. Because of Laurie’s bravery, independence, and determination, Laurie denies the Wave.

Isolation comes from the word isolate which means to cause someone or something to be alone or to be apart from others. Social isolation is the lack of contact between people or things in a society. Thomas H. Schmid says that “it also emerges within larger discourses of isolation”. He is correct: there are many types of isolation, but social isolation is very common. (“Addiction and Isolation…”) In the book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the main character Victor Frankenstein creates a “monster” that comes to life. Victor becomes terror-stricken by the creature due to it’s hideousness, and he flees from his home, leaving the creature alone and isolated. The creature becomes very lonely and angry toward his creator. He then vows to make Victor’s life miserable for creating, abandoning, and isolated him. (Shelley) Isolation not only has grave effects on the monster’s human interaction and social development, but on humans, too.

“That’s how they think of me, too. Teacher. Legendary soldier. Not one of them. Not someone that you embrace and whisper Salaam in his ear -- Now he was the master soldier, and he was completely, utterly alone.” (Card pg140). As isolation may mold you into a leader and bring out your creativity, the emotional effect can be damaging. Depending on the person it can be both positive and/or negative. Either way, one will outweigh the other. In Ender’s Game by Orson Scot Card, isolation is a tool to manipulate and strengthen future leaders but can consequently do more harm than good.

As one matures, a certain peer groups reinforce beliefs. Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann, in her book Spiral of Silence, explains individuals inherently fear social isolation from peers and are apprehensive of speaking out against group ideas (Patterson 161).

Individuals willingly or forcefully become separated from communities. This is called isolation. Isolation can have drastic consequences on an individual. Physical and social isolation can only affect an individual negatively. Ethan Frome conveys the story of a static farmer who is married to a woman he doesn't love called Zeena.

Isolation is the feeling of being unable to experience shared meaning and belonging. The feeling of being unable to experience shared meaning is a major source of psychological distress.

Mental isolation takes a big part in Lord of the Flies, mainly because the kids are left stranded on an unknown island. Jack desires to be the leader of the group but everyone votes for Ralph instead. Jack then gets extremely frustrated and says,“‘I’m going off by myself. He can catch his own pigs. Anyone who wants to hunt when I do can come too.’ He blundered out of the triangle toward the drop to the white sand” (Golding 183). Now the group is split into two groups which means all things are even more unorganized. As everyone is slowly losing civilization, everything is turning into chaos. This eventually leads to the deaths of some kids. Isolation sometimes results in one to lose their mental ability, unable to even think something all the way through. As writer Thomas Carlyle says, “Isolation may very often be the ‘sum total of wretchedness’” (Bond). Isolation may cause you to go insane and there is nothing you can do about it because it is human nature. Jack loses his mind when he decides to leave the group which is an outcome of his anger. According to Frank McAndrew, unpleasant things such as violence and conflict can arise “when small groups of people experience isolation together” (McAndrew). Golding shows how the boys lose their civility and go lunatic when he says “at once the crowd surged after it, poured down the rock, leapt on to the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore. There were no words, and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws” (Golding 219). The boys assumed that Simon was the imaginary beast and viciously killed him. Their mental mindset causes them to act brutal and to not think ahead. Being mentally isolated can trigger how you act and

In The Giver by Lois Lowry Jonas discovers his power to see beyond. Soon after, Jonas begins to see his Community differently and question if he belongs. Similarly, in The Wave by Todd Strasser a club is made as a experiment but then goes too far. The kids then realize what one can lose when belonging to a group. In The Outsiders by S.E. Hilton The Greasers and Socs are rivals separated by social class.

My family and church have always been my in-groups. When detecting alienation elsewhere, I knew being in the proper surroundings gave a sense of peace and security. My church always welcomed me and others. The warm embrace gives a sense of belonging, reminding me of home, a place I considered my safe haven. Especially, when one needs to escape from the unknown unpleasant person, place or thing. For example, my in-group taught me never to break the law, be an abiding citizen, to stay away from gangs and drugs. I invited my friend to my home and church to expose her to my way of life, in return she invited me to one of her parties. This experience totally was considered to be an out-group for me leaving a sense of alienation. For example: laws

I think that exclusion is one of the biggest issues that individuals are faced with. While to most it is not considered to be a form of bullying, it can still hurt the feelings of those who aren’t involved in the event. Recently I was invited to someone’s going away party, and I remember feeling quite shocked when I learned that I was one of the 25 people who had been invited to the “event on Facebook,” as social media is typically the format for sending out invitations. The person who had invited me was a friend of my boyfriend, and though I had only spoken to him a few times in passing I remember feeling quite honoured that I had been invited, noting that other than myself he had only invited people that he would typically “hang out” with. However, my boyfriend had been out of town at this time and for that reason I chose not to go to this event. Despite being invited directly I still felt as though I was unwelcome, which is why I chose this event to write about. I was friends with many of the people who had been invited, but the invitation that I received explicitly stated that we were not permitted to bring any guests, which insinuated that I would not be able to bring one of my own friends with me. This led me to a feeling of displacement, as I began to feel that I was

"No man is an island." This famous quotation explains the nature of man as a social being. It is truly a fact that human beings cannot exist in isolation. They need to be interdependent with each other in order to survive. This interdependence is needed because a human being alone will not be able to fill his own social needs, and his material necessities came from other people as well. All acts of society such as sex, love, and dependence are essential for the survival of any species. Interaction and socialization is the only way to prevent people from isolation, from solitude.