`` Persuasion Nation, By George Saunders

In a famous poem by Robert Frost, “The Road Not Taken” he writes: “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--/I took the one less traveled by, /And that has made all the difference.” Some people may argue that the roads less traveled are the ones taken by nonconformists while the easier, more traveled roads are taken by conformists. The metaphor of Robert Frost’s poem can be seen in Arthur Miller’s play about the Salem witchcraft trials, “The Crucible.” In the play the reader is introduced to characters that are non-conformist and other characters that are conformist. Through the actions taken by these characters, the reader can conclude that conformity is either a good thing or a bad thing.

Irving Wallace, an American author and screenwriter, once stated: “To be one’s self, and unafraid whether right or wrong, is more admirable than the easy cowardice of surrender to conformity.” Wallace admired those who were not afraid to be the “lone wolf” and stick to their own individual ideas and character, no matter the consequences. People often view submission as the one and only route; they see a majority of the population following one another and figure it is the best option. Unfortunately, conformity does have its consequences. In The Crucible, Miller reveals that the overwhelming pressures to conform causes one’s rationality to be diminished, resulting in the destruction of their morals and ultimately a society through his use of situational and dramatic irony.

Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” and Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s “Harrison Bergeron” both paint fairly morbid pictures of what extreme conformity can do in society. The two stories have vastly different settings and employ dissimilar approaches to the subject of conformity. Despite this, they both suggest that the need to conform, which is encouraged by American society, is dangerous and can lead to the loss of freedoms and loss of life. The two also insinuate that standing up to authority for purely selfish reasons is pointless.

“The Nonconformist” by Robert I. Brownstein focuses on the idea of conformity through a young boys eyes. It examines limited individuality and a constricted society. Brownstein uses “ The Nonconformist” to reveal that you cannot believe everything you are told. To explore this idea, Brownstein combines characters, setting, point of view and literary techniques.

During the second session, the family was provided individual opportunities to relate his or her perceptions of the struggles in the family. Using Claudia as the identified patient, the family related struggles directly associated with Claudia’s behavior (Nichols, 2013, p. 15). Whitaker (1978) conceptualized the issues in a different perspective stating, “sounds like Claudia is in charge of getting Mom and Dad to start fighting, and you and Laura are in charge of helping them stop” (p. 11). Whitaker also indicated the parallels involving Carolyn’s anger at Claudia for hiding in her room and David’s propensity to hide in his study (p. 11). Using the unconscious frame of reference from session one, another conceptualization that was presented was that of Don’s willingness to talk as the reason that the family had not wanted to bring him to the first session (p. 12).

The most interesting part of the video is hearing how multi-million/large corporations view their audience/consumers. In the video The Persuaders, Douglas Atkin makes a compelling analogy, comparing individuals in cults to buying/joining a “brand” like Apple or Nike. These consumers feel the need to belong and have the company of others. Emotional branding has become part of American culture, they allow people to join a lifestyle. For example, Coca-Cola and Hallmark, both of these are multi million corporations that are directly associated with holidays like Christmas. They release commercials that appeal to individual’s emotions and makes them empathize

Individuals and society often disagree over morals and values, and the resulting conflicts arise in a vast range of ways. One way society conflicts with individuals is when society tries to restrict what people say, as seen in James Sterngold’s article “Censorship in the Age of Anything Goes”. Other times, individuals will be too afraid to speak out against society for fear of having society turn against them, as seen in Arthur Miller’s allegorical play, The Crucible. On the other hand, when individuals do defy society, there can be positive results, as seen in J.D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye. As such, when the beliefs of individuals and society come into conflict, the individuals can either let the controlling society forcefully

It is my honor to address this assembly today. First, I want to thank God that I have been blessed with the great privilege of being born in this great country. A country that acknowledges that all men are created equal and provides its citizens with equal opportunity to achieve success. There are various ideas and philosophies regarding what this concept means and how it should be applied, but I am not here to present my own opinions or argue for a particular set of oppinions. Instead, I offer a word of encouragment and a reminder of the purpose for which you serve. Often times we as Americans, become so consumed with political ideology and party affiliation, that we forget that we belong to

Morrison uses the voices of two people, lost from each other in remembrance, and brings them together by juxtaposing memory against memory until finally their recollections converge in the same episode. After a sexual encounter, Sethe and Paul D reflect on their shared experiences in slavery at the Sweet Home plantation. It is against this backdrop that both characters struggle to tackle their feelings of inadequacy. Although Sethe and Paul D share their memories, there is only so much that they are willing to divulge since "[s]aying more might push them both to a place they couldn't get back from" (Morrison 72). While Paul's coping mechanism is to place all of his painful memories in the tobacco tin buried in his chest, Sethe's coping mechanism is prevention. The characterizations of Sethe, Paul D, and Sethe's daughter Denver continue through the use of flashbacks. By juxtaposing memory with scenes from the present, Morrison offers a better understanding of Denver and her reaction to Paul D. Lonely and troubled, she finds solace inside her own small world and connection to the memories her mother has shared with her regarding her birth. Denver feeds her hunger through these memories as well as through perfume and the boxwood arbor. It is in this first trimester that Morrison begins to connect imagery with the retrieval of past events. For all, the baby ghost acts as a catalyst for remembering the past.

Margaret Atwood’s, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Arthur Miller’s ,The Crucible, explore the consequences surrounding the nature of resisting and rebelling against social order. Resistance the refusal to accept or comply with something or to actively and passively fight against something. Atwood’s new government of Gilead in The Handmaid’s Tale enforces unthinkable oppression to eradicate any trace of resistance from its citizens. Hysteria is implemented in Miller’s Salem in The Crucible when characters are manipulated and driven to conform to social order to save their own lives. However even beyond the

The character of the mother executes the tell-tale signs of counterfeit happiness when she tells the murderous story of the narrator’s father’s brother. “‘Oh honey,’ she said, ‘there’s a lot that you don’t know. But you are going to find out’” (36).

Throughout second semester we have read many stories that have strongly illustrated the idea of conformity, but in Fahrenheit 451, Swamp Boy, and Harrison Bergeron the theme of conformity is most prevalent. The characters in each of the three stories become trapped by the act of conforming to their societal norms. The people in the societies participate in confirmation because it is what everyone else is doing, and they crave acceptance from others. As humans, we conform to the world around us because it is expected and we fear any individual that abides by the social norms.

        In the article “The New Mecca” by author George Saunders, he states that before he visited Dubai, a country in the United Arab Emirates, he had many misinterpretations about the country. As he gets there, he discovers that Dubai is safe; also, the city has majorly grown over the past ten years. Dubai has become a tourist attraction, famous famous for being an extravagant destination in the Middle East. It is expected that Dubai will have the largest skyscraper in the world and many revolutionary architecture will expand throughout the country. If Saunders had not visited Dubai he would still have doubts about the city. He stayed at The Burj Al Arab a luxurious seven star hotel. As he enters he gets greeted with goodies

Despite the rise of oppression and authoritarianism in societies, historically free will always prevails over determinism. Both Steven Spielberg and Arthur Miller in Minority Report and The Crucible, respectively, establish settings ravaged by authoritarianism as a means to embody fundamental concepts regarding the conflict between free will and determinism. Both authors use extensive imagery of religion, symbolism of characters and contrasting images of social responsibility and personal desire to draw attention to their idea that an individual always has choice and the capacity for free will despite the presence of determinism and authoritarianism in society. Spielberg and Miller use this idea as a foundation to establish universal messages connecting conflicting free will and determinism to oppression, suggesting that true freedom exists only when societies stand up to deterministic views designed to bring profit to only a select few.

The theme of the rights and wrongs of easily being persuaded can be easily compared to the novel, Pride and Prejudice. Jane Austen’s main character in Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth, is a plain but intelligent woman who is read well and quick witted. Elizabeth was quickly persuaded that Mr. Darcy was an rude and arrogant, who cared little about the feelings of others after hearing him say “She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me” (Austen 7). Her first impression of him lingered on throughout most of the novel. Because she was so easily persuaded that he was a horrible man, she almost missed out on the love of her life. As the novel continued Mr. Darcy’s feeling for Elizabeth grew until the day he proposed to her. He proposed to her by asking her to marry her despite her ranks and his better judgment. When