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Sociology Forrest Gump Essay

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Forest Gump

Despite his low IQ, Forrest Gump leads a truly charmed life, taking part in many of the most memorable events in his lifetime. Without trying, Forrest teaches Elvis Presley to dance, becomes a football star, meets John F. Kennedy, serves with honor in Vietnam, meets Lyndon Johnson, speaks at an anti-war rally at the Washington Monument, hangs out with the Yippies, defeats the Chinese national team in table tennis, meets Richard Nixon, discovers the break-in at the Watergate, opens a profitable shrimping business, becomes an original investor in Apple Computers, and decides to run back and forth across the country for several years. Meanwhile, as his life goes by, Forrest never forgets about Jenny, the girl he loved since a …show more content…

Bubba came from a shrimping community in Alabama so he related his life back to shrimping. The movie Forrest Gump is a prime example of the southern way of living, from the way they speak to what they eat. Forrest Gump was born with a low IQ and a spine condition that impaired his ability to walk. This made him stand out in the small town of
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Greenbow, Alabama. The people of slow paced Greenbow were not used to any kind of change or someone who is considered different than the norm. Growing up, Forrest did not fit in to the social norms of his town. Social norms are described as laws that govern society’s behaviors. Although these norms are not considered to be formal laws within society, they still work to create a great deal of social control. It is important to note that what is considered “normal” is relative to the location and culture in which the norms are taking place. Because Forrest did not fit into the norms of his community he was labeled as an outcast. He was often made fun of by other children for having leg braces and being mentally slower than the others. Due to his mental disabilities, Forrest becomes the victim of academic and social discrimination, which his mother fights desperately to resolve. At first, Forrest was denied entrance to his local school. His mama refused to send Forrest to a school to “retread tires” and went to great extents to force him into the normal school. After being able to

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