T. J 'Change In The Short Story Antaeus' By Borden Deal

The short story, Antaeus by Borden Deal, is the story of a farm boy moving to the big city, New York, 1941. The characters of this story include the farm boy T.J., who is a sensitive strong young lad, and has made a new friend, who's name is not stated in the story, for he is in first person, and takes him to their hangout spot on the roof, where we meet Blackie and Charley who are loyal to their friends. As their on the roof top T.J. explains that where he comes from he would make his own gardens and harvest the fruit and vegetables himself. He then has the idea to make their own roof garden. The gang likes the idea, so T.J. kept all of his buddies working hard until they had hauled so much soil up on the roof to plant a garden.

John. C. Maxwell, a writer, and a priest, once said “There are two kinds of pride, ‘good pride’ represents our dignity and self-respect. ‘Bad’ pride is the deadly sin of superiority that reeks of conceit and arrogance” (Quotefancy). Just as there are two sides to pride there are two sides to every human trait, each trait has an advantage and a disadvantage. Being stubborn could mean working toward goals until one achieves them, or it could mean closing their mind so much so that one misses out on opportunities they are not looking for. John Maxwell’s paradox of traits is shown through the idea of equality in Kurt Vonnegut Jr’s “Harrison Bergeron”. In this story, the society is led to believe everyone is equal because of handicaps, but Harrison believes that the handicaps lead to unfair disadvantages. In “Harrison Bergeron”, through his use of epiphany and imagery Kurt Vonnegut Jr emphasizes the theme, both benefits and failures will result from a person’s physical and mental attributes.

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.

Humans have a natural tendency to conform to each other; they strive to fit in with their community and to blend in with the crowd, undoubtedly because modern society seems to have put everyone on a leash. Its harsh judgment and constant pressure forces everyone to follow each other around like sheep — compliant — staying in line in fear of the repercussions. Likewise, in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, and “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr., conformity is an ongoing theme that causes the entire community to isolate Hester in The Scarlet Letter, believe in witchcraft in The Crucible, and discriminate against African Americans in “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. Hawthorne, Miller, and King all show the effects of the pressure and corruptions in the community, as well as the punishments the individuals receive as a result of conformity. In all three pieces of writing, the authors describe the community as a powerful oppression that forces people to be obedient, simultaneously asserting that conformity ultimately leads to consequences in both the community and the individual.

Although there is a dystopian society now, their world wasn’t always like this. Many years ago, there were the “Unmentionable Times”, which were times just like the modern world today. They had subways, running water, and electricity. The main character, Equality 7-2521, is different than all his fellow brothers and he knows that he is different. He is curious and longs to be a scholar. Equality 7-2521 feels guilty about his differences and tries to make himself be like his brothers. “His relationship with International 4-8818, his only friend, exemplifies the half-hearted attempts he makes to eliminate all his preferences for individual people, to care for each brother equally, and to be identical to his brothers. After the discovery of the tunnel, however, he realizes that solitude pleases him, and it becomes harder for him to deny his own

But even the slightest differences in all of these define and shape every personality that crawls the earth today. It is our differences that make us great. Kurt Vonnegut perfectly depicts how we should praise others for their differences and build them, rather degrade them for their strengths. In Vonnegut’s short story Harrison Bergeron we see the consequences of destroying what makes people into a someone. In this story the smart and intelligent thinkers, the strong, authentic, graceful, tall, and beautiful were all put down and disable to prevent any to feel like they were greater than the other. (Vonnegut) Differences a is what give us individuality. They are what makes us,

Often in our society, people stifle their individuality in an attempt to fit in with others. This idea is taken a step further in both “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut and “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley. These texts demonstrate different ways in which one can surrender their unique traits and how when people lack individuality, they lose aspects of themselves that make them human such as thoughts and emotions. In Vonnegut’s text, people who have talents that exceed others are required to wear handicaps so that everyone is equal. In Huxley’s text, embryos are engineered and trained after birth to be the same in adulthood. In both stories, the authors use description and dialogue to show the reader how individuality is critical to humanity because if everyone is the same eventually they become less human and start acting more like machines.

Illuminating differences within a world of similarities enables the growth of relationships, transforming the individual’s perception. By defining what we are not and acknowledging the state of alterity, we construct a definition of who we are, which continually evolves. This notion is implemented to the novella Maestro by Peter Goldsworthy, and The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne.

American actress Emma Stone once said, “What sets you apart can sometimes feel like a burden and it’s not. And a lot of the time, it’s what makes you great.”. This quote could represent the message conveyed in Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s dystopian story “Harrison Bergeron”. In his piece, he creates the setting of the world in the year 2081, where everyone has become equal and nobody is different. Whether it be strengths, talents, disabilities, or intelligence, everyone has become identical to one another, except for the main character Harrison Bergeron, who was arrested and taken away by the government at the age of fourteen for being a nonconformist.

The topic of an individual’s desire to escape society is essential to understanding the human condition. Some suggest that when an individual does not fit within their community, they must seek acceptance elsewhere. However, others, believe that an individual must adapt and conform to those around them. In the short story “Paul’s Case” by Willa Cather, where Paul struggles with fitting in among the people of Cordelia Street. Initially, he attempts to escape the monotonous and restricting life in Cordelia Street by going to Carnegie Hall, the one place in life where he finds enjoyment in watching the beauty and glamour in acting. However, Paul’s hatred towards hard work and feeling of superiority over others forces

It takes a lot of courage to stand up for one’s own belief and thought, how abnormal it may be. But, when someone reaches to that point, they are truly genius. Most people are ashamed of their identity because it is different from others. They should learn to “Accept the place the divine Providence” has found for them (Emerson, Self-Reliance, 233). They don’t understand that their different identity makes them extraordinary in a special way. All the people who have achieved great milestones have been different. But again, what made them different made them great. “To be great is to be misunderstood”(Emerson, Self-Reliance, 235). All the great people achieved great things because they were brave enough to be different. They defied the normal. Consequently, their lives were more pleasurable. They knew what they were doing and what will they do next, and they didn’t need anyone’s acceptance except their own. If people speak their minds, accept who they are, ignore society’s norms and lastly, be original; their lives can be a joyous journey.

In this quote Dr. Steve Maraboli states that if you wish to thrive – to become the best you can be – you have to immerse yourself in the right group, in the group that can enhance your abilities. However, in The Chrysalids by John Wyndham, David is deprived of the opportunity “to fly with the eagles”. The society he is living in forbids him to be any different than the ‘written’ norm. The public’s strict mannerisms peak David’s curiosity. He discovers that if an individual is different than the rest they must suffer severe consequences. Hence, The Chrysalids by John Wyndham demonstrates the dangers of being different than the social norm through symbolism, diction and conflict.

Making yourself different from the rest of society is a huge step to take in life. There are many risks that come with being different, especially judgement from others. Even with that being said, writers like Audre Lorde, and a poor fellow described in Judith Butler’s, ”phylosophe”, behaved differently than the way their society allowed them to because it is who they are.

To fit into the social standards, tremendous amount of people change themselves. It’s a psychological feeling to want to belong, so altars are made to the appearance and personalities. Why is it that outrageous actions are made, so that an individual can be considered “normal”, by society's beliefs? The natural man seeks acceptance within a community and sometimes by wanting approval, dignity and self actualization of an individual counterfeits who they really are. According to Brené Brown, from the book “The Gifts of Imperfection”, “we often try to acquire [belonging] by fitting in and by seeking approval, which are not only hollow substitutes for belonging, but often barriers to it.” In the world, many people want to feel included so fitting

As humans, everyone has their hearts’ desires, one of them often being the sense of belonging. However, with this ambition many lose what makes humanity so wonderful: being an individual. In his article “The Sociology of Leopard Man,” Logan Feys argues that “Living in society, we are under constant pressure to surrender our individuality to the will of the majority, the school, the workplace, the family, etc.” (1). Furthermore, Feys focuses on the importance of distinction in society and the pressure it may have on someone. As an example, Feys uses Tom Leppard, a man tattooed from head to toe, to justify his case. Although Leppard is certainly no ordinary person, he does not seek the attention from others in society many others do. Nevertheless,