The Lin Family: Who Is Being An Individual?

Individualism: Individualism is the term that refers to the ways in which people identify themselves and focus their goals. Individualism gives priority to personal goals as opposed to the goals of a group or society. Once the men have stepped off the bus on Parris Island they give up every aspect of individualism, they are stripped of all valuables and given the same clothes and haircut which they will wear for the remainder of time. American cultures which are seen almost daily are the ability to voice your own opinion, choosing your personal perspective, and even just the choices you choose to make. Individualism is something that can differ between cultures, but most cultures share certain qualities.

In the book Fahrenheit 451 it says, “I like to smell things and look at things, and sometimes stay up all night, walking, and watch the sun rise ” (Bradbury 11). This is a perfect example because it shows how Clarisse is one of not many people who actually has her own individuality and is not afraid to be different from the others around her. Also in the story Fahrenheit 451 it says, “Each man the image of every other; then all are happy, for there are no mountains to make them cower, to judge themselves against” (Bradbury 62). So now everyone has to be almost if not exactly the each other. People should be able to be who they are and express who they are without having to ‘conform’ under what the expected or projected image should be. On top of that, in the short story “The Pedestrian” it states, “The street was silent and long and empty, with only his shadow moving like the shadow of a hawk in midcountry” (Bradbury 1). At least there are those who aren’t afraid to stand out and break the conformity that is being forced upon these people. Everyone is to busy trying to be like each other they can’t even notice how those who are different stand out or stand up, even if they don't realize

For example, in Confetti Girl, the main character disagrees with her father’s intense interest in education since she feels he places more importance on his teaching career and love of reading and vocabulary than on her. In fact, when she tries to dismiss her novel and doesn’t reveal its title, her dad offers her his copy and leaves the dinner table to find it, “He leaves the table to scan the bookshelves, and all of a sudden, I care about the tough beef, the mushy potatoes, and the cold beans. Why should I eat when my own father has abandoned his food?” (paragraph 26). This quote proves her

    Many people see the world and others differently. Just like the two sisters in “Everyday Use”, the two sisters in “Two Ways to Belong in America”, and the father in the letter/short essay “An Indian Father's Plea”. All these people have different past and things they’re going through. The two sisters in “Two Ways To Belong In America” both have their different stories from their past, one likes America the other does not because they betrayed her. Next, the father from “An Indian Father’s Plea” sees America differently because the school was labeled his kid a “slow learner” which made him upset. In addition, the two sisters from “ Everyday Use” argue about a quilt in which they both view differently

Identity is a group of characteristics, data or information that belongs exactly to one person or a group of people and that make it possible to establish differences between them. The consciousness that people have about themselves is part of their identity as well as what makes them unique. According to psychologists, identity is a consistent definition of one’s self as a unique individual, in terms of role, attitudes, beliefs and aspirations. Identity tries to define who people are, what they are, where they go or what they want to be or to do. Identity could depend on self-knowledge, self-esteem, or the ability of individuals to achieve their goals. Through self-analysis people can define who they are and who the people around them

A main problem in today’s society is conformity. It seems as though no one cares what they are doing, as long as it is the same as someone else. From this book, people can learn that being different is human nature. Clarisse was talking to Montag one day. She said how she enjoys talking to Montag because they talk about different things.

In a society where conforming is normal, individualism is a necessity to be oneself. The first example of being oneself is of Clarisse. Montag and Clarisse are walking in the moonlight on their way home when Clarisse says, “Isn’t this a nice time of night to walk? I like to smell things and look at things, and sometimes stay up all

Different people think, live, view, and judge in distinct ways. That’s what makes life so interesting. The great diversity of the world sometimes has an effect on certain people. Humanity itself has ways of expressing its differences, for example there’s; art, music, fashion, and hobbies, etc. All these are factors that can help identify ones personality, lifestyle, and views on certain topics, etc. This helps define us in a way, it’s a form of expression, whether personal or not.

This quote from the book Outsiders by Howard S. Becker gives the idea that there are social laws, or “rules”, and when broken you are considered an outsider. This is shown when Becker, as seen above, says, “When a rule is enforced”. What he says also sets up the different points of view. When Becker says, “person who is supposed to have”, he means the person who breaks the “rule” may not consider it a rule at all or just not think it applies to him, “a special kind of person”. Showing how the deviant person sets himself/herself apart from the general public, this person will not be offended by the people who judge him because he sees the said judger as an outsider himself. Because the “outsiders” or said rule breakers can see the people not breaking the social norms as outsiders too, it sets up a subculture or a deviant society, where there is mutuality in non-conformity.

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee are extremely influential novels that can teach great lessons to teenagers and adults. One of The Outsider’s main themes is; everybody has different problems, but everybody is still the same. This theme is shown throughout the entire novel and explains it well. There are two different groups in the setting of The Outsiders, the socs and the greasers. The socs are the rich kids that drive nice cars and get into a lot of trouble without being punished by their parents, and the greasers are the less wealthy kids that fight with the socs and wear greased back hair and leather jackets. Both of these groups are completely different people, but they still live in the same city and see the same environment. As Ponyboy states “Maybe the two different worlds we lived in weren’t so different. We saw the same sunset” (Hinton).

Why do people want to change the way we live our life? I don’t fit in, so what? In the book “To Kill a Mockingbird”, Lee uses characterization and tone in order to convey the idea that in society every gender has to follow their code of conduct, consequently it restricts people from being themselves in order to fit in.

     The movie The Dead Poet Society, even further exemplifies the statement that conformity and tradition defy individualism. In the story, the students have a

“I find that the very things that I get criticized for, which is usually being different and just doing my own thing and just being original, is the very thing that’s making me successful.” Country singer Shania Twain explains that the things she does in her daily life, making her different from everyone else, actually makes her unique, despite the fact that it goes against social norms. A non-conformist person is someone who goes against societal norms because they are an individual who will do what they prefer to do, regardless of what others may think. In the novel The Outsider, Meursault is indifferent and passive to a

An example of this is in the beginning of the story when she states “I get unreasonably angry with John sometimes.” (Perkins-Gilman, 1899). This shows that the narrator does not know why she feels or thinks the way she does sometimes. This may indicate to the reader that she is not the most reliable person. The reader can know this also by seeing how her feelings towards things change so rapidly. First, she hates the yellow wallpaper. She says “The wallpaper, as I said before, is torn off in spots, and it sticketh closer than a brother- they must have had perseverance as well as hatred,” “But I don’t mind it a bit- only the paper.” (Perkins-Gilman, 1899). She shows complete opposition but as time goes by, it changes. Later on, she states, “I’m getting really fond of the room in spite of the wallpaper, perhaps because of the wallpaper.” (Perkins-Gilman, 1899). According to the narrator, she is starting to feel better due to the wallpaper and she is fascinated by finding new things about the patterns she likes about the

Many believe that people who think about themselves are self-centered and do not care about the people around them. That is where their wrong. Individualism is not just about one certain person; it is about the whole world. Stated by President Woodrow Wilson, “America is not anything if it consists of each of us. It is something only if it consists of all of us.” (Wilson). This proclamation overall shows how everyone is their own individual self but as a nation we all stand together. People are individuals.