Analysis Of The Essay 'Medfield, Massachusetts' By John Preston

To me the question of American identity is partly a question of character. I think in order to survive in a democratic society, we must be able to pass these ideals on to our younger generation so they learn to value the commitment of all citizens to civic responsibility. Also, to instill in them character traits such as honesty and personal responsibility that are necessary to support a democratic political culture. In John Winthrop’s "City upon a Hill" he talks about how we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill, meaning that all eyes are upon America, and in order to avoid destruction we must come together as one despite our differences and provide for our future generations.

It is a well-known fact that belonging to a group can make an individual feel not only accepted, but more powerful that if they were on their own. Whether it is a community, youth group or even religion, belonging is an everyday occurrence of like that many of us do not even realise. Belonging to a group is more influential than belonging to an individual. We can see this in the texts The Crucible by Arthur Miller, 1984 by George Orwell and the listening task. Belonging to a group can give you a feeling of acceptance, but also can help you not to be targeted or marginalised. Also, people who appear to belong to groups, when looked at closer, in truth do not belong. Belonging to a group can also give you more power as a

Throughout history the benefit of fitting within a social group has been discernable. That old adage “We’re stronger together” has had its roots in the very conception of society. You can accomplish more with a group of people than you can alone. The more this group of people expands, the more intricate their function in the society becomes, and therefore, the more influential that society is. However, what happens when, within the complex labyrinth of society and the members needed to keep its mechanisms moving, that society is faced with a piece it cannot work in to its machinery? The great coils of that society shutter at that idiosyncrasy, they ostracize it, but what

group, even for whites on the bottom rung, confers a social status and recognition which

Many, if not most, of the people in today's generation are constantly judged by others and even themselves based on what their identity comprises of. The concept of racial injustice and inequality among ethnic minorities constantly fills the media. Women's rights issues seem to arise rapidly whenever a single female is mistreated in the slightest way. The debate on homosexuality is also an enormous topic in our social lives today, with millions of supporters for it, but also millions against it. This internal segregation within our own human population is nothing new, since it has been continuing ever since verbal and written communication with each other has existed. All these components, and many more, are a huge part of what identifies a

Through the careful reading of American Colonies, written by Alan Taylor, it is clear that there are vast differences as well as a number of similarities between the European competitors as they began to colonize the Americas but diversity can also be found within the colonies they would create. American Colonies shows a close relationship between climate, the state of the economy, and the development of slavery. The varying climate within the Americas proved to have an enormous impact on the source of revenue a colony would rely on to support its economy and this choice of trade would then quickly affect the need for slaves or lack thereof.

Prior to the American Revolution, each of the colonies had its own form of currency that was used to settle financial transactions. During the Revolutionary War, the Congress began issuing large amounts of paper money, known as Continentals, which would be redeemed for gold and silver after the war ended. The states also began to issue their own paper currencies, and since these issuances were not regulated, paper money soon became nearly worthless. When the war ended, the individual states continued to control and regulate their own currencies, using mostly coins from Portugal, Spain, France and England. However, there was no consistency among the states in exchange rates for these foreign coins, which made it difficult to carry out transactions. The creation of the dollar as the monetary unit and coinage for the new nation was logical and necessary because it helped to unify the colonies and to establish an identity for the new nation that was separate from its European origin.

D B Q      Americans in the colonial period were primarily concerned with matters of religion and conscience. In every aspect of their society, religion and morality was one of the first things that came into focus.      In 1688, a group of Quakers voted in favor of a resolution against slavery. Their reason for doing this was that slavery was bad enough for any human being to partake in, let alone Christians like themselves. The Quakers were a non-discriminatory group of people who believed in religious as well as personal freedom.

The contents of this assignment will include multiple psychological theories to explain what ways an individual’s behaviour changes when he/she is part of a group. These theories will define social influence, conformity procedures within groups and social cognition, including the self-categorisation theory. Social groups are used in everyday living to represent beliefs, to work, play and to socialise. Groups can have a negative effect on an individual. Not been part of a group due to exclusion or stereotyping can create a negative effect.

Identity is a substantial component of a person, it’s something that determines who they are and help establish themselves with people who you find enjoyable and shares similar interests. It could bring people together, and provide a sense of belonging and unity. However, there are times where these people who are within certain cliques are perceived more negatively or believe that all people within that group perpetually have a certain set of traits. In most cases, these negative perceptions lead to discrimination and conflict, and obscures the positive and more genuine traits of an individual. In S.E. Hinton’s book, The Outsiders, there are a group of poor and lower-middle class teens who are labeled as the greasers. This group of wild teenagers

The landscape of New England was covered by a massive ice sheet called the Laurentide glacial sheet extending all the way down to New York. The physical footprint of this ice flow left prehistoric fossils embedded in the soil throughout New England. As the sheet receded, it left a trail of debris which scraped the land forming mountain bluffs, rivers, lakes and ponds. Such areas like Springfield, Hadley, Amherst, and Sunderland were later communities that developed after Lake Hitchcock which covered the valley drained out and receding into the current bank of the Connecticut River. The emptying of the basin flowed right down to the Atlantic Ocean emptying in Connecticut. Prior to European settlers such towns were previous Native American lands

Who are you? Who am I? These are questions that we all ponder at some point or another in our lives. As human beings we are seemingly inundated with the desire to classify and categorise. We are constantly defining and analysing the differences that we observe in the world, it seems only natural that we would apply this method of classification to our position within our society. More specifically, we want to understand our social identities and this can be achieved by acknowledging which groups we identify most with.

Memberships in different types of groups contribute to feelings of belonging in social groups. Shy people, like myself, have a hard time fitting into groups of people, they tend to be quiet when around new people and they might feel like they do not belong because they feel uncomfortable. Being a family member can most defiantly give people a feeling of belonging because they are around people they are confortable with and they can be themselves. Being a member of a group at work can give people a feeling of purpose and belonging because they are can contribute what they know and be productive.

In-groups, out-groups, and reference groups all affect and are affected by socialization. In-groups are a group toward which one feels loyalty. In-groups provide a sense of belonging and help shape our perceptions of the world. This can bring positive consequences, such as our tendency to excuse the faults of people we love and to encourage them to do better. Out-groups are a group toward which one feels antagonism. Dividing the world into "we" and "them", which can be a result of in-groups, can sometimes lead to acts directed against the out-groups. It can lead to discrimination, hatred, and even murder. You can see the sociological significance of in groups: They shape your perception of the world, your views of right and wrong, and your

An individual’s identity is shaped and created by many factors such as family, culture, and friendship groups (Trepte, S. 2206). The individual’s personal identity of “self” may alter when interacting with any of these groups due to the influence and the characteristics these groups possess (Burke, PJ. Sets, JE. 2000). The human desire to feel a sense of belonging is the driving force for individuals to create themselves around particular groups (Trepte, S. 2206). When people find out that their experiences, thoughts and feelings are mirrored by other people, an immediately connection is formed due to the understanding that they are not isolated in their experiences (Rogers, W.S. 2011). The common ground individuals find in others, allows for the formation of groups (Trepte, S. 2206). The “commonality” amongst certain groups of people allow for Social Categorization (Burke, PJ. Sets, JE. 2000). Social