What Does Individuality Mean

Individualism could mean many things, for instance being yourself or simply saying ¨who cares¨. In my opinion, this word means ignoring what other people in a society have to say. It is to just allow yourself to be free and live your life how you want to live your life. For example, Mark Twain's satiric novel, The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn in the Antebellum South on the Mississippi River, published in 1844 promotes individualism through Huckś actions, the novelś main character.The author writes this in order to condemn the racism, Hypocrisy, and slavery of white society, similar to Walt Whitman's Free verse poem, ¨Song Of Myself,¨ from the collection of Leaves of Grass published in 1855, Whitman conveys that everyone has an equal place on this earth and composed of the same atoms .Whitman's purpose for composing this poem is to make the audience feel as if they have equal power in a society since the Industrial Revolution made society feel as if people had little power. Which also comes to a very important researcher named James McPherson, a historical nonfiction researcher who ,wrote ¨What We Fought For¨set during the Civil War describing why and what the North fought for. McPherson purpose is to inform the Union's soldier's motivation and hardships during the war. In the 19th century, being an individual meant that one could live in a society and just try to face them and suffer; however, he or she can just take themselves out of the whole problem by leaving society

To most people individualism is great. It’s one of the greatest qualities a person can have. Being true to themselves, dominate and being exactly what they are, an individual. Many people have to face the

“At the heart of individualism lies the belief that each individual person constitutes the center of one’s universe.” (Wilkens, & Sanford, 2009) Most would say this type of thinking has become ingrained into American culture and the American and even Christian worldview. This is broken down into utilitarian individualism, the pursuit of one’s personal gain; and expressive individualism, artistic and personal expression of uniqueness. Individualism could be simply put as being self-centered and believing that the world revolves around oneself. This belief says that the outcome determines the journey, that the individual is the moral authority, that absolute freedom is priority, and that one’s performance determines their worth. Individualism is a hidden worldview that has the power to affect us all.

Many people across the world have their own definition and beliefs of the word individualism. There is nothing selfish to be able to express ones personality and internal emotions. Being an individual alone could value a person’s overall true character. The claim presented would be opposed by many because people like to feel independent and self-reliant. Individualism in today’s society lets people express themselves, and helps create something small into something big. For a long time now individualism has existed since the founding of our country. History was created by those who showed independence and proved that an individual can do it all.

1) An individualist is considered to be someone with personality and character, someone who is not easily intimidated by social pressure or customs, someone with a personal opinion and a singular view of the world. Because modern society finds it important that people think independently, decide autonomously and take personal initiatives, the concept of individualism has acquired a positive connotation. However, individualism is also linked with the tendency to withdraw from social life and turn in towards oneself.

Individualism in today’s society is the “belief that each person is unique, special, and a ‘basic unit of nature’.” The individualism concept puts an

“Why fit in when you were taught to Stand Out!!” -Dr.Suess. Individualism is greatly discussed by many viewpoints, many for it, as well as against it. “Dead Poets Society” is a film that shows why individualism is needed in our society. Another great example is “What to a slave is the Fourth of July” -Frederick Douglass. Individualism is a great deal in the world, and people should understand what it is like to be an Individual to see that the world wouldn’t be the same if everyone was alike. People should know that we are all meant to be our own person in life and if we were all the same as everyone else in society, the world would be dry and lame.

Emerson demonstrated a skillful use of language and rhetoric to communicate his point. He conveys that the main times in which we should act as individualists are when we are expressing ourselves in “communities of opinion,” when the attitudes or expectations of others limit our potential, when fearing a demonstration of inconsistency in front of others, and when the line between relishing solitude and living as a social hermit is clear. In his essay, Emerson stated, "Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist." Although this originally seems like an extreme statement, Emerson is referring to popular conformity instead of natural conformity.

Individuality is the quality that people that makes each person unique and distinguishable from each other. It is important to remain distinct from others, even among groups of people that are classified as either the same or very similar. While individuality is a concept that many people agree with and want to ensure, the pressure from most people’s lives, including their environment and the people around them, forces individuals to lose who they truly are and morph in order to fit in. I strongly agree that individuality, while important, is difficult to keep because of outside factors, a concept that was presented by Logan Fey.

The concept of individuality is one that has been debated over the decades. Each person holds their own definition of this vague idea, but no one truly knows it at all. The theory of conformity versus nonconformity is based on how a person reacts to society. To be a nonconformist includes questioning society and going against the norm. Society as a whole is typically at odds with others who reject the standards. They are seen as weird or freaks and shamed for being themselves. Logan Feys “The Sociology of Leopard Man” is an informative article that touches down upon this subject, written in 2016. He states that individuality requires individual tastes, value, talents, and goals. Along with that, he expresses how society weighs down upon people and forces them to change. To a degree, Feys is correct. To be an individual and truly unique person one needs their own values, however not their own tastes, and society does put pressure on people to change.

While all people conform to society to some degree we all develop aspects of individuality from our different experiences. Individuality is what makes the human race as successful as it is. It adds creativity and change in an otherwise idle society. Without it there would be no change.

I believe that, essentially, life consists of a series of choices. A grouping of these choices in one direction or another makes us who we are, and ultimately we have control over our lives. What makes one person different from another is his own set of choices. When going through life’s motions, we develop certain worldviews and ideas and values to live by. We develop an opinion of what makes a person “great.” In the well-known essay “Self-Reliance”, Ralph Waldo Emerson provides a beautiful way of approaching these choices, and he reveals a very inspiring set of values centralized around going through life answering only to yourself. I love the way Emerson evaluates the society we live

In “Self-Reliance,” Emerson explicitly states that “whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist” (827). Emerson urges his readers to think for themselves, rejecting the presumptions and traditions of the previous generations, if they should see fit to do so. Acknowledging the dangers of dissent, Emerson admits that “for nonconformity the world whips you with displeasure” (829). Nevertheless, a man cannot be enlightened if he relies solely upon the thoughts and presumed knowledge of those around him; as Emerson put so eloquently, “insist on yourself; never imitate” (840). The endorsement of individuality can be found everywhere in today’s society, and it is one message that seems to have been embraced as a part of American culture itself. As Emerson realized, people tend to be happier when they feel comfortable expressing their own opinions without

I strongly believe that individuality should be valued over conformity. Today I will tell you how precious and rare individuality is, and why we should value it over conformity.

European literature of the late fifteenth century and early sixteenth century was a time marked by increased individualism and an inclination to remove all of the remnants of medieval society. It was a time of protest and reform of the ideals, that were once thought to be correct, to more modern ideas, such as free will and that the self-made individual occupies the center of a rational universe. As this new concept of individualism began to spread, there were apparent discrepancies between the noble ideals presented by the modern renaissance humanists and the reality of human behavior. The discrepancies are shown clearly by the Pico’s “Oration on the Dignity of Man” and Erasmus’ “Praise of Folly.” In the text by Pico, he describes the ideal characteristics of this new renaissance humanist movement emphasizing the individual. While in the text by Erasmus, he shows the shocking reality between human fallibility and human perfectibility.