The general argument made by author Logan Feys in his work “ The Sociology of Leopard Man,” is that Leopard Man doesn’t flaunt his leopard spots for attention, and he prefers living in solitude then around people. More specifically, Feys argues that people who do outrageous piercings, tattoos, and hair mutilations are “ Non Conformists” who do all of this for society's attention. However, Leopard Man is one of those true “ Non Conformists” who got the leopard spot tattoos because he felt earnest about getting them. It’s actually quite the opposite because he lived on an island in solitude. He ventures into civilization only when he needs food and supplies ( He wears clothes to cover up his colorful body) ( par. 3). He writes “ Society looks down upon freakish and extraordinary individuals alike and views them with suspicion.” In this passage, Feys is suggesting that the people who are risk takers, and those that want to express themselves no matter what their outtake is from society they will always look at them as “ Freaks.” In conclusion, Fey’s belief is that we should try to get away from society time to time. …show more content…
In my view, Feys is wrong because you can tell there are those people who do outrageous things to seek attention, and those who do things for their own approval and happiness like Leopard Man. Leopard Man was one of those “ Non Conformists” who showed us that being ourselves and striving for our own satisfaction and happiness was one of the greatest things you could ever achieve; sadly he passed away on June 16, 2016 at 80 years old and he died in a care home. When he was 70 years old he changed his small cozy home and island for a house in Broadford, Skye. More specifically, I believe that even though it seems that we do things to seek attention from society and people around us it’s not true because we do things to express ourselves in our own
The social hierarchy is something that is hard to escape wherever you are, but our society has made it almost impossible to ignore no matter how old you are or how good of a family you come from. In Hamlin Garland’s short story, “Under the Lion’s Paw,” there is a slew of social hierarchy and power for wealthiest man in the story; while the poor man is just looked at as nothing. This happens in our society everyday and it can hurt the people under ridicule so much, surprisingly nothing is ever done to fix it. Consequently letting the predicament continue to get worse. Furthermore, shouldn’t social hierarchy be based on more than just the amount of money you make? It is preposterous to not consider who that person is in society; like what they do to better our community, how they carry themselves and treat other people, and the history of their families. If we continue to base the worth or rank of the people in our world, we will continue to pass up people that could do so much for our world, but are never given a fair chance because of how we rank usefulness in this world.
The term self-control, tends to be associated with behavior and emotions. Most would think of controlling behavior caused by emotion. They think of punching the wall because of anger, or not wanting to cry in public. In chapter 8 of the book “The Social Animal” by David Brooks. Brooks confronts misconceptions in the way people view self-control. Specifically, Brooks argues that self-control is more about what the mind gives attention too than about the controlling the emotion or action. Brooks uses the character of Erica and her tennis career to explain how to have self- control. Brooks explains, “She was reminding herself that she had a say in triggering which inner self would dominate her behavior. All she had to do was focus her attention
Individuality is a valued character in society and is what makes us who we are, if we lose our individuality and conform we lose ourselves. In the article “The Sociology of Leopard Man” by Logan Feys, the author describes what he thinks it means to be an individual and the dangers of conformity. Leopard Man lives in seclusion and is covered in tattoos, Feys uses him as an example of an individual that does not care what the world thinks of him. I agree almost completely agree with Feys’s ideas about individuality. I agree because of Feys’s points about false normality, and how going against conformity is what makes an individual, however I disagree with his repeated use of the word freak, but see why he would use this language.
Life is not something simple as we often prefer. There are many different approaches and in most instances we will not find the desired fulfillment in any of them. In the short story “Parkers Back” written by Flannery O’Connor we have a multi-faceted view into the life of the primary character O.E. Parker. In addition we see into the life of Sarah Ruth, Parker’s wife and possibly into the life of author Flannery O’Connor, who died shortly after completing this short story. The characters in this story deal with Tattoos from totally different perspectives and get completely different results. Tattoos are the focal point of the story and prominent on many occasions. Without purpose in life people often make bad decisions which impact the rest of their lives and those they interact with. How often do we pretend to be something or somebody we are not, and have to live with the unpleasant results?
As best stated by writer Paul Auster, “the truth of the story lies in the details.” When it comes to novels, the reader must partake in a close reading to get to the nitty gritty of what the author and/or characters of that novel are trying to say. We The Animals, by Justin Torres, is the perfect example of such a novel. There were endless messages throughout the novel linking story lines to one another from beginning to end. However, it is not easy for the reader to understand such details because Torres constantly withholds information from the audience. Torres did not want to easily give up the information; instead he would leave clues for the reader to pick up on. I had to re-read the novel over and over to understand the meanings behind the story. In particular, the chapter “Heritage” caught my attention. This chapter unveiled the true meaning of the word identity to the main characters, also know as the brothers. The
Another point I agree with is that it's a lot easier to just fit in and not lead the train and being yourself. I personally know from experience. Growing up I always tried to conform just to fit in with the people that surrounded me. It's not just me that i've seen conform to fit in, i've seen many of my friends conform to fit in with the crowd. All around me, everyday people are conforming and changing to fit in with the society.
Familial conflict is inevitable in all families, but will naturally fade as time passes because of the heavy influence of family life. However, more stubborn families will not be able to reconcile as easily, or sometimes never. In Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, Krakauer relates to the rigid relationship Chris McCandless has with his family, with the exception of Carine.
The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were a time of great social and political change. With an influx of immigrants rushing to work in factories, the dynamics of culture were swiftly changing. The naïve, new Americans were easily persuaded into making decisions in voting that were greatly influenced by the corrupt individuals guiding them (Sinclair, 1906, pp. 97-98). Unknowingly, these immigrants were working very hard to prevent themselves from achieving the heavily desired “American Dream.” Upton Sinclair’s own political beliefs are reflected in his startling novel, The Jungle, which details a believable account of such an immigrant’s experience. Though it is often thought of as an exposure of the unsanitary meat packing industry,
Margaret Mead is one of the most influential anthropologists to modern society due to her anthropological research and her outspoken demeanor on any topic. Mead’s research was groundbreaking in an era where places like Samoa were still seen as the paradise away from the civilized world. Her efforts to transform the unknown societies of the Samoans into visual imagery for the Western world were successful and resulted in the book, Coming of Age in Samoa: A Psychological Study of Primitive Youth for Western Civilization, originally published in 1928. This book made the exotic and misunderstood cultures of the Samoans tangible for the general population. Mead’s special effort to debunk the myth of unavoidable childish adolescence was paramount in her work in Samoa, specifically adolescent females. Margaret Mead established in her work, Coming of Age in Samoa, that adolescence does not need to be the unwieldy and uncomfortable period in life that Western culture portrayed as “stormily” (Mead 5).
To survive in society, one must fit in. There are many reasons that people always try to be like everyone else. Some are unsure and others are afraid of being different. Many people change themselves just to fit in. Although tattoos used to be a sign of rebellion, they are now common. In Tattoos were once a sign of rebellion – no...
While reading Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer it was interesting but not chronologically in order. Who randomly decides to throw everything away to prove to his parents that he can live without them? Who would throw away all the good things in life and burn their money just to go live in the Alaskan woods to survive for a little? Not very many people would throw away all of those things just to go live in the wild. They most likely would move away from their parents not just leave to somewhere, where no one could ever find them.
Individualism and conformity--two very commonly used terms to describe anyone in today’s time. In comparison to the article “The Sociology of Leopard Man,” written by Logan Feys, one of the most notable quotes that relates to individualism and conformity is “to be a human is to be an individual human, with individual tastes [...][and]talents [...] that are distinct from those of others. Living in society, we are under constant pressure to surrender our individuality to the will of the majority, the school, the workplace, the family, …” (Feys Par. 6). To be truthful, conformity and nonconformity are used to determine a person’s inner-being, but every person is different, and in this case people will not always agree with each other on how they should live.
Kosut, M. (2006). An Ironic Fad: The Commodification And Consumption Of Tattoos. The Journal of Popular Culture, 39(6), 1035-1048. Retrieved November 29, 2013, from http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5931.2006.00333.x
Many people have been getting tattoos lately. People of all ages have been getting them and from all different backgrounds. On a nice day in just about any public place one can spot a tattoo about every five minutes, from the business man who had a portrait of his daughter put on him to a young girl with a butterfly on her ankle and even people with extensive tattoo coverage. What is even more interesting is the rise in the number of people who are heavily tattooed and that they come from all different backgrounds. Not too long ago tattooing did not experience the popularity in mainstream culture that it does now. The question that must be asked in order to understand this fascination that popular culture has had with tattoos is why people get tattoos.
People that has tattoos, piercings, and/or body modifications are not all deviant until they cross the social