Social “outcasts” often believe that they are too different to fit in with society. However, they fail to realize that they posses a gift-- the ability to see the world in an entirely new perspective. Mehmet Murat Ildan’s assertion is correct since different viewpoints and actions are likely to become noticed by society, thus blessing the individual. Ildan’s assertion can be found in many instances, specifically in a piece called On Dumpster Diving. This nonfiction piece is about Lars Eighner, a once-successful homeless man who searches for his meals in “dipsy dumpsters.” One might be repulsed by this action, yet Eighner finds that by using his sense of logic, he can use other people’s “trash” to fit his needs-- all for free. This piece
Christopher McCandless, an American traveler, once said “So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservation, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality, nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit.” This quote is far more universally applicable than originally thought to be. Throughout one’s life, one will undoubtedly experience some form of conformity. The driving factor in a majority of these moments is fear; fear of not fitting in, or of not living up to society’s expectations. The only thing that lets one escape conformity is the truth known from past experiences. This
The world is divided up into numerous things: Countries, states, cities, communities, etc. However, when looking at the big scope of things, one can group the vast amount of people into a society. This society is where the majority lie in the scheme of things - in other words, the common people. Individuals do exist in this society, but they are scarce in a world of conformism. Society’s standards demands an individual to conform, and if the individual refuses they are pushed down by society.
Lars Eighner's short essay, "Dumpster Diving," reveals the stereotypes about homelessness in America. In order to confirm these known stereotypes about American culture, Eighner includes autobiographical accounts of the economically inferior class, as well as revealing his elitist rules that governs the life of a homeless person. According to Eighner, homeless people fall into the following categories, 'can scroungers', 'Dumpster divers', and 'scavengers.' (Eighner, 1993). In addition, Eighner's blatant demonstration of his superiority to the people he scavenges from reveals his true character of snobbery.
Step 3: 1. Eighner introduces his arguments through the use of narrative stories and his own personal experiences. He uses this technique to let the reader see firsthand how some people are able to survive off what is carelessly thrown away by others who take what they own for granted. Eighner illustrates this point on page 1, “The necessities of daily life I began to extract from Dumpsters. Yes, we ate from Dumpsters. Except for jeans, all my clothes can from Dumpsters. Boom boxes, candles, bedding, toilet paper, medicine, books, a typewriter… I acquired many things from the Dumpsters.”
In today’s world, we live in a society where we are subjected to follow rules, which are placed upon us by the society. Many people are faced with the dilemma of whether or not to follow the ideals of other people, or pursue their ideals and go against the prevailing conventions. In “Selections from Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer, the author talks about a man named McCandless who went into the Alaskan wilderness in order to find his true self. His journey was also to escape from the societal norms of society. A person who goes into the wilderness believes that they can live their life with brute simplicity. This gives them little to no time with the complicated problems of modern society. Likewise, in “Waiting for a Jew” by Jonathan Boyarin, the author talks about one’s aspiration to find their identity and purpose in the community. He conveys that religious places, like shul, allow an individual to develop a cross- cultural self. The desires and expectations placed upon us by the society shape our strategies of personal identity; therefore, instilling fears that cause us to identify in opposition to our prevailing conventions.
...to be more accepting towards others’ flaws, which will prevent these individuals from coping with their issues in a negative manner. Keeping an open-mind can reduce the possibility of violence within society preventing the individuals susceptible to violent outburst from doing so. This could be achieved by reducing the emphasis placed on conforming to an ideal that is seen in media. By showing society that not every person is the same, we can decrease the amount of people who feel neglected in society. Ultimately, if society were to reject the status quo, then there would be a significant decrease of violence in society by individuals subject to the detrimental degradation from those around them.
Oftentimes, in the public, people have to be “normal” to be successful and accepted. Author William Saroyan believes that society steers people to be conform and fit in, but he disagrees. In the short story “Gaston,” Saroyan shows that carving a unique path can turn out to be erroneous. Through symbolism and contrast, Saroyan conveys the theme that society does not always accept people’s differences.
The subject of “Strangers Like Me” is outcasts in society. In the line, “I wanna know about these strangers like me,” the reader sees that the main character in the song feels like an outsider to his surroundings. The reader can compare this with how the monster feels in Frankenstein. The two can relate with the feeling that everything is new to them, and they do not feel like they belong. Phil Collins goes on to request, “Tell me more, please show me.” People who are foreign to a place tend to ask questions until they begin to understand. The main character in the song is begging for information from these strangers, which mirrors how the monster in Frankenstein has a hunger for knowledge from the cottagers.
Eighner writes, “Long before I began Dumpster diving I was impressed with Dumpsters, enough so that I wrote the Merriam research service to discover what I could about the world “Dumpster”. I learned from them that “Dumpster” is a proprietary word belonging to the Dempsey Dumpster company.” He was so fascinated with Dumpsters, that he learned the definition, which is a fact. A definition can be adjusted; however, it is not completely revised. Definitions are definite. Eighner states, “Eating from the Dumpsters involves three principles: using the senses and common sense to evaluate the condition of the found materials, knowing the Dumpsters of a given area and checking them regularly, and seeking always to answer the question, ‘Why was this discarded?’” He uses his senses to analyze the condition of the things he finds logically. Dumpster diving requires the ability to critically think about what can and can not be eaten. Eighner writes, “Although very rare with modern canning methods, botulism is a possibility. But botulism is almost certainly fatal and often the first symptom is death.” He uses knowledge to understand what the expectations of some foods, especially canned foods, should be. While Eighner uses all three persuasive appeals in his writing, ethos is the most
In the Milgram experiment, Stanley Milgram remarks, “Obedience is as basic an element in the structure of social life as one can point to”. I believe Milgram is saying that to fit in, we must abide by their rules and boundaries, with no questions asked. Rita Mae Brown quotes, “The reward for Conformity is that everybody likes you but yourself.” I believe Brown is saying that no matter how much you work and strive to be something you’re not, it is inevitable that you won’t feel the warm, fuzzy, comfortable feeling of acceptance. However, I believe that being an outcast is not a
In ”Revenge of the Geeks” ,an example can be found in this quote:“...Taylor Swift’s classmates left the lunch table as soon as she sat down because they disdained her taste for country music. Last year, the Grammy winner was the nation’s top-selling recording artist.” pg. 201. In other words, Taylor Swift was excluded from her friend group because they didn’t share the same interests. Similarly, in the poem “Sonnet, With Bird” it states “...I traveled to London to promote my first internationally published book. A Native American in England!” pg. 214. This shows that even Native Americans who travel the world can still feel like a foreigner at times. Lastly, from my own personal experience, I have a family member who always was an outcast during their teen years, but then when they matured as an adult they become very successful with their created business and they didn’t rely on being popular to boost their activity. On the other hand, some may think that kids who were outsiders choose to be by their actions and that people can only be an outsider if they want to be. In “Revenge of the Geeks” an 8th grader says “The smart thing repels girls.” pg. 226. He talks about how his intellectual abilities prevent him from attracting girls. However, many cannot control how they are and can’t control how they’re labeled, and will continuously be called an
Have you ever noticed those few people that are always by themselves or are alienated by others? Maybe it is because they may be poor, or how they dress, or where they are from. There are always those few people that are different, like in “The Doll’s house” how the Kelveys were alienated by their classmates due to what they wore and how they looked like. Being an outsider is universal because it happens in different places around the world. For instance, in “Sonnet, With Bird” the poem by Sherman Alexie, alienation happens all the way in England. Some might argue that it is not universal in the fact that everyone thinks differently or those who are alienated do not mind being alone and end up doing great things.
...inferior cultures are always able to adapt and learn things from larger groups, in contact zone environments the larger groups are finally able to draw things from the smaller cultures as well, and thus transculturation becomes a two-way street. Only when people are made aware of the marginal diversity that surrounds them in everyday life are they able to gain a wider understanding and deeper knowledge of the world around them. They are then able to apply that knowledge to shape and benefit the way they interact with others and operate as a part of a society that is more open, leaving behind the mistake of imagined communities and applying inaccurate definitions to groups of people.
Society is filled with outcasts. Everywhere one looks, there is someone who is different and has been labeled as an outcast by the others around them. People fear disturbance of their regular lives, so they do their best to keep them free of people who could do just that. An example of this in our society is shown in people of color. Whites label people who do not look the same as them as and treat them as if they are less important as they are. The white people in our society, many times unconsciously, degrade people of color because they fear the intuition that they could cause in their everyday lives. Society creates outcasts when people are different from the “norm.”
Life can be changed by a decision made during a single moment. Despite the natural gifts of courage or intelligence of a person, a single mistake can isolate him from the rest of society. In one case this can be cause by public conception. The public believes that this person is morally inferior and singles out that person for ridicule. However, it can also be self-imposed isolation. Either way, that person cannot rejoin his society until he has redeemed himself.