The movie “Falling Down”, released in 1993, depicts an unemployed defense worker who becomes frustrated with society and unleashes that frustration on the Los Angeles community. The movie follows William through is destruction as well as the impact his actions has on other characters in the movie. It becomes apparent that the events and characters in the movie are ideal illustrations of the criminological theories anomie and social control.
Anomie is characterized as a feeling of normlessness. This results from a breakdown of social norms and without these norms to guide an individual they are unable to find a place in society or adjust to the constant changes in life. The consequence becomes the individual feeling a sense of dissatisfaction, frustration, conflict and ultimately deviance. Robert Merton addresses the five ways in which individual adapts to strain by limiting the socially approved goals and means. These five modes of adaptation include conforming, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion. In Falling Down different characters can be linked to one or more of these five adaptations.
The first of these modes is conformity, which means for the individual the emphasis on the goals and means is maintained even though they recognize that the means are restricted. In the opening scene of the movie William “D-Fens” Foster can be seen sitting in traffic visibly upset with the situation. Later in on the viewer learns that William had lost his job a month prior and everyday he goes out in Los Angeles looking for a job. His goal is to find a job that will be able to support him as well as his family. The means of achieving that goes are defiantly restricted. All William can do is search the classified ads a...
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... when the grocery store owner called him a thief William began to lose faith in the system. After that there was the Nazi surplus store owner who thought the two were so much alike, the restaurant that wouldn’t give him breakfast because he was three minutes late, the plastic surgeon that made abundantly more money than he made saving people’s lives, and the highway construction that was a result of greed and not necessity.
Upon watching the movie and understanding the concepts of these two theories it becomes apparent that William was in a state of anomie and he used all five of the modes of adaptation in order to adapt to his strain. William’s ability to enter into the four delinquent modes of adaptation, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion, were a result of the breakdown of his social bonds, attachment, involvement, commitment, and belief.
Conformist is defined by an individual that follows the rules of society. They maintain the “right” way to succeed and work hard to reach those goals. Albert is the greatest example of a conformist from the book. Albert is dedicated to researching the condom usage among prostitutes but does so in the right manner. After being turned down a time or two, she finally got the opportunity to advance her knowledge. Instead of choosing deviant acts in order to obtain the information she was looking for, her patience, motivation, and hard work paid off in the end.
In this story, it became evident to all of the readers that Anse was a very lackadaisical character. This was shown through a passage were he said, ”If I work…. I will sweat… and if I sweat, then I will die.” This passage is precise showing of his lazy attitude towards life. In another passage Addie said, ”Get up, and move then.” Even after that statement, he sill didn’t feel the need to do anything to help others.
...riminal activity. This is because individuals become enthralled with their status in the community and want to achieve it anyway possible. This type of social structure "produces a strain toward anomie and deviant behavior. The pressure of such a social order is upon outdoing one's competitors (Thio, 2006)." Anomie strain theory is a good but difficult theory to implement. It offers "a way of constraining crime by improving the legitimate life chances of those who may otherwise make the choice to innovate defiantly (McLaughlin, 2001)."
...ausing bitterness and disappointment. Relying on their imaginations instead of reality is something both Willy and Jay struggle with and is directly related to their ability of acquiring their unique versions of the American dream. The blatant disregard for honesty leads the protagonist into a world filled with bitter disappointment and artificiality. Thus, as a result the protagonists are susceptible to destruction Dishonesty leading to disappointment and tragedy is apparent in both literary works, "Death of a Salesman," and "The Great Gatsby." Over excessive pride, adultery, and false material security are some of the issues that our protaganists are bothered with, all eventually leading to their demise. Through the works, it is shown, example by example, how dishonesty with family, friends, and most importantly yourself, is destructive to all those around you.
In Raymond Carver's Cathedral “appear...extreme versions of insularity,from a husband's self-imposed confinement to a living room in 'Preservation' to another's pathetic reluctance to leave an attic garret in 'Careful'” (Meyer). One of Carver's chief goals in cathedral is to criticize people who fail, in one way or another, to communicate with society. In almost every short story, the main character suffers from insularity due to a horrible event in his or her life, alcoholism, or a failure to consider others' thoughts and feelings. The stories, “Careful,” “Preservation,” “Cathedral,” and “The Compartment” easily represent the entire novel's theme of the inability to relate with others. Each of these stories shows a slightly different degree of affliction, circumstance, and character types making the entire novel effective to a broad audience. Carver wants people to stop thinking that “[the loss of the ability to interact with others] is something that happens to other people” (Carver 25)
Miller’s use of personification and symbolism in the book shows the situational irony that surrounds Willy. This highlights the overall message of blind faith towards the American Dream. The major case of irony in the book is Willy’s blind faith in the American Dream. This belief is that if one is well-liked, they will become successful. The truth is actually completely opposite. The real belief is that if one works hard, with no regard to how well liked they are, they will be successful. This relationship is shown between Willy and his neighbor Charley. While Willy believes likability is the only way to success, Charley works hard and does not care how people think of him. Through his hard work, Charley started his own business, and is now very successful. Willy, however, ends up getti...
As if to mock the crumbling principles of a fallen era, “The Just Judges” preside over a solemn dumping ground of earthly hell. This flimsy legion of justice, like the omnipresent eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, casts a shadow of pseudo-morality over a land spiraling towards pathos. But Albert Camus’s The Fall unfolds amidst the seedy Amsterdam underground--a larger, more sinister prison than the Valley of Ashes, whose center is Mexico City, a neighborhood bar and Mecca for the world’s refuse. The narrator and self-proclaimed judge-penitent, Jean-Baptiste Clamence, presides over his subjects every night to “offer his services,” although partially dissembled and highly suspect, to any who will listen. More artfully than a black widow preying on her unsuspecting mate, he traps us in his confessional monologue, weaving a web so intricate and complete that no one can escape its clutches.
In Washington Irving’s tale The Devil and Tom Walker, the protagonist, Tom Walker, makes a diabolical pact to act as a broker with his newfound riches. He causes the town’s economics to be in doldrums, and ends up paying his debts on a tragic note. The excerpt aptly reflects the frenzied mindset embodied by the town in the wake of Governor Belcher and their “paper credit” from the previously established Land Bank, projecting an omnipresent desperation that would ensure the success of Tom’s stint. With such monetary terms feeding the protagonist’s ascendancy, the balance behind mercenary and magnanimous virtues becomes apropos to the tale.
When put into an authoritative position over others, is it possible to claim that with this new power individual(s) would be fair and ethical or could it be said that ones true colors would show? A group of researchers, headed by Stanford University psychologist Philip G. Zimbardo, designed and executed an unusual experiment that used a mock prison setting, with college students role-playing either as prisoners or guards to test the power of the social situation to determine psychological effects and behavior (1971). The experiment simulated a real life scenario of William Golding’s novel, “Lord of the Flies” showing a decay and failure of traditional rules and morals; distracting exactly how people should behave toward one another. This research, known more commonly now as the Stanford prison experiment, has become a classic demonstration of situational power to influence individualistic perspectives, ethics, and behavior. Later it is discovered that the results presented from the research became so extreme, instantaneous and unanticipated were the transformations of character in many of the subjects that this study, planned originally to last two-weeks, had to be discontinued by the sixth day. The results of this experiment were far more cataclysmic and startling than anyone involved could have imagined. The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast the discoveries from Philip Zimbardo’s Stanford prison experiment and of Burrhus Frederic “B.F.” Skinner’s study regarding the importance of environment.
The documentary "Valentine Road" connects with many ideas and topics that have been discussed in various theories, lectures, and book readings. This terrifying documentary shows the difficult lives of Brandon McInerney and Lawrence King. An unfortunate incident took place in Oxnard, where King has been shot and killed by McInerney. This entire incident was surrounded in controversy especially because of the fact that King was homosexual. There are quite a few ideas and topics of victimization that can be applied to both individuals, but some applicable ideas and concepts consist of identifying who the victims are and what consequences they suffered and also why, bullying, and criminological theories.
“I couldn’t forgive him or like him, but I saw that what he had done was, to him, entirely justified. It was all very careless and confused. They were careless people, Tom and Daisy — they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made… I shook hands with him; it seemed silly not to, for I felt suddenly as though I were talking to a child” (187-188).
Society is faced with various problems that hinder the development of its communities. These issues affect the society in a numerous of ways and has a major effect on the citizens of the community as well. Social adversities causes grief and is also the cause of crimes and other miscellaneous activities that occur in inequitable areas. In the film, Fruitvale Station, there are abundant amounts of these adversities and societal issues that are illustrated. Fruitvale Station is a great example of a film that shows accurate social issues that occur in today’s society. The movie demonstrates issues of inequality, racial prejudice, gang involvement and also unemployment. It also shows how the people who are forced to live with these issues, fight for survival to maintain to see another day.
The Fall is a criminal, psychological suspense thriller that focuses on Det. Superintendent Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson) and serial killer Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan). The series takes place in Belfast and focuses on how Stella and Paul operate in their own professional and personal lives. Stella Gibson is brought in from London to Belfast to do a review (reviewing all information by the police on a specific murder case, Alice Monroe) to find if the police department made any error in investigating the Alice Monroe case. Paul Spector work as a grief counselor in Belfast, living with his wife and two children. In his off time, Paul is a serial killer. Paul’s first victim, Sarah Kay, is a single solicitor (Lawyer) in her early thirties with
In our modern societies we are surrounded by a lot of social phenomena that are not specified for one person but for the whole society. Some of these phenomena carry a lot of dangers problems that threaten the society and the individuals. People are not aware about these social changes that are happening in our world and how are they affected us, however, sociologists do. Emile Durkheim one of the important sociologists, introduced the term anomie in 1897 . Anomie means a condition in which society provides little moral guidance to individuals.
We are constantly being affected our surroundings. As a result, our attitudes and personalities are a product of our experiences and the various environments in which they occurred . Furthermore, the society we live in presents to us a set of standards, values, and givens that we may or may not agree with. In literature, the society plays a major role in affecting the characters' thoughts and actions. In The Sailor who Fell From Grace with the Sea, The Stranger, and "Medea", the characters are affected by their society, and their actions reflect their conformity (or non-conformity) to it. Ultimately, non-conformity in these works create the conflicts that make the plots interesting.