Individuality can be a tough decision to make. When do you change myself for others? When do you assert yourself as your own person? What if that causes you to be ostracized? Simply opinionated things, such as fashion, politics, and religion, should be claimed by the individual’s choice. U.S. citizens must stand out as individuals to ensure their rights and self-respect, but conformity can be acceptable in case-by-case situations that can be determined by the individual. Social settings, such as in fashion and popularity constructs, should be individual activities, where everyone has a right to stand out as much (or as little) as they please. In an excerpt of Corn-pone Opinions, Mark Twain writes that, “We are creatures of outside influences;
As is human nature, citizens will always try to fit in as best as possible with all others, but they may not truly wish to. In Huckleberry Finn, Huck asserts against Tom Sawyer that, “I think they are a pack of flat-heads for not keeping the palace themselves ‘stead of fooling them away like that. And what’s more—if I was one of them I would see a man in Jericho before I would drop my business and come to him for the rubbing of an old tin lamp” (Twain). Finn is articulating his own individual opinion to the group, unafraid of …”the social rejection that can come with dissenting from a group,” as Jeffrey Walsh expresses in a Kahn Academy video on conformity. Many believe that there is not often a way for individuals to stand out in social situations because of a, “natural instinct to passively yield to that vague something recognized as authority,” as Twain states. But we can see that it is
This freedom of religion is even placed in our own Bill of Rights, as “freedom of religion, speech, and the press.” Some persons do not believe in any God, some believe in many. But overall, the individual has a choice to worship any god or not, to decide to believe in the existence of a higher being, or not. Huckleberry Finn chose the latter, when he was constantly having trouble finding logic in any of the religious lessons of his caretaker, Ms. Watson. He tells, “She told me to pray every day, and whatever I asked for I would get it. But it warn’t so. I tried it. Once I got a fish-line, but no hooks. It warn’t no use to me without hooks. I tried for the hooks three or four times, but somehow I couldn’t make it work. By and by, one day, I asked Miss Watson to try for me, but she said I was a fool. She never told me why, and I couldn’t make it out no way” (Twain). Huck was not at all harmed by the idea, or enactment, of not believing the concepts of religion. Similarly, political viewpoints are also opinions, although many people argue otherwise, thus they should be treated as religion is. Some argue the left, some the right; the only result is how the person votes in a election. Not conforming to a government authority can be helpful in finding the signs of a corrupt government,
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.
As controversial as he is, Mark Twain has been accused by some, of being a racist writer, whose writing is offensive to black readers. His novels have also been labeled as promoting slave-era stereotypes. Therefore, many people believe The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn deserves no place on today's bookshelves. To those of us who have delved wholeheartedly into Twain's wisdom and humanity, such accusations come across as ludicrous. To Twain's critics, the novel is superficially racist for the most obvious reason: many characters continually use the word "nigger". Yet, since the book takes place in the south, twenty years before the Civil War, such semantics were common occurrences. Therefore, should Twain be criticized for being historically correct? One should hope not. A closer reading of the novel also reveals Twain's serious satirical intent. In one scene, for instance, Aunt Sally hears of a steamboat explosion:
Huck Finn, a narcissistic and unreliable young boy, slowly morphs into a courteous figure of respect and selflessness. After Pap abducts the young and civilized Huck, Huck descends into his old habits of lies and half-truths. However, upon helping a runaway slave escape, Huck regains morality and a sense of purpose. Throughout The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Huck lies to characters, casting the authenticity of the story into doubt but illustrating Huck’s gradual rejection of lying for himself and a shift towards lying for others.
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
Mark Twain writes this essay in order to shed light onto his belief that people’s thoughts and actions are influenced by those around them. His belief that people conform to the rest of society fuels his essay. This can be seen when Twain includes his idea that “It is our nature to conform; it is a force which not many can successfully resist” (718). Twain shows that people are beginning to conform without using their own minds to process their decision.
"What is right is not always popular and what is popular is not always right." Whether he knows it or not, the character Huck Finn is a perfect example of the truth in this quote. His struggle between knowing in his mind and what is legal, but feeling in his heart what is moral was predominant throughout the novel. Today, we'll examine three examples of situations when Huck had to decide for himself whether to follow the law, or his heart.
In the book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck rejects "sivilized" life. He dreads the rules and conformities of society such as religion, school, and anything else that will eventually make him civilized. He feels cramped in his new surroundings at the Widow Douglas's house. He would rather be in his old rags and sugar-hogshead because he was free and satisfied. He felt out of place when he tried being "sivilized" because he grew up fending for himself and to him it felt really lonely. Huck Finn grew up living in the woods and pretty much raised himself because his pap was a drunk. He never had a civilized lifestyle and he believed that his way of living was good enough for him. He was free to do what ever he liked and that is how he learned to live. He did not believe in school because all you need to know to live is not found in a book that you read at school. He believed that you learned by living out in the wild. Huck would rather be an individual than conform to society. Huck would rather follow his heart then his head and because of this Huck is ruled as a bad person because in society your suppose to use your head. Huck is being penalized for his beliefs and he does not want to be apart of a lifestyle that does not support his ways. For instance his choice not to turn in Jim shows that Huck understands why Jim is escaping. Huck sees Jim as a friend not as a slave and so he truly is able to see that society's way of treaty Jim is wrong. Huck is portrayed as a boy who sees life at face value and not by the set "standards" of the "sivilized" society. The rejection of the "sivilized" lifestyles shows that Huck does not agree with it rules. Because of this, he is able to see life from different perspectives. He can sympathize with all the class in society. He learns to figure out what is morally correct and wrong. Through out his journey down the river, Huck is able to learn more about himself and others.
"Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth." John F. Kennedy. When we permit ourselves to comply with what our acquaintances, family or public opinion asks of us, we lose the capability to develop into our own person. Conformity, then again, is more than simply the young lady wearing UGG Boots and an Abercrombie hoodie to fit in. It is all the more then just lis...
Over the 129 years for which the book has been in print, Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been regarded with much controversy, for many different reasons. As it has progressed, the subject of this controversy has been almost constantly changing. This essay will explore some of the claims and explanations of the controversy, as well as a discussion on whether the book is even that controversial. While everyone is entitled to their own opinion about this novel, The main complaints seem to revolve around three core topics: Twain’s portrayal of Jim and other blacks, The extensive use of the racial slurs and racism, and the final chapters of the book itself.
In Mark Twain’s intriguing essay “Corn-Pone Opinions”, he discusses the issue of conformity. Twain utilizes repetition and direct claims in order to effectively form a strong opinion on conformity.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is an iconic novel that satirizes many of the romantic writers during it’s time. The main character, Huck, is a young boy who lives with a widow and her sister because of his father’s drunken stupors and abusive ways. When Pap comes to take Huck’s money, Huck gives it away, and out of anger for Huck’s indecency and civilized manners, Pap kidnaps Huck and takes him to live with him. Not long after Huck’s arrival, he escapes and fakes his death and floats towards Jackson Island. There he finds the widow’s runaway slave, Jim. Huck helps Jim escape the many threats of capture and in the end steals him from slavery. Within the novel, Mark Twain uses the topics of personal will, literal and figurative prisons, and the burden of an unequal society to advance the theme of freedom.
Society is not always right. In Mark Twain’s novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a young boy by the name of Huckleberry Finn sets off on a journey along the Mississippi River to get away from his previous lives. One of the main themes in the novel is the conflict between society and the individual. During his time with Widow Douglas, a friendly woman who adopts Huckleberry Finn, he is taught about the importance of education, what is morally right in society, and how to be civilized. On the other hand, Pap, Huckleberry’s father, taints Huckleberry’s mind with his views which differ drastically from Widow Douglas’s guidelines. The moral dilemma that Huckleberry Finn faces between moralities illuminates the main message of individuality.
“Social conformity has been practiced in societies around the world since ancient times,” and the reason it is so effective is that humans have an inherent need to be accepted as part of a group (Sadat). Furthermore, Hossna Sadat reports that:
Conformity is vital to people’s life. Humans, being compound animals, live in a culture that works as a whole. Therefore, if there is a fault, the whole system might disintegrate. So, people are obligated to respect the affairs of others so that they can stay together as a whole. On the other hand Individuality, just like conformity, is necessary to life even despite the fact that modern person may not understand its worth. At one point people may want to be special from all the rest in one way or the other. As a result individuals might dress a bit in a different way as well as choose to do things we actually like. And, for on one occasion, we might create the opinions based on what we actually feel. However, earlier or later we are required to curb our impulsive desires so that society or culture does not tag us as eccentric or else weird, simply for the reason that people fear being alone.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain presents the story of a 13-year-old boy who tries to escape the “sivilized” society by running away from all its constraints. On his way to freedom he meets Jim, a runaway black slave who is hiding from the villagers in order to remain alive. As their ways intersect and since both have similar goals, the two remain together in an attempt to find freedom. This is a pregnant theme in the novel and it applies differently on the two characters: they each want to achieve freedom but each type of freedom is different. They search for the same feeling but with completely different thoughts and wishes. My aim for this essay is to analyze Huck and Jim’s manners of perceiving independence and to illustrate by means of quotations some of the most clear and interesting passages regarding their goals. Also, I would like to discuss the theme of racism which is also an important one in the novel’s development.