The Individual in Society

"Individuality in Society​"​

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            According to Ralph Waldo Emerson, "To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”  I agree wholeheartedly with Emerson's statement.  To be “you” in this world, and be successful while doing it, is a MONSTROUS achievement that deserves much applause. However, I do not believe being your own free thinking, self-expressing person will get you very far in life. Well, at least not for the average Joe.​​

Being your own person is an amazing achievement.  All of us humans pretty much have to be bent and molded into what our society deems an, “adult with a good head on his/her shoulders.”  If corporate America got exactly what they wanted, we would all be ambiguous beings marching into our cubicles, with our white shirts, and our black ties, basically selling our hearts out for a buck in front of our computer screens. Now that all sounds very dismal, but the part that will really make you feel like there is a bullet in your head is this: The closer you are to that ambiguous, heartless, meaningless being, the better off you are.​​

For the sake of argument, I would say it is safe to assume that most jobs are desk jobs, which include all the tasks of sitting in your cubicle, hating your life, crunching numbers, and sending quarterly reports to the higher power, known as, “The Boss Man.”  Now, “The Boss Man” wants to get work done efficiently, quickly, and pay you as little as possible for said work.  This means he wants a person who fits a certain mold. That person is obedient, a “go-getter”, someone who will make him as much money as possible.  Did you see, anywhere in that description, someone who will give their opinion on “The Boss Man’s” work, or is a free thinker? Neither did I.  Being your own person and pursuing your dreams will NOT get you a job in today’s society; you must fit the mold the “The Boss Man” sets to even hope to put food on your table.​​

Another thing that kind of snuffs that flame of individuality is the “rules” society has.  People tend to like people who are like themselves, or are what we call “normal”.  You, strolling in with your “artistic” or “expressive” clothing, may get the police called on you.  We can see how society treats others who are different by looking at the gay community.  There are many people who believe being a homosexual is grounds to be put into a place of eternal suffering.  We, as a society, even see the word “gay” as an insult, or describing something that is inferior.  We can also look at rebels; society views them as dangerous people, or those with lower intelligence.  Rebels are those who go out of their way to do things differently, and this upsets those who like to stay in their own bubble of comfort and “normality”.​​

Now, there still are some people who say diversity is key to our survival. They are right, genetically speaking. However, when it comes to people’s thought processes, they are totally wrong.  Just look at racism, someone hating someone else based on looks. The same goes for sexism.  The most extreme form of diversity being a pitfall to the world is religion.  Just look at Jews and Muslims--they have been killing each other for thousands of years, pretty much based on differences in books they read. All of these scenarios show how people do not respond well to diversity; people's responses to diversity simply create tension in our society.​​

While there may be some who say society needs diversity, and being “you” is extremely important, in all practical uses, diversity is nothing but a hindrance. So be ready to kick down the door of your suburban middle-class home or apartment, hop into your lightly used Ford Taurus, and drive ever so carefully to get to the office. Then, you can greet the “Boss Man”, forced smile pinned across your face as you shake his hand, and go continue to make him money. You can even continue to wear that security blanket of false individuality that you have been told you have had all through these years; whatever helps you sleep at night.​

---Bailey Mann, Grade 10

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The Effects of the Deterioration of Mankind:

An Analysis of the Diminishing Societies in Lord of the Flies

                 

Across the world today, different societies, which are variously affected by their environments, interact with one another amicably, because their series of standards have influenced them to treat others with respect. Since the creation of mankind, environments have influenced their inhabitants to create and share a common culture, often primal or civil. In Lord of the Flies, the sudden cease of civilization causes young boys to abandon their rigid moral code and prim politeness to become primal beings. In Lord of the Flies, the juvenile English schoolboys repeatedly illustrate that, once all source of civilization degenerates, people morph into savages, which William Golding foreshadows through imagery.

                  Once the British schoolboys are marooned on the island, Golding quickly utilizes the setting to evoke suspense in his readers. The use of negative connotations, dreary adjectives, and morose verbs quickly create a sense of fear and suspense, before the plot is even unwoven. Immediately after landing, Ralph describes the island: “The ground beneath them was a bank covered with course grass, torn everywhere by the upheavals of fallen trees, scattered with decaying coconuts and palm saplings. Behind this was the darkness of the forest proper and the open space of the scar” (7). The hiatus from the boys’ accustomed scenery cause them to explore the island and notice the solemn scenery. The negative connotations of the plants strewn across the island, rancid fruit scattered, and a wound on the island, the site of the plane crash, reminds the boys of the battles being fought in Europe. The audience can assume that the youth crashed on the island during the 1940s, while evacuating England during German bomb raids. Golding describes the island as if a war had passed through it to emphasize the fact that the boys cannot escape the destruction of society resulting from conflicts.​

                  The youth’s sudden placement on the uninhabited island foreshadows the choice of maintaining their civility or returning to primal instincts. Golding’s description of the terrain directly correlates the children’s survival on the island to the adaptations the indigenous plants endured: “There was not enough soil to grow to any height and when they reached perhaps twenty feet they fell and dried…” (9). According to the text, the boys cannot make the wrong decision between savagery and sophistication. If they do, their lives on the island will shorten, similar to the plants’ shortened stature. In the novel, there is no room for flaws. The trees lack soil, which cause them to die prematurely at a substandard height, and the humans will die from faulty decisions: Both foliage and beings lack space for mistakes. Golding presumes the boys will attempt to reach their full potential on the island by continuing their British lifestyle, but a savage’s mishap will result in their sudden death. For example, Piggy was finally gaining respect and his ideas were gaining praise, but one of Jack’s tribe members killed Piggy by ambushing him with a rock. Both Simon and Piggy, the minorities in the fight for modern culture, die while influencing Jack’s tribe to return to their traditional, cultured ways. ​

Quickly, the young boys became accustomed to the island, but soon another conflict arises. The heat is still a nuisance: “Nothing moved but a pair of gaudy butterflies that danced round each other in the hot air” (51). The butterflies emphasize the boys’ lethargy from the heat; the only beings willing to exert energy are the graceful butterflies. The boys’ clothes ceased to aid them, but they continued to wear them as a symbol of their English culture. Without clothes, the boys would return to a primitive age. Their clothing is the single bond Jack’s tribe and Ralph’s group share as a tie to their prior life in England; otherwise, all hope of escaping the dreariness of the island would diminish.​

While the boys adjust to their surroundings, assemblies are held to discuss the roles of each person, crucial for surviving the island. Ralph becomes the leader, which results in his archetype of government. After the boys’ form of government begins to lose committed members, imagery describes the infinite possibilities of the future: “The assembly looked with him, considered the vast stretches of water, the high sea beyond, unknown indigo of infinite possibility, hear silently the sough and whisper from the sea” (81). The imagery and personification of the colossal ocean foreshadows the future. At an assembly, the youth gaze towards the horizon and shimmering sea, as if they are awaiting a whisper of predictions: They are unsure of joining Jack’s tribe or remaining loyal to Ralph; their ambivalence is emphasized through the scene’s imagery. The sea is large and contains unknown marine life and treasures. Similar to the plethora of water, the future events are unknown and mysterious.​

Before the boys abandon Ralph, William Golding foreshadows the demise of the island’s final source of civilization through the imagery of the environment. The island is described as being ready to explode: “A steady current of heated air rose all day from the mountain and was thrust to ten thousand feet; revolving masses of gas piled up the static until the air was ready to explode” (134). The thick humidity of the air waits to detonate. The air might allude to the Big Bang Theory. According to the theory, the universe was extremely hot and dense before the universe was created. Such similarity foreshadows a new beginning for the island. After the metaphorical explosion, and end of the current civilization, the boys will return to primal instincts and gradually civilize until they reach the equivalent standards of England.​

William Golding’s constant use of descriptive imagery foreshadows the future demise of society and the return of savagery.  Unlike the advanced civilizations of the Western Hemisphere and Great Britain, the boys are stranded on an uninhabited island. While there, they are forced by nature to choose between civility and hostility. The boys could either reside by their accepted social and moral codes, or they could return to primal instincts. The majority of the boys choose to return to their instincts, and the cycle of creating a new civilization slowly creates a dystopia, until a naval officer rescues them. In this novel, the constant parallel of nature to society emphasizes the indelible influence an environment has on its population. ​​​

---Holly Morrison, Grade 11

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Girl: Then by that mentality going up there would only cause even more war and strife.

 

Boy: But change can go both ways. Of course, some won’t like it and we’ll all go to war with each other, but some, such as myself, will welcome it.

 

Girl: But is war the cost we’re willing to pay? For the sake of exploration?

 

Boy: Yes, we are.

Girl: Why?

 

Boy: Because Human life is precious. But the Human spirit? Even more so. To explore, to discover, to… understand. It’s hard-wired into our minds. It’s not something that we just desire to do… We need to do it. Regardless of how much death and destruction lies ahead of us.

 

Girl: That’s a little brutal, don’t you think?

 

Boy: Yeah, it is. But it’s also something that we can never prevent.

 

Girl: But we need to at least have hope, and although a large amount of hope is folly, just its presence alone is inspiring. I agree with you, though.

 

Boy: With what?

 

Girl: That nothing can get in the way of Human progress.  Whatever we, as a whole species, are faced with, we always pull through in the end. Everything works out. Sure, we might nearly destroy ourselves one day, but in the end… I feel like whatever happens, is meant to happen.

 

Boy: I think if the entire world adopted that philosophy... Who am I kidding, we’d all still kill each other regardless.

 

(both chuckle, but the chuckle fades)

 

Girl: At least it’s something true, and we can hold on to it. It let’s us cope.

 

Boy: At least. (sighs) Nothing can stop the future. Somehow, it’s comforting to me.

---Eric Martin, Grade 9