In this selection from the autobiography of Malcolm X titled “My First Conk”, readers will find out about Malcolm X's first real step towards what he calls “self-degradation”. Although there is no exact thesis stated in the excerpt there are still clear points stated throughout the reading. When Malcolm X wrote this piece the idea was to show the reader how society can make one feel like they must change to be considered better than who and what an individual really is. It is also expressed that one's individuality can be taken away and the negative outcomes one can struggle with after that change. It is described that society can be a truly horrifying thing and the ways men and women try to fit in can be both shameful in the long
This paper aims to clarify the strengths of Parsons’ arguments, such as the functionality and effectiveness of certain systems within our culture, while contrasting the outdated viewpoints which he presents that might not be as applicable in today’s modern times considering the amount of social changes and open opportunities that are now available to both sexes. Parsons introduces his ideas on the “kinship system” by discussing the family structure, focusing in on the various life stages that a child goes through to emancipate themselves from the ties they have gained from their parents and other family members. The familiarity and comfort of such ties eventually become a burden and must be cut off in order for an individual to become a fully functional member of our society. The article goes on to state that one of the most difficult stages of growing older would be adolescence, where a “youth culture” is practiced, allowing for a passageway meant to ease “the difficult process of adjustment from childhood emotional dependency to full ‘maturity’” (Parsons 1943: 301). This serves to provide one
“ Identity depends as much on others as on oneself” Our identity is simply what makes us unique and differentiates us from the rest of our society. We each possess individual qualities that define ourselves from the categories of race, culture, class and religion. Although to conserve these qualities is almost impossible as we are influenced by the people around us, this concept can be highlighted in the texts of Shakespeare's ‘Othello’ , ‘The Tattooist’ by Anne Vick and the movie ‘Stand By Me’ by Rob Reiner. Each of these texts exhibit the same motif of change and confirm that the people around us sway our individual identity. Shakespeare’s Othello is a perfect example of identity development.
Mindset and the Environment It is said that our surroundings greatly affect our mindset as well as the way we live. In the essay “On Habit”, written by Alain de Botton, the idea we are in control of our lives is questioned and new ideas are introduced. It seems that people are capable of completely evolving in life simply through changing their outlooks. Although a person’s environment may have an impression on who they become, the important thing lies in the way they perceive it. Appreciation for the smaller things in life allows one to make the best out of a bad situation.
Brave New World Timed Writing Throughout our society in this current day and age, it seems to be one of the most, if not the most crucial thing to a person to be socially accepted by others. Conforming to society is what will get a person to be acknowledged and desired by others. However, a person will often go through countless episodes of moral questioning and introspect. This idea of the tension between a character's outward conformity and inward questioning acts as a strong theme throughout the novel, Brave New World. The author, Aldous Huxley, demonstrates this theme through means of one particular character, Lenina.
Because of Who They Are One always looks to blame someone for the way that they have chosen to live their lives or for the way they have acted. Such is what occurs in the fiction novel Once in a Promised Land written by Laila Halaby. Halaby’s novel incorporated the ways in which the characters in her novel were either individuals or outcasts of their society and the manner in which culture seemed to affect such relation after the tragic 9/11 events. Each character, such as Jack, Jassim, and Salwa, faced a different problem in society, though all issues seemed to originate from the effects of two cultures colliding, American and Islamic. While two of these characters attempted to make one culture by combining their two cultures, the other
The cultural aspect of the sociological imagination involves the “learned ideas, values, knowledge, rules and customs shared by members of a collectivity” (Holmes et al, 2003, pg 11). Culture in the sociological imagination allows the comprehension of why people hold certain ideas and values, and follows certain rules and customs. The critical aspect of the sociological imagination stipulates the initiative to analyze. Although it is, by human nature, to assume the meaning of actions carried out by people, C. Wright Mills claims that assumptions are not enough. Through assumptions, many things are taken for granted and the true meaning is not revealed.
As people and cultures transcend boarders, it is becoming increasingly important to retain a culturally relative perspective in terms of culture. An aspect of cultural relativity is linguistic relativity, which is the understanding that language is a reflection of the culture. This means words cannot be simply translated, they must be understood from a cultural perspective. This paper will illustrate linguistic relativity through utilizing Grace Harris’s definitions of individual, self and person (Harris 1989: 601-604) as means of analyzing Ernst Callenbach’s utopian novel Ecotopia and Western culture, specifically the United States. In this novel United States journalist, William Weston, enters into the utopian world of Ecotopia.
In most cases, society affects it by the formation of prevailing fashions and cultural characteristics of the times, which are commonly called the custom. This is deeply rooted in the propaganda and education, as well as based on the development of politics and economy. People are exerted a subtle influence on while they may not recognize the fact. One who defy it would be viewed like an ‘alien’ and unable to integrate into society However, it is worthy of further discussion that the way people look, dress and act can represent what the whole society holds and values comprehensively and accurately. When speaking from the personal level, the answer tends to be negative.
However, the culture establishes the norms and defines how leadership has to work. A leader is the responsible to understand how to create people alignment in different cultures, and to cause damages to cultures that are not working properly, according to Shein (2004). Dickson et al. (2012) outlines that the way leaders are perceived in several cultures can be compared as culture impact in leadership. Those who do something relevant to society, whose distribution of power is hugely stratified, can be in the future imitated for other cultures.