Conformity In The Chocolate War

In Anthem and “Harrison Bergeron” one could see that a similar theme is that going against the grain causes consequences. According to “Harrison Bergeron” a ballerina states that “ ‘Harrison Bergeron age fourteen,’ she said in a grackle squawk, ‘has just escaped from jail, where he was held on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government. He is a genius and an athlete, is under-handicapped, and should be regarded as extremely dangerous.’ (...) The picture showed the full length of of Harrison against a background

Initially, this story starts off positive as the author describes happy children, a quaint village, and a content group of citizens. However, there are quite a few instances of foreshadowing and satire that help underline the prevalence of conformity within society. For example, early on in the story, a young boy named Bobby Martin is seen gathering stones, and unusual action that reveals its satirical nature in the end. But the particularly important part is shown in the quote, “Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example”. This early instance of conformity sets the tone for the rest of the story by showing how readily the people of this town will blindly follow the lead of another person. Later on in the story, Jackson uses two more examples to show how pervasive and damaging conformity can be in society. When the townspeople are

While at the school (called Trinity) the vice principal encourages the students to help with their annual fundraising event of selling chocolate. Meanwhile, a secret group in the school called The Vigils plans to tear the student body apart from the inside with the help of the chocolate sales. The leader of The Vigils, Archie, first tries to get Jerry to not sell any chocolate for ten days. Jerry follows through and does not sell any chocolate, even after the ten days has passed. Jerry finds himself just not motivated enough to participate to sell any of the chocolate. Many of the students seem him as a hero for going against what the school has to offer, but of course The Vigils and vice principal are upset no conflict has arisen between the students and Jerry has not sold any

Charles Dudley Warner once said, “We are half ruined by conformity, but we should be wholly ruined without it”. In today’s society, many tend to question their role in civilization, and what contribution it radiates throughout the world. Society as a whole has both its positives and negatives, but overall, many recognize that society and its expectations creates many constraints, forcing people to conform to a reality that has thus been created for them. Whether these conformities are considered “in the right” is essentially up to the person themselves, and whether they continue to follow through with these actions that place them under such a notional societal umbrella. Ultimately, people will do what is necessary to feel that they have a

The line on the wall is not always clear. The vast majority of people like to think they will stand against the masses if they believe they are right, unfortunately this is far from the truth. Asch wanted to investigate what drove people to act the way they do in group settings, like in the concentration camps of Nazi Germany. Asch took a simplistic approach looking at what drove the need to conform and follow directions. He proves with his conformity experiment, just how completely our need to follow the crowd is, we are driven by the masses and our need to conform to the group standards of behavior.

Throughout the novel, there is a repetition of the fact that everyone is following a fixed and perpetual schedule. For example, Jerry asks his father about his day in the beginning of the novel, only to get a reply saying that everyday of his father’s life was the same and monotonous. Jerry then thinks that “he hated to think of his own life...that way, a long succession of days and nights that were fine, fine-not good, not bad, not great, not lousy, not exciting, not anything.” This demonstrates that Jerry wants change because he is concerned and fears that his life is going to follow the same daily routine. Another example of Jerry wanting change in his life is his locker poster that reads “Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?” The more Jerry looks at the poster, the more he understands the meaning, he claims “Yes, I do, I do” to the question. Jerry understands the meaning behind the man on the beach alone and not afraid, making himself known in the universe. This shows that Jerry himself also wants to disturb the universe by standing alone and being different, and making himself known in the school by refusing to sell the chocolates. Therefore, Jerry does not sell the chocolates because he wants a change from the daily monotonous schedule that he follows every single

Chicago served as a home to numerous walks of life in the 1950’s, and much of the differences in realities were based on differences in race and people’s opinions of segregation. Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun is based off of real life experiences, and it authentically tells the story of an african american family that strives for equality and The American Dream. Walter Younger, the father of the family, battles with deferred dreams of his own and for his family. Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun and Nina Simone’s song “I Wish I knew How It Would Feel to Be Free” both portray Walter’s emotions throughout his daily struggles with his family as they dealt with segregation and destitution.

Every decision you make is essentially a committee act. Members chime in, options are weighed, and eventually a single proposal for action is approved by consensus. The committee, of course, is the densely knit society of neurons in your head. And “approved by consensus” is really just a delicate way of saying that the opposition was

Is fear the only thing to fear? Maybe it is, maybe it is not. Fear is a strong emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat. Some people use fear to control the people around them. Someone that uses fear to control others is called a demagogue. Bosses at work, teachers, coaches, parents, and bullies are some examples of people that use fear to control others. It is important to be aware of because parents, teachers, and coaches may do it to teach right from wrong. However, a bully will do it maliciously. Fear is used to control the characters in the book The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier. Cormier uses a teacher and a group leader to show how fear is used to control other people.

Throughout the course of the year, as a class, we have discussed countless works from a variety of authors, artists, directors and speakers. One overarching theme from these works is the ability that a character can have to redefine social standards and have the courage to break societal norms. In society, it is incredibly hard to take a different stance than your peers and choose an alternative to the ordinary. The contrasting forces between good and evil in the world is the cause for exceptional people who are able to break social norms, however, not always in a positive manner. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the film Schindler’s List directed by Steven Spielberg, and the short story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut,

In the article “The Sociology of Leopard Man” written by Logan Feys, I agree that society takes people’s individuality to make them fit in and be like everyone else even they should be themselves. There are multiple example, explanations, and resolutions on this situation. People changing their appearance, Leopard Man refusing to give in, conformity trending, and seceding from society are some of the examples and solutions to this problem.

Written and set in the 1950s, Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun encompasses the struggles of a lower-class African-American family, living in Chicago’s Southside. Even though such struggles may seem exclusive to the time period and the family’s race, Hansberry includes multiple life lessons throughout her play that skillfully transcend any potential limitations, and stand true for the majority of people. Through the use of her characters’ actions and words, Hansberry importantly illustrates that in order to maintain harmonious relationships, people must respect others’ opinions, decisions, and dreams.

The Chocolate War follows the events that Jerry Renault must face the consequences of his actions after he ponders the question “do I dare disturb the universe?”. Jerry’s school is governed by a corrupt principal and who seeks helps of the violent gang who carries out the arrangements of the principal. When the gang assigns Jerry to sell the candy that was bought with stolen school money by the corrupt principal, he stares at a poster that reads “do I dare disturb the universe?” and he decides that he is going to. Standing up against the bullies and refusing to sell the candy, he suffers severe consequences. Resulting in participating in a boxing match where the other boy is twice his size and has to go to the hospital for the extent of his injuries. Cormier’s novel is a “coming of age book” and shows the reality of high school but also the reality of the real world. corruption of government officials are very real problems that many countries face and Jerry represents citizens who revolt against these types of governments. Disturbing the universe is like fighting for your own beliefs. If you feel like your beliefs are more important and more righteous then how the real world is playing them out, you right and you fight hard against that

When it comes to doing what 's right; when stuck in a dilemma, how does one conform? Society is constantly edging us to submit to external pressures with the fear of being judged even if it might be the wrong decision. Two Fishermen, and The Snob illustrated by Morley Callaghan are both exceptional examples on how society views and pressures can have an impact on one’s actions towards a situation. Whether it is based on one’s hierarchy placement by assumptions or, even when one gets judged by the way they appear. Throughout these two short stories, the protagonists Michael and John are placed in tough situations making them face societal obstacles. When someone is placed in a situation they can feel uncomfortable, or threatened, which then

In the wake of Adolf Eichmann’s prosecution for commanding the slaying of over 1 million Jews, Psychologist Stanley Milgram called the role of authority into question. What would propel such evil acts from a seemingly normal man? In spite of what top psychologists assumed the outcome would be, the results were astounding. Despite the deep rooted convictions of the subjects opposed to causing physical harm to others, obedience to authority overcame the majority of the time (The Perils of Obedience by Stanley Milgram)