Individual voices challenge and disagree societal beliefs in many ways. The society in the story is indifferent and is can sometimes be really fragile because of all the events and is in some cases can be really brutal. Although the story does take place in the 19th century, it conveys the force of society through its setting in Salem, and the conflicts that arise. The characters in the story show societal beliefs through the making of masses and the opposing sides that were made through the development of the play. The use of the characters in the play help us identify the conflicts with each other and their society.
Life currently today in 2017 has its many similarities and differences to the book Our Town. The events that transpired in the book Our Town relate and differ to daily life in many ways. The book is a fictional story narrated by a man called the “Stage Manager” who explains daily life at Grover's Corners , New Hampshire. Life in 1901 in this small New Hampshire town isn't much different than life today in towns across the world. In the first act of the book, the Scene starts off at Grover's Corners , New Hampshire, where the Stage Manager’s explains the daily life for the people living and growing up in grover's corner.
Exercising your own ideals can be perceived as being rebellious in every society at time. People are expected to act, think, and behave in a way that safeguards everyone’s contentment. Ralph Waldo Emerson has a different view on this matter, in his essay Self-Reliance, he urges every individual to believe in their divine ideal and not to conform to society and its projections. In Emerson’s essay “Self-Reliance”, he urges for every human being to rely on their own intelligence and the genius within to make decision for themselves and to be their true selves.
Many people rely on the opinions of others, never truly stopping to personally consider the subject at hand. Ralph Waldo Emerson, an impactful American writer, wrote a piece entitled Self- Reliance. In Self-Reliance, Emerson’s purpose is to promote ideas of individualistic thinking. Emerson uses strong, rhetorical strategies, such as figurative language, allusions, and complex syntax and parallelism to effectively persuade his audience to trust their own thoughts.
In Emerson’s “Self Reliance,” he lived a privileged life in society, but believed you should not blindly follow society and conform to social norms. Emerson is described as a transcendentalist who “believed focusing on the purity and goodness of individualism and community with nature was vital for a strong society.” (“Self Reliance”) Emerson remained in society and encouraged his readers that in order to create a stronger society, members should focus on themselves and follow their own instincts. Chris, also known as Alex, followed these ideas in his own journey in “Into the Wild.”
The early 1840s till the early 1950, a person 's desire to follows laws varied. Some people didn 't question any law and just followed them to avoid any trouble. But a few people objected. Two very influential writers, Ralph Emerson and Henry Thoreau, put together their opinions to form essays. Emerson’s work as published around 1841; Thoreau’s work was published around 1849.
The theme of the essay “Self Reliance” written by Emerson is for beings to not focus on those of others or subside his/her values to fit in with our society, for true geniuses comes from within and are made with their own heart and mind. His idea of self-reliance differs from that of the norm in that he doesn’t encourage those to mix into selfish ways but to be open and proud of their own individuality for that is the true key to life itself. Emerson’s idea is similar to the common use in that he encourages those to not depend on others to define his/her identity. 2. Emerson’s use of figurative language encourages his readers to view his ideas in a clearer and more emphasized perspective.
Minute by minute, day by day, people are running out of the time that they were given on this earth. Every step a person takes is a step closer to a time when he will be unable to walk, and yet he chooses to trudges instead of skip, rush instead of stroll. Millions of people walk blindly through life by following the same routine as the day before, taking for granted relationships that should be held dear, and wasting time as if it will go on forever. This lifestyle is a popular topic among philosophers and writers, and many have dedicated years of their life to convincing people of its negative effects. One of these writers was Thornton Wilder, author of Our Town.
Grover's Corners has an immensely strong sense of community. The tight bond between community members helps with fostering a healthy society during the time period. As simply said by the stage manager of the play, “In our town, we like to know the facts about everybody” (Wilder Act I). The strong sense of community may be misleading to its members. They believe that they know everything there is to know about everyone.
America has had a tumultuous existence, replete with war, progress, and ideologies. The most formidable of these is individualism, or the shift of society’s focus from the group to the individual and a growing emphasis on their personal needs and desires. Despite wide criticism, it has become the societal norm, spanning all generations, genders, races, and walks of life. Individualism, while indeed centered on the individual, is more accurately described as the changing and shifting relationship between the individual and society.
Microaggressions in pursuit There are a lot of us these days we get offended or discomfort by what people say about us because it could be our looks, how we sound or could be something else. These days we don’t want to feel slightly hurt or make the assumption and feel underappreciated. This can be a word called “Microaggression”. The way I see what microaggression could be it is when someone feels slightly offended. The times when I experienced microaggression is throughout my college life when I did feel offended, though often in places like a college campus different people experienced microaggression even more.
Our Town is quite possibly one of the most popular American plays ever written. The play consists of topics such as community, values of religion, family, and the simplest pleasures in life while using incredible innovative elements to perform this play. Such as minimal stage sets, The Stage Manager, who narrates and controls all the action, and characters that speak from beyond the grave. Thornton Wilder, the writer of Our Town, was the second child to Amos and Isabella Wilder. Thornton grew up in a highly educated and accomplished family.
America’s identity is defined differently by every individual. Ideally it was to be a place of freedom and acceptance, identified by its message of liberty and hard-work, however the question arises whether America is a melting pot in which only one culture dominates or it a mosaic of many peoples’ histories. America’s potential and true identity lies within its ability to assimilate and create a natural individualism despite race, class, and immigration standing. A country as powerful and influential as America is within industry, politics, and socioeconomics cannot be abstract in definition.
The plot the play is relatively simple. The town awakens to what appears to be a normal day, begins t quickly spin out of control as the town realizes and what happens to identity when the “other” is no longer under their
In today's society, the balance between individualism and conformity to society's expectations is a prominent and deceptive conflict. Oftentimes, the individual must put his uniqueness aside and settle for a view of an occupation, hobby, or idea that society agrees with. Instead of expressing original and creative ideas, they are held hostage by comparing themselves with the lives and accomplishments of others and the standards their our society. One of the biggest tools of society, social media, allows people to share ideas and interests with everyone. However, naturally, one will only post what he knows others will accept and enjoy just as he does.
