1. What is the flatting portrait Lessing paints of people living in the West? Lessing paints the Westerns as free and "educated in many different ways." She also said that Westerns have an idea that they live in a free society, that they are making their own decisions, their minds and opinions were made without nobody pushing their own opinion, and that they are "free to do as [they] want to do. But, they will never go around and look into the things that causes them to pick a side. 2. Lessing believes that individuals in the West are "helpless against all kinds of pressures on them to conform in many kinds of ways." Why? Lessing believes that mindset because we (humans) are always looking for a group to surround ourselves with. Almost everyone wants to be some sort of group during their lifetime and those people often look down on others who don't want or need a group. They called those kind of people selfish and peculiar for not joining a group. Humans that have joined a group have the hardest time finding out about themselves because they often listen to the group and do what that group says. Because of that group's mindset, those people can not think for them and making it harder to become individuals. …show more content…
Lessing writes that "what is dangerous is not the belonging to a group, or groups, but not understanding the social laws that govern groups and govern us." What is the danger Lessing is speaking of here? The danger Lessing is talking about is how groups can change a person's thinking and opinions. These groups that govern the people "are never discussed, never challenged, probably never noticed..." according to Lessing. What she means is how members of that group often discuss and challenge other groups than their own, blocking our way to being individuals. If we can't question our own group's actions without facing consequences, then what's the point of thinking for