Essay on Conformity

  Elements of Essay on Conformity and Kafka

At minimum, you should include the following:

Title

A clear, interesting point about conformity

Kafka quotes or examples

Header, Parenthetical citations, Works Cited

Structured essay

Upload by Sun. March 13

Optional:

Interview grandparent about conformity

Refer to another text: Freud, Darwin, Genesis, graphic novels, etc.

Sample intros:

·         Though people may not believe that their behavior reflects something they developed through conformity, others acknowledge the impact institutions have on a majority of behavioral conduct. 

·         Thus, finding the correct balance of individualism within a society is crucial to the overall well being of an individual, as only achieving the balance will allow an individual to live in peace and harmony.

·         Most importantly, however, is that conformity is everlasting; even when people believe they are independent of others and thinking with a creative, new prospective, they are in actuality not unconventional and are grouping themselves with all other individual thinkers. Thus, whether it be at school, home, or another institution, people are always unconsciously conforming to societal pressures.

·         As time progress', societies seem to be straying more and more away from conformity, and promoting individuality and nonconformity. Over time humans as a race have become more accepting of all the variation between us, which leads to a stronger pursuit of individualism and nonconformity, and has attached a negative connotation to conformity.

·         Conformity, whether good or bad, is a part of everyday life. There are two types of conformity: unconscious or conscious. Conforming without realizing that you are conforming is more dangerous because you believe that you are controlling your actions when, in reality, you are being influenced by another force. Being forced to do something does not mean that you are conforming; conformity happens when you do something unconsciously that follows a certain trend, or when you do something because you feel pressured. Kafka and Conrad both explore conformity in abstract ways, taking it to the extremes

·         In Metamorphosis as well as in Genesis, both stories explore the consequences and rewards of conformity, and come to the same decisive conclusion that conformity on the whole is more rewarding for individuals and society.

·         Not only does living in different areas and countries change peoples level of conformity but the culture that  each person grows up with plays a major factor also, whether it be in the country of origin or not. A child that grew up in Los Angeles would with out a doubt have different motives than a child that grew up in the middle east.

·         Conformity only takes a hold of those who give into it, as long as one is strong and fight off confinement he/she will never have to meet Gregor's demise.

·         Therefore, conformity provides refuge for those who seek to masque their insecurities and desire to equalize, but also is a mechanism which controls the herds effectively.

·         As a young adult, the choice one has to make is: be like everyone else so that one enjoys a structural lifestyle. Or be the rebel and go against the shackles of the status quo to express one’s uniqueness. Therefore, I choose not to conform because I want to achieve a grand transformation that goes against modern society’s parameters and that of my past generations’.

·         Though conformity is a necessary evil, it is still in fact an evil, and must be carefully dealt with. The irony of human evolution is that no matter how far we grow as a community, no matter how socially in tune we become with each other, that if we do not stand for our individual beliefs, then the diversity of mind's that once made us so great are lost in a sea of non-free thinking conformity

·         In two works; "Metamorphosis" by Kafka and "Power in the Classroom," they discuss the issue of conformity and how students automatically conform to the classroom's conformist mentality as well as conform by obeying the rules/principles of the school.

·        I don't believe this is the only system that exists to allow for success and the freedom of success. We educate youth on the entirety of book smarts and memorization in a environment that pushes them to act to the standard of "civilized" in the perception of today’s majority. Other options can be attained from a more lenient and free choice when young, to allow to the education of street smart standards.

·         Gregor in Kafka's Metamorphosis was unable to attain his own balance and his outright conformity lead to his ultimate demise. While Kurtz in Conrad's Heart of Darkness died trying to fulfill the desires of his id while abandoning society all together. Finding this balance is a life-long struggle and many may never  truly find it. The pressures of society may be too strong or an individual may get lost in the rapture of his own desires. But once this balance is attained, one can thrive as individual within society.

·         The more we conform, the more we lose our identities and our rights to love whomever we want. Even if we don't want to get married and start a family, society forces us to feel guilty for making that choice. Thanks to outside pressures such as family, religion, and society, marriage appears to no longer be a choice but an obligation one must fulfill in order to gain acceptance.

·         This idea is what Franz Kafka presents in "Metamorphosis." Gregor Samsa's family expects him to follow the Germanic stencil of a perfect son and human being, consequentially hurting his knowledge of how to balance a life of conformity and individuality. If one has a family that allows the perfect amounts of freedom and order, compliance is neither a negative nor a positive.

·         Although the social freedoms of modern society might make the pressure to conform seem like an insignificant consideration, an examination of the world around us reveals that it is still as important a driving force today as it has been throughout history.