Societal Values free essay sample

We See Society and the Individual Clash When societal expectations clash with individual beliefs and morality, an atmosphere of tension is bound to occur, whether that is within the individual or between the individual and society. Historically, the most volatile issues are centered on this dilemma. The stages right before the revolutionary war when the colonists were deciding whether to declare independence exempli? es this perfectly. In more American and European societies, the individual works for himself and society second, whereas in Middle Eastern and Asian cultures, there is more a tendency to put society as the ?rst priority. Huck Finn encounters this dilemma. Personally, I have come across this dilemma when tempted with things like drugs and alcohol. Many high schoolers succumb to these temptations because it is a lot easier to go with the societal norm, i. e. your friends, than with what you know is right internally. It primarily occurs with his relationship with Jim. We will write a custom essay sample on Societal Values or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page While Jim is Hucks friend, Huck understands the societal norm of looking down upon slaves and expecting that a runaway slave to be turned in to the authorities. Society vs. the individual: who wins? Society Wins and get somebody to go for that gang and get them out of their scrape, so they can be hung when their time comes. (Ch. 13) Social expectationsare everywhere. When people, especially women, see supermodels that are tall and thin, there is a silent expectation that they also need to look like this. The dark side to this industry is the unspoken means to how the women get there. This is where social expectations clash with internal morality. These models know that bulimia and anorexia are not healthy ways to slim down, but society expects that these women will look a certain way. In this case, society wins. In another very famous example, Anne Franks story is where society wins. Though morally one sides with Frank, she was eventually killed by the Nazis. The Nazi society won. In Huck Finn, society wins during the family feud. The two families cant even remember what they are ? ghting over, however in a society that in a way idolizes violence in subtle ways, the families ? ght mindlessly. It even escalates to the point of death. The Individual Wins I was sorry to hear Jim say that, it was such a lowering of him. My conscience got to stirring me up hotter than ever. (Ch. 16) When the individual wins, it is typically against a much larger opponent of the accepted norm. Vigilantes like the KKK or neo-Nazis illustrate this point well. When a society has progressed to the point where racism does not readily exist in everyday life, vigilantes who still have racist tendencies believe that society is wrong. In their mind, by cleansing society of another race, they are doing good. In this case, the individual wins. When Huck decides not to turn Jim in after he struggles with the concept of harboring a runaway slave, the individual wins. Society in the South had been in the clutches of slavery for a very long time. It was accepted that a white person would consider themselves above a slave, therefore turning them in if a slave was known to have runaway. Huck eventually decides against society and continues on with Jim. Society and the Individual Tie he didnt want to go no deeper- didnt want to rob a lot of orphans of everything they had. (Ch. 26) This is the most ambiguous case of society versus an individual. Here, there are two types of winning and losing where both sides win or lose at the same time. This can be because of insight into both sides or insight into neither. Harder to identify cases like polygamists in west Texas, or even a group versus another group like the IsraeliPalestinian con? ict are the primary makeup of this group. Even cases like the prochoice against pro-life debate can seem to the people on each side that society is against them. Other cases like this are incidents that show that a group is within legal rights to do something, however most would agree they arent right in morality. A perfect case is the Westboro Baptist Church. They protest funerals of fallen soldiers to show their disdain for the war. Technically, they can do this, but most look down upon these actions. In Huck Finn, the reader sees this tie at the end of the book when Jim is captured. He is about to be put back into slavery, until we ? nd out Jim is free. Society in a way has won because slavery still continues uninterrupted after this incident. However, the individual wins because in Jims case, he is set free. Here, society and the individual tie.