Some Things Just Never Change

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Ever since humans have existed, societies have formed in different places and during different times. Some become great civilizations while others fail to succeed. Nonetheless, there are always similarities that appear between societies. People will always be hesitant to accept anything that may threaten their way of life. People do what is convenient or beneficial towards them and our society is no different. In The Chrysalids by John Wyndham, several similarities are apparent between Waknuk and our contemporary society, particularly racism, hypocrisy and conformity.

Similarly to Waknuk, racism, although not as extreme, is still present in our society. The citizens of Waknuk are prejudiced and discriminate against those with even the slightest physical abnormality. They believe that all that are different from their definition of the norm are evil beings sent by the Devil. Such is shown when David remembers the words of a preacher who says, “Accursed is the mutant…. The mutant, the enemy, not only of the human race, but of all the species God had decreed…" (Wyndham 75). This is similar to how people in developed countries view people of developing countries. Complete strangers from developing countries are stereotyped as uneducated, poor and filthy. By judging people based on the misfortunes of their country, it shows just how ignorant our society is. Furthermore, racism is also shown from how the people of Waknuk believe that they were created in the true image of God and are therefore superior to others. While interrogating David about his friend Sophie, the inspector states, “Well, every part of the definition is as important as any other; and if a child does not come within it, then it isn’t human, and that means that it ha...

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...intolerant to anything or anyone that is different and discriminate against them due to ignorance. These people set rules and standards, but sometimes theses people themselves cannot live by their own laws when it is not convenient for them. These selfish people become hypocrites and create double-standards to benefit themselves. On the other hand, those without power want to be accepted so they pretend to be different from who they are. People are so obsessed with what others think of them that they abandon their true selves in exchange for acceptance. Throughout history, there have always been similarities between very different societies. No matter how much people change physically and how much technology advances, there are things that will always remain the same because of human nature.

Works Cited

Wyndham, John. The Chrysalids. England: Penguin Books, 1958.

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