Often in life we find ourselves in positions in which being ourselves may feel insufficient. Easy it is to mimic something that we are not to feel as though we fit in, or appear more appealing. Such as Dave in Breaking Away, a character that actively pursues an archetype that he is not, a relatable act that many people go through. Dave experiences this and in turn has an awakening to, and moves on from, in a coming of age way. Is the mimicking of another group a getaway for an archetype that he truly wishes he could have? Breaking Away features the following weeks after a group of friends graduate high school, and how they reminisce over and find new paths in life. Filmed in Bloomington Indiana, the focus of the group seems to revolve around their disagreements with the college kids. They often exhibit a strong hatred for the college kids mostly due to the way they are viewed as the “cutters”. This resentment of the college kids is a possible mask for when they want to be college kids themselves.
There often comes a point in time when we question if we could improve ourselves to fit in more or even become transfixed on a certain lifestyle that appears attractive to us. Dave in
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In Breaking Away the group of friends accept their cutter heritage and display is proudly, or in a way that explains that they accept who they are. Following the events in the end of the film Dave is found attending the college and admittedly following an archetype he so wanted all along. He has also now dropped the adoration of the Italians and rather being himself, evolving and growing up in a way. The film creatively displays this in a lighthearted and comedic manner using exciting progressive scenes and playful banter among characters. Breaking Away does keep the film moving with more serious scenes like when Dave and his father, Ray, are talking about Dave’s
Individualism and conformity—two very commonly used terms to describe anyone in today’s times. In comparison to the article “The Sociology of Leopard Man,” written by Logan Feys, one of the most notable quotes that relates to individualism and conformity is “to be a human is to be an individual human, with individual tastes [.][and]talents [.] that are distinct from those of others. Living in society, we are under constant pressure to surrender our individuality to the will of the majority, the school, the workplace, the family,.” (Feys Par. 6.)
The search for one’s identity can be a constant process and battle, especially for teenagers and young adults. Many people have a natural tendency to want to fit in and be accepted by others, whether it be with family, friends or even strangers. They may try to change who they are, how they act, or how they dress in order to fit in. As one gets older, society can influence one’s view on what they should look like, how they should act, or how they should think. If society tells us that a certain body type or hair color is beautiful, that is what some people strive for and want to become in order to be more liked. This was especially true with Avery as she longed for the proper clothes to fit into a social group and began to change the way she spoke to match those around her. As a young and impressionable sixth grader, she allowed herself to become somewhat whitewashed in an attempt to fit in with the other girls. However, Avery did not really become friends with any of those girls; her only real friend was
Conformity, the act of changing to fit in. Conformity can completely change a person whether it be their looks, such as their the way they dress, or their personality, like the way they act around certain people. In The Sociology of Leopard Man Logan Feys argues that being human has a right to it, and that right is to be who you are. Society pushes out certain people for not fitting in with everyone else, but also says that nobody should fit in, because everyone has a different personality.
Even since I was young, I constantly prided myself in thinking in what I considered a mature and logical system. I was never captivated by the social trends that my peers always seemed to hold in high regard. I would collect and store random bits of information from the various works that I read, and then turn that information into something useful be it a story or a school assignment. I was always extremely focused on myself due to my introverted nature, but as I grew older I began to question other people, why they did certain things and why they thought the way they did. It’s a complicated thing the human mind, extremely complex and difficult to understand. Every human who has ever lived on this Earth has never been the exact same, always
...many ways that people try to alter themselves in order to be accepted. For Example: apparel, beliefs, language, and even actions. Most popularly amongst these which happen in real life and also the novel, falls appearance and action. Typically people change their appearance when they are insecure about their looks and alter them to fit in with their desired crowed. Unfortunately many also go to the extreme of modifying their actions. This is far more serious because it often results in irrational behavior done simply to be a part of a preferred social group.
How Influence Can Change a Person As someone once said…. “Sometimes people come into your life for a moment, a day, or a lifetime. It matters not the time they spent with you but how they impacted your life in that time.” – Unknown.
Many people are resistant to change. They become comfortable with their lives and don’t dare to venture outside of the box.
The movie “Breaking Away” presents the story of a young man from working class origins who seeks to better himself by creating a persona through which he almost, but not quite, wins the girl. The rivalry between the townies and the college students sets the scene for the story of four friends who learn to accept themselves as they "break away" from childhood and from their underdog self-images.
Acceptance, a key part today's society, is being in the norm and fitting in. In today's society, the social class is based off of acceptance. In the novel The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, some of the characters from the poor side of the town “greasers” were not
According to Silvia Bellezza, a doctoral candidate in marketing at Harvard Business School in Boston, “Nonconformity leads to positive inferences of status and competence when it is associated with deliberateness and intentionality..” Intentional deviance from a norm can project heightened status and competence by signaling that one has the autonomy to act according to one’s own inclinations (Silvia Bellezza). For example, in one study she found that participants perceived an individual deliberately wearing a red bow tie at a black-tie party in a country club as a higher-status member of the club and a better golf player than a conforming individual wearing a black bow tie. This enhances one's sense of freedom which allows a person to have their own identity in the crowd. Amanda Chatel, a writer for Bustle, claims that “Being your darling and the bizarre self who does their own thing is the best thing you can be... in life… the dating world, online or otherwise.” Being yourself can increase one's charm. As stated in the second paragraph, “those who march to the beat of their own drummer,” or follow their own constitution are, “far more attractive than those who are just like...everyone else.” Although some conformists accept who they are, your true identity can encourage positivity within yourself. For instance, this can be beneficial for one's self-esteem and confidence, constructing that
Two authors that had shared there struggles with dealing with the concept of being transcultural and how trying to fit in made it very difficult, Amy (Tan) and David (Suzuki).Wrote About how being born as one culture and growing up in a different doesn’t mean you have to fit in letting yourself be who you can let you grow not only in your culture but you genetic one. For example, Amy Tan’s Fish Cheek helps understand a deeper meaning about trying to fit in with being an average; “American Girl.” The article is about a real story about how she wanted to change herself genetically so that she could look average and the person she was trying to impress would like her. As a child she didn't understand the importance of being unique and happy with your culture, her mother explained to her that; "But inside you must always be Chinese. You must be proud you are different. Your only shame is to have shame." Most people might find it easy by not trying to fit in but in reality we all want to fit in and be like everyone else. Furthermore, David Suzuki is another person who had struggled with accepting the idea of never fitting in he writes that; “I was born a Canadian.” He writes that he is proud that he is different through the struggles of dealing with not fitting in with either cultures he accepted that
The story begins with Dave telling the reader a little about himself and his old job as a bouncer at a nightclub. He appears to be your average 40-year-old; he talks about providing for his family, playing with his kids, drinking with his buddies, and watching Fraiser. However, throughout the story, the reader gets a more and more in depth look into the mind of Dave.
Perks of Being a Wallflower (Halfon, Malkovich, Smith & Chbosky, 2012), is a film that takes place in the south, about a freshman named Charlie, who starts high school with no friends. He just wants to be accepted by his peers and fit in. The Wallflowers, which are seniors, take him under their wing and give him the opportunity to experience the life of being divergent.
Individuals began to increasingly celebrate their differences and become less amenable to compromising what makes them unique. This inclination represents a marked departure from previous times when predispositions were to "fit in."
We 've all heard that Bruno Mars song where he sings that you are amazing just the way you are. He 's talking about a girl, but let 's just pretend that he 's singing to everyone. It 's a nice thought to think that we can accept ourselves just the way we are, but so many of us have trouble doing that.