The Effect of One Man on Society

With so many people in this behemothic world, it is very easy to think of yourself as just one more person living here.  Like a tiny fish in a huge sea, we sometimes feel hopeless and unimportant; like nothing we can do will ever be able to change the lives of those around us.  However, it has been proven numerous times in the past that just one man can transform society into something unlike it has ever been before.

While analyzing the sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," by Jonathan Edwards in class this week, the idea of a single man being capable of changing the people around him was suggested.  In this sermon, Edwards explains his idea that all men have and must repent sins, otherwise God will do something terrible to them.  He makes frequent references to the wrath of God and how quickly and simply God can ruin the people here on Earth if he is not pleased with them.  During his speech to the congregation, it is said that many of the listeners wept, fainted, and prayed, showing that the words of Jonathan Edwards alone strongly influenced them in every way: emotionally, spiritually, and physically.

As history proves, one's effect on society is not always positive.  When reflecting upon the past, the most influential single person that comes to my mind is Adolf Hitler.  By leading the Nazi Party in Germany, he was at the core of Nazism, the start to World War II, and the Holocaust.  Although the idea of Nazism and thoughts of those events are always negative, they proved one major concept to the world: that just one man can start something that can terrorize endless amounts of people and scare the rest of mankind.

The Inescapability of Stereotypes in Society

Stereotypes: some of the most ridiculous and pointless thoughts about groups of people which usually have little, if any, validity behind them.

Already this school year, we have read a few pieces in English which deal with stereotypes and the effects they have on both those who hold them and those who they are held against. By focusing on some of the stereotypes which are held in regards to Native Americans, we see the absurdity of these ideas and reflect upon stereotypes which are still held today.

In the Sherman Alexie pieces which we analyzed this week, situations which involve the common thoughts that people have of Native Americans were presented. For example, in "Indian Education," Sherman writes that a teacher said, "'What's that boy been drinking? I know all about these Indian kids. They start drinking real young.'" This generalization about all Indians is twisted since just because someone is Native American does not necessarily mean they drink alcohol at a young age. Through this passage, the bigotry of society is shown, making the reader question how prejudiced he or she is in their life.  Also, in "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven," Alexie pokes fun at the idea that Native Americans are shady and dangerous. By scanning the aisles as he walks by and acting suspicious in front of the 7-11 clerk, the main character is messing with the biased mind of the worker. Since the worker held this notion that the customer was baleful, in a way he deserved those few minutes of terror which he experienced because of his thoughts about his customer due to the customer's look.

While reading the short stories by Alexie, I was reminded of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, in which Jim was treated differently due to another stereotype: that African Americans were inferior to Whites because of the color of their skin. By making this connection, you can see that throughout history, many different groups of people have been treated unjustly for trivial reasons. Reflecting on those events makes me, as a reader, determined to never judge a person based on a stereotype that might make me subconsciously dislike them. Unfortunately, that would only be possible in a perfect society, which we do not live in. However, one can still do their best to treat everyone fairly and ignore stereotypes as much as possible.

Blogging Time!

It's finally time to begin our blogs for us 11AP English students. Yay!