Conformity Essay

Conformity is defined as the changing of ones attitudes, opinions or behaviours in order to match the attitudes, opinions or behaviours or others. Conformity does indeed alienate the individual as shown in the book the wave written by Morton rhue, the story revolves around a history teacher conducting a experiment in a typical American high school in order to show his students how it would be like living in Nazi Germany during world war 2 when the country was under Hitler’s dictatorship. Another text that also shows that conformity does indeed alienate the individual is the song boulevard of broken dreams by American band green day, the song talks about a guy who is alone and lonely because he refuses to conform with the rest of society because he prefers to be an individual.
First reason why conformity does alienate the individual is show in the book the wave by Morton rhue through the character of Laurie Saunders who is a teenage girl, popular, attractive and is a typical American girl going to a typical American high school. Laurie’s gets good grades and has a boyfriend on the football team. Everything is perfect in her life until an organisation called the wave begins to gain power in the school and everybody is getting caught up with it, she refuses to join the wave because she believes that its out of control and people are getting too carried away with it, as they are chanting, saluting and putting banners around the school. A quote to reinforce the unstable behaviours inside the wave organisation comes from Laurie “ my mother says it sounds like brainwashing to her” this quote shows that the wave organisation is like a dictatorship and the organisation looks down on people who refuse to be members, for this reason conformity does indeed alienate the individual.
The second reason why conformity does alienate the individual is also shown through the book the wave by Morton rhue, it’s shown through the character of David Collins who is a tall, good looking...