Originality
Per. 1 – Synthesis Essay, Originality
October 14, 2011
“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind” as the famous Dr. Seuss once said about originality. The society we live in today always seems to promote the idea of being original and different. And why shouldn’t it? Had it not been for Martin Luther King Jr., America still would have had the mentality that segregation was right. Had it not been for Elvis Presley, the rock and roll era would not be what it is today. Being original is what makes a person stand out from the crowd. Though our society encourages originality, there are boundaries set for the originality. The First Amendment, “Freedom of speech” is an example of the boundaries set for being original. The irony of this amendment is that we cannot actually say anything we want. Even though this amendment is supposed to allow our unique voices to be heard, it limits it. For instance, a person cannot yell “fire” in the movie theaters even if they want to. If our society were “pushing” all Americans to be unique, wouldn’t we all be doing the same thing by all trying to be different? Being original is one thing and being you is another thing. Individuals should not be concerned with being “original” but rather being themselves. Originality can mean different things to different people. Most people would define it as being different. The motive behind being different is usually to get attention and be noticed. Whether the purpose is positive or negative is a different story. In Walden, Thoreau’s purpose for leaving society and going to Walden was not to stand out and be different but rather “to live deliberately [and] to front only the essential facts of life.” (Thoreau, 135) The thought of being original had never crossed his mind. The purpose of his experiment was to show the benefit of living simply. He is not saying that everyone should go out and live in the woods but rather not be
October 14, 2011
“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind” as the famous Dr. Seuss once said about originality. The society we live in today always seems to promote the idea of being original and different. And why shouldn’t it? Had it not been for Martin Luther King Jr., America still would have had the mentality that segregation was right. Had it not been for Elvis Presley, the rock and roll era would not be what it is today. Being original is what makes a person stand out from the crowd. Though our society encourages originality, there are boundaries set for the originality. The First Amendment, “Freedom of speech” is an example of the boundaries set for being original. The irony of this amendment is that we cannot actually say anything we want. Even though this amendment is supposed to allow our unique voices to be heard, it limits it. For instance, a person cannot yell “fire” in the movie theaters even if they want to. If our society were “pushing” all Americans to be unique, wouldn’t we all be doing the same thing by all trying to be different? Being original is one thing and being you is another thing. Individuals should not be concerned with being “original” but rather being themselves. Originality can mean different things to different people. Most people would define it as being different. The motive behind being different is usually to get attention and be noticed. Whether the purpose is positive or negative is a different story. In Walden, Thoreau’s purpose for leaving society and going to Walden was not to stand out and be different but rather “to live deliberately [and] to front only the essential facts of life.” (Thoreau, 135) The thought of being original had never crossed his mind. The purpose of his experiment was to show the benefit of living simply. He is not saying that everyone should go out and live in the woods but rather not be