Denby: The first five paragraphs develop the archetypes of the popular girl and head jock that are constantly used in the typical teen movie genre and accentuates the fact that these archetypes inaccurately reflect reality for the majority of teens in high school. When Denby asks “Do genre films reflect reality?” he assumes that we know what genres, films, and reality are. Both of the terms “genre” and “film” can be easily defined, but “reality” can change from person to person. A genre is a category, generally used to describe movies and music, characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter. Film is a motion picture or movie. The term reality on the other hand means the world or the state of things as they actually exist,
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Twain begins his argument by questioning why it is that people conform to societal standards or trends and comes to the conclusion that it is all based on self-approval. And while the term self-approval itself is generally a personal perspective of oneself, Twain takes it further to argue that self-approval is mainly affected by how others perceive someone. He states, “…as a rule our self- approval has its source in but one place and not elsewhere – the approval of other people” (718). As a result, Twain reveals that he believes the root of self-approval is to first be approved by others. Eventually, the want for approval manifested itself in conformity in order to fit others standards. Twain argues that conformity is so deeply rooted in people that “We [do not] think it; we merely conform, and let it go at that” (719). Consequently, conformity appears to be human nature because the want for approval – and in turn the need to conform—affects everyone. Twain uses the term “the voice of God” to describe how public opinion is very powerful in guiding the thoughts and choices of people. The significance of this allusion is that it shows just how powerful public opinion is in the current society. God is considered an almighty and deciding figure in religious settings and many people blindly follow their God, therefore Twain uses this allusion to show that how much people rely on and blindly follow public opinion and societal standards. Twain aims his satire at society in general. He states that “We shall not think it out; we shall merely conform, and let it go at that” (719). By stating that the public “shall not think it out” and “merely conform” Twain portrays the general public as unintelligent and essentially unable to think for themselves. Through his use of satire he reveals that he is against conformity because it lowers general
Twain begins his argument by questioning why it is that people conform to societal standards or trends and comes to the conclusion that it is all based on self-approval. And while the term self-approval itself is generally a personal perspective of oneself, Twain takes it further to argue that self-approval is mainly affected by how others perceive someone. He states, “…as a rule our self- approval has its source in but one place and not elsewhere – the approval of other people” (718). As a result, Twain reveals that he believes the root of self-approval is to first be approved by others. Eventually, the want for approval manifested itself in conformity in order to fit others standards. Twain argues that conformity is so deeply rooted in people that “We [do not] think it; we merely conform, and let it go at that” (719). Consequently, conformity appears to be human nature because the want for approval – and in turn the need to conform—affects everyone. Twain uses the term “the voice of God” to describe how public opinion is very powerful in guiding the thoughts and choices of people. The significance of this allusion is that it shows just how powerful public opinion is in the current society. God is considered an almighty and deciding figure in religious settings and many people blindly follow their God, therefore Twain uses this allusion to show that how much people rely on and blindly follow public opinion and societal standards. Twain aims his satire at society in general. He states that “We shall not think it out; we shall merely conform, and let it go at that” (719). By stating that the public “shall not think it out” and “merely conform” Twain portrays the general public as unintelligent and essentially unable to think for themselves. Through his use of satire he reveals that he is against conformity because it lowers general