<p>I posted this as a response in another thread, but it seems to be largely inactive...</p>
<p>Well, here was the prompt:</p>
<p>sleepyboixcl -</p>
<p>It is rare to find an objective and independent viewpoint on style, literature, politics, or any other matter. Many people's opinions are formed through their associations with others. It is our nature to conform; conformity is a force that few can successfully resist. We give in to the human instinct to go along with the crowd and to have its approval.</p>
<p>Adapted from Mark Twain, "Corn-pone Opinions"</p>
<p>Assignment:</p>
<p>Do we tend to accept the opinions of others instead of developing our own independent ideas? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.</p>
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<p>An old adage states that it is best to "go with the flow"; indeed, in conformity lies safety. It is far easier to have someone else decide the course of life as opposed to gripping the reins. Society as a whole has a tendency to allow the opinions of others great sway, as evidenced in the reaction spurred by journalists concerning the sinking of the USS Maine. In John Knowles's novel, A Separate Peace, the character Gene proves that this is functions not only on a societal scale, but a personal one as well.</p>
<p>In the late 1800s, an entire war, the Spanish-American War, was fought over the sinking of the USS Maine. This event brought to light the concept of "yellow journalism". Though even at the time, the evidence was dubious at best, the media took up the story with a fervor, exaggerating the details until it seemed as though it had be a malicious, premeditated attack by the Spanish that sunk the ship. As such, the people of the United States were whipped into a frenzy as "Remember the Maine" became a country-wide motto, and the two countries engaged in a brief, but utterly needless war. The event demonstrated the willingness of the public to blindly accept what is being fed to them.</p>
<p>In A Separate Peace, the character of Gene proves the same to be true on a smaller scale. He holds his friend, the charismatic Phineas, in high regard, and when a fall from a tree crippled the latter, Gene not only allowed Phineas to influence him, he allowed Phineas to well-nigh dictate his life, offering little resistance as Phineas began to mold him into what Phineas had wanted to be. When accomplishing a goal that Phineas had set, Gene responds with elation at the approval of the former.</p>
<p>Yellow journalism depicts a society that is apt to ingest any pill they are fed. John Knowles's Gene demonstrates that not only does this hold true if the suggestion comes from many, a single person can affect the course of ones' life. Due to humanity's tendency to conform - to seek the approval of others - to think and act individualistically is rare. It is this conformity that stifles creativity and the advancement of the intellect, and must be resisted.</p>
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<p>Argh, 23 minutes all together. Basically wrote off the cuff.</p>
<p>Rate, then?</p>