Conformity is defined as acting according to certain accepted standards. Nowadays, when we are children, we are taught to behave like most other people so as not to receive disapproval from society. On the surface it's "right", but in reality it's a hidden danger, as shown in Civil Peace, The Lottery, and Girl. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay For starters, conformity increases depression. Civil Peace, written by Chinua Achebe, is the story of Jonathan Iwegbu, a survivor of the civil war in Nigeria. Jonathan goes to the offices of the Coal Corporation where he works to find out what the fuss is about, then he sees "his fellow ex-miners...at the end of the day of waiting they simply slept outside the office doors". Post-war life creates a feeling that forces survivors to blindly stay with other survivors who like them, so Jonathan's former miners surround themselves with depression and this ruins their chances of starting to live again. At the same time, Jonathan stops his visits to the offices after a few weeks, uses an old bicycle as a taxi and his children “pick mangoes… give them to soldiers' wives… and his wife starts preparing akara balls for the breakfast for the neighbors." Jonathan does not conform to the other survivors and soon opens a bar with the family's earnings. Furthermore, conformity does not encourage resistance in personal life. In an encounter between Jonathan's family and a group of thieves, the thieves demand £100 and don't break in. If one has money stolen by thieves, he is taught not to resist. Similarly, Jonathan “heard all the noises in the neighborhood go off one after another.” When the thieves ask Jonathan to open the door, he raises the alarm “Police-o… wake up! Police-o!”. This does not scare the thief, but as a result the leader wants to talk business. The negotiation takes place peacefully, at the end of this story, Jonathan only gives 20 pounds to the thieves and that money is the ex gratia payment he receives in the morning. Conformity can create a dangerous society. The Lottery, written by Shirley Jackson, is a story about the sacrifice of the "winner" of an annual lottery for the sake of the crops. According to Old Man Warner, "June lottery, corn will be heavy soon" (Jackson) is the origin of the ritual. Villagers carry forward the old saying, because they are eager to gain society's approval. Tradition has been discarded and what remains is only conformity, but there is no excuse for conforming to society when the results harm others. Furthermore, conformity leads to apathy. The moment Bill Hutchinson wins the first drawing, Tessie Hutchinson, his wife, shouts at the lottery host, "You didn't give him enough time to get all the papers he wanted... It wasn't fair." Tessie is the only villager who resists this unjust tradition and protects her family, but the lottery continues. The final round takes place within Hutchinson's family and all members show their blank paper except Tessie, then “Bill…went to his wife and snatched the paper from her hands. It had a black spot on it." Bill's behavior is "acceptable" since he is one of the villagers, but cannot be tolerated since he is a husband. Compliance can be a complex thing, sometimes good and bad. Girl, written by Jamaica Kincaid, is a poem about a mother giving her young daughter advice about life's worries. Every piece of advice the mother mentions is about the positive traits of women in society. In these circumstances, conformity can help!