In Life

Matthew Walter

In life, no matter what it is or what it is about, pressure from people will always be present in your daily life. Whether it's media, social status in school, and so much more. These pressures cause people to act irrationally or make people afraid to express themselves the way they want to. This is expressed through the article “Shooting an Elephant.”.

In the article “Shooting an elephant” by George Orwell, a man fights with his mind on what to do about a rampant elephant. As a soldier of British colonial power, it is his job to show strength, and because of that, the main character kills the elephant despite not wanting to. This is an example of how pressure can make you act irrationally. This irrationality can cause many mental issues later in life: anxiety, fear of people, fear of trusting others, etc. This is why being considerate of others and how they may feel about a certain topic is important since you don't want them to suffer later in life. So in the case of “Shooting an elephant,” it’s the pressure to make his country proud despite him not wanting to. Another example can be found in the article “Through the Tunnel.”

In the story “Through the Tunnel,” a boy wants to fit in and make friends, and to do so he tries to do the same activity of diving through an underwater tunnel, even if he ends up almost drowning in the process. The boy tries over and over again and eventually does succeed, although the boy sustained injuries and almost died due to almost passing out in the tunnel. This relates to my main idea on how pressure causes people to act because the boy just wants to fit in no matter the consequences, although at the end the boy does it for himself. 

One last example we can look at is my personal life. In my personal life I have experienced many decisions that have affected me, whether good or bad, due to pressure from parents, classmates, co-workers, and friends. I have acted differently among diverse groups of people to try and fit in and have never truly been myself. This is because of the pressure of being one of the so-called popular kids. This ultimately fits with my idea of how pressure affects people because I have personally felt it, as well as the information I have provided that explains in more detail why pressure affects people, such as when friends or classmates pressure you to contribute to discussions and planning of a school dance.

In conclusion Pressure causes people to act differently depending on social aspects of life. Whether it's around a group of people or to individuals, it doesn't change the fact that people affected by pressure can act on unprecedented levels.