Beliefs Affecting Behavor

Liz Rogers
Benedetto
English   III Honors
Beliefs and Behavior
November 17 , 2009

  The Effects of Beliefs on Behavior and How it can Impact Society

Most people in life have the freedom to make their own decisions. Rather than being the “right” or “wrong” ones depends on many factors in that person’s life. What can be an obvious right decision for some, might be a terribly wrong one for others. People’s lives are ruled by how they think and feel, and this can lead to many different types of decisions. Many people believe that if they follow the crowd, they can be "safe" from any form of accusation themselves. The phrase "safety in numbers" was what people used to ensure that their decision was not unsuitable for society. It saved them from being different and ridiculed by fellow peers. Of the many choices people have in their lives, their decisions are mostly ruled by two factors, their beliefs, and whether those beliefs are alike to those of the society they live in. Examples of these choices people make are found in "Half-Hanged Mary" "Let America Be American Again"   and "The Ministers Black Veil". Such behaviors demonstrated in these short stories and poem show how people unite and how they divide over what they consider is right.  
One example of how beliefs rule people’s lives is found in the poem "Half-Hanged Mary." The society of the town was formed under certain rules that people had to follow. In order to be “safe” in the society,   and not ostracized by people they followed the rules set by the society they lived in, which they also deemed their own, even thought it was not required. The people of these societies have since adapted the requirements of the society as their own in order to blend in. Mary, did not conform to the standards of society and lived how she wanted to. The way that Mary acted and the choices she made were deemed uncanny by others in society. The beliefs of the townspeople told them that what she did was wrong and she... [continues]

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