Changes in Society/ Franz Kafka and Pleasantville

“Changes in Society” People live in a society that is constantly changing. Whether they like it or not, changes will occur gradually or in such a rapid way that it will be hard to notice them. For many decades, people have been expressing their opinions about changes in society through media and scripture. These opinions have had a great impact on society. They are not only an expression of how society affects people but they also show how people affect society. Overall, media and scripture demonstrate how factors in society provide a medium for change and how according to the nature of these factors change is brought upon a society. A society is a group of people sharing an equal system of action distinguished by mutual interests, culture, and characteristics in relationships (Aberle 101). Social change is something that characterizes all societies and in some situations, societies can be destroyed by these social changes or can create a new society. As change can be gradual an peaceful, rapid and violent, or it can be unnoticed. One of the greatest changes that can occur is the overlapping of two different societies. When this occurs one society is terminated due to one of four factors: war, extinction, absorption, or apathy (Aberle 103). War arises when members of the same society have major disagreements and conflicts. The consequences lead to extermination of many members of a society, the creation of a new one, and a few group members joining other societies. Extinction happens when a society looses few of its members. It is not necessary for a society to loose all its members in order to be extinct. The loss of only a few members can lead to big changes in the system of action, which makes a society weak and eventually another society can take over. Absorption occurs when there is a loss of self-identity among the members of a society then members easily get absorbed into another society. Finally, apathy takes place when there is a lack of motivation in

Cited: Aberle, D.F. “The Functional Perquisites of a Society.” Chicago Journals: Ethics 60.2 (1950): 100-111. Web. 2 April 2010. Luther, Martin. “Concerning Christian Liberty”. The Dialogues of Learning: Self and Society II. Eds. Katrina Carter, Joe Hall. Acton, MA: Copley, 2008. 88-115. Print. Meyrowitz, Joshua. “We Liked to Watch: Television as Progenitor of the Surveillance Society.” The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 625.32 (2009): n. pag. Web. 31 March 2010. Mills, C. Wright. “The Promise”. The Dialogues of Learning: Self and Society II. Eds. Katrina Carter, Joe Hall. Acton, MA: Copley, 2008. 88-115. Print. Scanell, Paddy. “The Dialectic of Time and Television.” The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 625.219 (2009): n. pag. Web. 31 March 2010. Sokel, Walter. “The Structure and Function of Self-Alienation in Kafka 's Metamorphosis.” Literary Review. Web. 8 March 2010.