Reflection Essay Example on Disobedience

Social norms are shared standards held by a group of people that define what is morally right and wrong within a society while spotlighting those who go against it. People who go against the norm within their society often get plastered with the label disobedient. However, according to Oscar Wilde, it is through these people’s disobedience that progress within their society is made. Wilde’s claim that disobedience promotes progress is correct and can be proven when looking at society in history as well as today. 

For instance, it has been seen throughout history that when faced with situations they don’t agree with they are the most prone to disobey and rebel. Many examples of this can be seen during the late 1700s and into the 1800s when slavery was a significant problem, specifically within the United States. A prime example is when Harriet Tubman chose to risk her life in an attempt to free as many slaves from plantations in the south. In order to do this, she created what is known today as the Underground Railroad. This disobeyed the government’s rules that clearly expressed there was nothing illegal about slavery therefore the slave owners were in the right. In Tubman’s disobedience, she was able to push toward the change that now protects everyone in the United States from slavery. Furthermore, disobedience can also be seen when Rosa Parks chose to sit in the front of a public bus, which at the time was illegal and strayed from the norm of segregating African Americans to the back. With this act of disobedience, she was able to start creating change for segregation on buses and eventually helped lead to segregation being illegal. This choice was arguably the start of a larger movement that would eventually make segregation illegal and prove its immorality. Both Rosa Parks and Harriet Tubman were able to use disobedience to show how immoral segregation and slavery really were. These two acts of disobedience although small in scale during their time led to much greater progress within the country towards total equality among everyone.

Secondly, not only can disobedience be seen throughout history, it can be seen in todays society as well. For instance, female students within schools have helped make significant changes regarding dress codes. Several schools have made news over the past few years because both male and female students chose dress in similar attire to see who was more prone to being dresscoded. This first started because many females across the country believe the dress code is sexist and mostly addressed toward females. It is hypothesized that dress codes do more harm than good because they diminish females and teach them that in school settings they are not safe and prone to sexualization by males. In order to stimulate a change within their schools, they came up with the idea to break one dress code rule each week and see if they get dress-coded. Many got caught and sent home; however, social progress was made because more students have begun to push back against the rules for dress codes and many schools have listened. Specifically in Caledonia, the dress code regarding tank tops has been altered because so many females chose to break it in order to prove the point of it being sexist. Although this type of disobedience hasn’t helped make perfect progress, it has begun a push towards significant change. 

Lastly, disobedience is seen repeatedly in the entertainment industry. Many movies are made to address a specific social issue to help draw the attention of the target audience. Disney does an exemplary job of this with their princesses because each one of them addresses a different social norm that gets broken. It teaches children from a young age that they are capable of anything and to not listen to the norms of society because disobedience is a good thing. Mulan is a good example of how disobedience can lead to social progress because she is doing what is considered a “man’s job” by enlisting to fight in the army. At the end of Mulan, she saves the emperor, and even though she is a female he rewards her with his crest for saving his life. This ending to the movie showed the significant change within her society surrounding the stereotype of fighting in the army being too dangerous for women. In addressing this change within society Disney is able to show girls of all ages that you can do anything you put your mind to even if it’s considered to be a “man’s job” within society. When comparing this to real life, there used to be a prominent stigma against women enlisting in the military because of the exact reason represented in Mulan; it is considered a “man’s job” and too dangerous. Another movie created to address a social sterotype is Beauty and the Beast. This movie breaks away from the stereotype of the damsel in destress because for the first time in Disney’s history the man actually was vulnerable and needed the woman to help him. It also shows that a woman is capable to make her own decisions when Belle declines the beasts offer to eat dinner with him. In creating these movies, Disney was able to show society, especially young girls, that women can hold power and they aren’t always a damsel in distress. 

All things considered, Newton's first law of motion states that an object in motion will stay in motion unless acted upon by an outside force. This concept of motion is similarly aligned with society and how change and progress get made. It isn’t until society is challenged by someone rebelling against the norm, that any progress can truly be made. Until Rosa Parks showed the world how unfair segregation laws were, people of color had to give up their seats, but now society has progressed toward equality. And until females began to push back against the dress code, they were forced to go home whenever they wore something that the school decided was distracting to the males in the school. Even Disney displays rebellion against the stereotypes in society to people of every age. It is important to understand that disobedience can be good and is effective to make meaningful change in society.