The society has changed and crime is increased and good behavior reduced among the youths which is not good for civilization. The unity in the society is not anymore which caused writers such as O’Conner and Oates to write on the behavior of the current society. It is with no doubt that a good man is hard to find in the present society due to loss of trust and many young people having adopted bad lifestyles. This means that the arguments written by O’Connor and Oates are very good in giving the picture of what the society has evolved to be. The paper, therefore, is using two journal articles that agree with the stories of ‘A good man is hard to find’ and ‘Where are you going, where have you been’ by O’Connor and Oates.
Literature review of the story by O’Connor
The society that was there many years back has changed where because man no longer sticks to the good behavior values that united people in the community. However, it is still true that some people see themselves as good than others where they assume that bad habits are not in them. The example with the grandmother in the story ‘A good man is hard to find’ shows how the old woman is quick to believe that everyone is good even if they are different in the society. The grandmother in the story by O’Connor was following by her assumptions instead of being true with the fact that Misfit is having bad behavior and having the ability to cause injuries to the family. While the grandmother was quick to judge the lack of good behavior in the people, she failed to understand that people are different and while some may be bad, there are several good people who like the coming together and therefore do not want to be involving in bad acts that harm the rest of people. According to Critcher (1127), the current human generation is affected by things such as selfishness, no honesty and hypocrisy and are less concerned with life of other people which makes the bad people go to the level of killing their fellows to fulfill selfish needs. The fact that Misfit showed no mercy for the family as well as the grandmother who he talks with for some minutes but goes ahead to kill her shows the picture of the extent to which the modern society has lost good behavior. The grandmother indicates the case of how individuals would want to achieve their selfish interest by hurting innocent people.
O’Connor story is somehow the real picture of the changes that have occurred in the society where individuals such as Misfit lack the understanding of the meaning of life and how bad actions interfere with the well-being of the society. Misfit has good mental strength in his interaction with the old woman to the extent that he agrees that he knows there are other worse men than him in the society. This makes the title of the story by O’Connor largely true since with many bad people still present in the society, it is likely that the trust among people could be limited unlike in the past where there was mutual relationship among people. Misfit lived with the truth that the world is no longer the best place to be in unlike the grandmother who still believes that everyone could be good. Driven by his thinking, the lead criminal proves O’Connor’s logic right since poor habits in the society destroy the morality among individuals. Critcher in his article on moral panic write that morality in the society is made worse by the fact that there are rising cases of criminal activity as shown in the story which then leads to lowering of trust among people. At the individual and community level, the level of trust keeps falling thereby interfering with the smooth functioning of the society in terms of compliance to the rule of law and the need to live a civic life.
In a society where trust is high, bad behavior is low compared to the society where trust is limited such that people no longer view each other as brothers and sisters. The society becomes a place where everyone is nor believing one another and where individuals could go to the extent of hurting fellow humans to achieve selfish interests. In societies where people trust each other, such relationships have the habits of good relationship for people, increase in production and less problems that then create good atmosphere for everyone to live in. Individuals do not have to fear moving around since there is there is low cases of crime. It is therefore true that finding a good man has become harder in the society thereby leading to negative social outcomes. However, not all societies live with the idea that there are no good men since other countries have managed to maintain good moral among people such that everyone knows the need to protect others in the community.
Literature review of Oates story
Oates’ story shows the picture of Connie, a teenage who is filled with the idea of becoming a big woman. Connie drive to feel sexually attractive leads to her ensuring that she improves her physical appearance in efforts to make boys seek her sexually. Such incidences lead to Arnold taking Connie by force into adulthood hence proving the fact that we are only left with the question on where the society is headed to. While it is important that youths realize the importance of enjoying their youthfulness and appreciating their physical attractiveness, it is also necessary that everyone commits himself to practice lifestyles that are not focused on making colleagues seek sexual needs. In the article on youths and moral values, George and Uyanga suggest that youths form an important part of the society such that no one would want the situation where they fail to live according to the expectations of the society.
The story by Oates is the real reflection of the events happening in the modern society where the young people are affected by things that limit a successful future. The article on youths and moral values focus on the fact that it is only acceptable that young people know the contribution they have and that a society without youths is likely to fail after some period. The young people have to play a bigger role in the community and the society at large with the adults ensuring their role to equip the young people with the values, norms and social attitudes that make them useful members of the society. Oates played a key role in showing the easiness with which youths could be drawn to do things that rush them into adulthood.
The article on the youths and moral values in a changing society suggests that while it is important to appreciate growth and development among the youths, it is also necessary that young people accept responsible behavior that in turn reduce the rising cases of poor behavior and no social behavior. However, while many people are engaged in blaming youths for their actions, it is also important that the society gets to check the role parents and other mentors are playing in making the young people adopt positive lifestyles. The case of Connie show the image of someone whose parents have failed to identify the changes taking place in her and sit down with her to advice on the need to go slow with her attitude. The immorality in the society has reached the point where adults have to play their role in preventing younger people from adopting unfavorable behavior. Acts such as those shown by Arnold in the story ‘Where are you going, where have you been’ create a reflection of how actions of youths could be injurious to the society in the long run if not earlier detected and prevented. Parents and teachers who have good behavior are expected to see bad things in their children and be able to talk to the young ones on the need for then to stick to the culture and moral traditions of the society.
Parents are to a greater extent responsible for improving the behavior and attitudes of their children as they move from childhood to maturity to avoid situations where bad children like Connie fall into the temptation of thinking about their adult life. Oates’ story provides a key lesson on the extent to which the desires of young people could be destructive to them and that it is only important that bad cultures do not affect the young people in the undesirable manner. The story also offers the best ways through which everyone could brainstorm on the best approaches to deal with the issues instead of blaming the young people for their actions.
Personal views on the stories
The two stories give the reflection of what goes on in the current societies such that human beings no longer live happily like before. Even the young generation who many tend to believe are the solutions to the troubles in the society in future have not adhered to of the expectations since they are the ones leading in moving from traditions and values that speak of strong ties in the society. Incidences of crime are on the rise with individuals going to the extent of killing innocent people to fulfill their selfish-interests. The young people are becoming bad people with the need to be attractive hence go the extra mile of sexually provoking their peers as with the case of Connie in the story by Oates. The two stories are therefore key to providing lessons on the true reflection of erosion of morality in the society which then makes everyone to be responsible for correcting the situation and restoring the peace that once existed in the society.
Works Cited
Critcher, Chas. "Moral Panic Analysis: Past, Present and Future." Sociology Compass (2008): 1127–1144. Document.
George, Ime and Unwanaobong Uyanga. "Youth and Moral Values in a Changing Society." Journal Of Humanities And Social Science (2014): 40-44. Document.
