Customer center

We are a boutique essay service, not a mass production custom writing factory. Let us create a perfect paper for you today!

Example research essay topic: Society Has Changed Sal And Dean - 2,289 words

NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote

The more things Prison Journey The more things change, the more they stay the same. Society is continually evolving, yet human nature remains constant. Over time, new technologies have served to dramatically alter society, but the needs and desires of individuals within that society have remained the same. The most basic of these needs is the compulsion to find one s place within society.

There comes a time in everyone s life at which it becomes necessary to define their role in the world. To determine this role, each person must at some point set out upon a journey. The journey need not be a physical journey as it is in Kerouac s On the Road, but like the novel the journey must fulfill one s spiritual needs. It is only when one understands themselves that they may function within society. A journey is nothing more than a passage from one place to another.

It is only when one is critically conscious of the journey that they may truly understand themselves. In the past 50 years the changes underwent by society have been immense. As technology has undergone significant advancements, society has changed to adapt. Breakthroughs in technology such as the widespread use of television, computers, and the Internet have significantly altered society. These advancements have all led to a more informed society, one that has access to incredible amounts of information. The idea of being informed has its downfalls however.

This plethora of information alters one s view of the world. In the 1950 s, largely because of the lack of information, crime appeared to occur at a much lower rate than it does in the 1990 s and as a whole everyone felt safe. The 1990 s, with the bombardment of crime related stories from the media on television and the Internet of crimes appears to be at a record high. This, however, is not the case. In effect, crime rates from 1950 compared to those from 1998 are fairly similar. The index crime rate is the number of substantial crimes including robberies, rapes and murders, per every 1000 people.

In 1950, this crime rate was at a mere 52. (Security Information Center) This meant on average 52 crimes occurred for every 1000 people in the United States. In 1998 the index crime rate was reported to be 58, meaning that 58 crimes occurred for every 1000 people. (SIC) In effect this data seems to show that while crime has in fact increased the change has not been so immense that society s views should be altered. It is only the combined media attention coupled with an increase in overall population which makes crime appear more widespread and the world seem a more dangerous place, these changes fail to affect human nature. Despite the way society has changed, mankind continues to have the same needs. Central to these needs is the compulsion to determine one s identity and where they fit in an ever changing society. To determine this, each individual much attempt a spiritual journey much in the same way Sal and Dean did in Kerouac s On the Road.

Being on the road is more than just merely traveling across the country, it is the process of finding who one is by becoming conscious of the world. Sal and Dean do not simply go on a trip across the country, instead they experience the country and society. On their voyage the two young men rebel against the constraints of society. It is not until they go on this voyage, however, that they truly realize the constraints society has placed on them. Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty discover themselves a little more with every person they meet and every place they go. What appears to be rebellion is revealed as nothing more than experimentation in the hopes of finding themselves.

The journey these men go on sheds new light on society, and in doing so helps uncover their place within the society. Both men are made aware of things in life which simply cannot be learned unless experienced. Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty are two restless young men in search of something better for themselves. Sal was a typical young man in search of himself and people to identify with. Dean was all troubles and ecstasy and speed as ever. (Kerouac, 248). Sal and Dean embark on the road as a means of rebelling against the constraints of society and in doing so serve to uncover the underbelly of society.

Through their long journey of self discovery they uncover the world around them. Sal says, It made me think that everything was about to arrive-the moment when you know all and everything is decided forever. (Kerouac, 128) Through people they meet and places they go, they gain a broader view of life. Sal and Dean s journey is more than merely sex, drugs, and jazz. It is about with what they learn in regard to themselves through experiencing these things. On the Road consists of four major trips made by Sal which encompass his journey.

His first excursion is from New York to Denver, where he meets with Dean, and then to San Francisco before heading home to New York. Sal s journey does not go as well as expected at first, but he soon learns an important lesson about being on the road; flexibility and the ability to adapt is a necessary. After some initial difficulty hitchhiking he takes a bus to Chicago and then ventures on to Denver seeing the majestic Mississippi along his way. In Denver he meets up with his college buddies Dean and Carlo Marx.

They experience all that life has to offer by getting their kicks, until Sal decides to head out alone to San Francisco. Along his way, Sal experiences his first whirlwind romance with a Mexican girl named Terry. The romance is short-lived, however, and soon he returns home to New York. His second trip takes him from New York to Virginia to New Orleans and then San Francisco before taking him home to New York once again. This trip was influential in Sal s understanding of the world. It was on this trip that Sal experienced jazz and the French Quarter culture.

It is also during this jaunt where Sal recognizes the free-spirited Dean as crazy. He was surrounded by alcohol, jazz and Dean s craziness. At this point Sal thought he would never see Dean again and didn t care. (Kerouac, 178) The admiration he once had for Dean had dwindled away. The third trip taken by Sal is the one on which he makes a conscious effort to observe the world around him. On this trip Sal goes to Denver to make amends with Dean. When he finds Dean they decide to walk to New York and as we do so let s take stock of the everything along the way. (Kerouac 184) Although they decide to drive to Chicago instead and then take a bus back to New York, what they observe along the way is an important part of their journey.

The fourth and final trip takes Sal and Dean to Mexico. In Mexico the two spend what would be their final evening together indulging in drugs, liquor and prostitutes. Their journey together ends when Sal gets sick and Dean selfishly abandons him to marry a girl in New York. Sal realizes Deans true character when he states, When I got better I realized what a rat he was, Okay old Dean, I ll say nothing. (Kerouac 302).

The journey made by Sal and Dean is unique to them, yet what they learned from the experience about society and life in general are universal. Their rebellion of society through sex, drugs and jazz taught them a great deal about themselves whether or not they recognized just what they learned. The journey provided them what they unknowingly wanted: a secure place in society. They discovered, although they never became conscious of it, that society is nothing more than what one perceives it to be.

By gaining different perspectives through exploring different areas of the country and different types of people, the two young men gain varying views of society. The stereotypical view of society was proven to be just that, stereotypical. In addition, Sal came to an important realization about people through his conscious view of Dean. He sees Dean as being self-centered, which leads him to realize what the journey intended him to realize; that society is made up of people with different characteristics. Therefore, society is everything to everyone and nothing to no one, it is everything one perceives it to be and everything no one could ever perceive. One s place in society is simply what one makes it through their experiences.

Paulo Freire s Banking Concept of Education describes a unique aspect of On the Road: the concept of consciousness. In particular it addresses the idea of possessors of consciousness versus conscious persons. Freire defines critical consciousness as consciousness intent upon the world. He says that being a mere possessor of consciousness assumes a dichotomy between man and the world: man is merely in the world, not with the world or with others; man is a spectator, not recreation. (Freire, 4) On the Road is able to exhibit these two types of people quite clearly in the characters of Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty. Although there are many times when both Sal and Dean are simply possessors of consciousness, Sal has certain occasions where he gains critical consciousness. Both men throughout the journey are conscious of the world around them.

They are spectators of their environment, merely living in the world. (Freire 6) Sal however, is on some occasions able to step back and not only be conscious of his environment but be conscious of his consciousness. At select moments Sal not only lives in the world, but he lives with the world. He is able to act and reflect upon the world in order to transform it. At these moments he is critically conscious. Dean, however, never attains this critical consciousness. He never becomes a conscious person, and perhaps that is why Dean s journey could not end.

One such example of Sal s attaining critical consciousness is after he reconciles with Dean, when he has a moment of clarity in which he sees Dean for who he is as a person. Sal says Poor, poor Dean-the devil himself had never fallen farther; in idiocy, with infected thumb, surrounded by the battered suitcases of his motherless feverish life across America and back numberless times, an undone bird. In this instant Sal not only sees Dean for what he is on the surface but he also sees Dean for what he is in the deepest sense. In doing so he achieves the deepest consciousness as he is conscious of the world as a recreation rather than a spectator. The idea of consciousness is a central theme in On the Road, much in the same way that the journey is a central theme in human nature. The need to find one self is something that confronts all people.

There comes a time when a person is unable to identify their role in society. This is what leads to rebellion and subsequently journey. Throughout the years the journey may change with technology, yet the concept remains the same. The idea of an on the road journey remains as plausible as it was in the past. In essence, little about human nature has changed in the last four decades. The journey would be largely different in many ways, yet the goal of the journey; the uncovering of the underbelly of society and rebellion would be largely the same.

Technology and an ever changing society would make many things different about a modern day on the road journey. Modern hitch-hiking laws would make it largely impossible to travel cross-country through this method. However, other inexpensive transportation methods such as bus and train provide safe and legal alternatives. Likewise in present society it would be nearly impossible to live without money. It would most likely be necessary to save up a substantial amount of money prior to venturing out on the road.

Also, poor treatment of women and usage of drugs would likely not be tolerated in today s society. In general, however, very little has changed to prevent such a journey from taking place. As illustrated by crime rate it is not necessarily that things have changed, moreover the perception of things has changed. If such a journey were to take place in modern times some aspects would have changed but largely things would be the same. While, the places one visits would be different and the methods of attaining their conclusions would be contrasted, their conclusions would be the same.

Regardless of time, human nature remains the same. No matter how the physical journey changes, the spiritual journey through which one finds oneself remains the constant. The journey is an important part of life. It is through the excursion that one derives who they are and how they fit in society.

The journey brings everyone to certain realizations about themselves which help them define their identity. Only through these moments of critical consciousness are people able to see the world for what it truly is. This, after all, is the reason for embarking on the journey. One aims to see the world and society in their best sense and find oneself through understanding of this world. Human nature is always the same. It does not matter when or how one takes the journey; in the end the conclusions reached will be the same.


Free research essays on topics related to: sal and dean, constraints of society, types of people, place in society, society has changed

Research essay sample on Society Has Changed Sal And Dean

Writing service prices per page

  • $18.85 - in 14 days
  • $19.95 - in 3 days
  • $23.95 - within 48 hours
  • $26.95 - within 24 hours
  • $29.95 - within 12 hours
  • $34.95 - within 6 hours
  • $39.95 - within 3 hours
  • Calculate total price

Our guarantee

  • 100% money back guarantee
  • plagiarism-free authentic works
  • completely confidential service
  • timely revisions until completely satisfied
  • 24/7 customer support
  • payments protected by PayPal

Secure payment

With EssayChief you get

  • Strict plagiarism detection regulations
  • 300+ words per page
  • Times New Roman font 12 pts, double-spaced
  • FREE abstract, outline, bibliography
  • Money back guarantee for missed deadline
  • Round-the-clock customer support
  • Complete anonymity of all our clients
  • Custom essays
  • Writing service

EssayChief can handle your

  • essays, term papers
  • book and movie reports
  • Power Point presentations
  • annotated bibliographies
  • theses, dissertations
  • exam preparations
  • editing and proofreading of your texts
  • academic ghostwriting of any kind

Free essay samples

Browse essays by topic:

Stay with EssayChief! We offer 10% discount to all our return customers. Once you place your order you will receive an email with the password. You can use this password for unlimited period and you can share it with your friends!

Academic ghostwriting

About us

© 2002-2024 EssayChief.com