In order to grasp the concept of identity of oneself, one must understand the world around them. Culture is one way to comprehend the worlds’ meaning and identity because it has a major impact on how we grow and change. Except, social norms expand on identity within culture. This permits others to understand our class anthology because it illustrates how socially constructed rules affect personal and interpersonal interpretations of someone.
Social norms are unwritten rules that are expected and accepted by people of different cultures. These rules tend to vary among cultures depending on age, gender, and sometimes race. They affect the way people present themselves with internal and external communities. In Luna Brown’s poem, “Social Norms,” she wrote from the experience of an “outcast” teenager refusing to participate in party culture. The lines, “If you happen to be one of the few who doesn’t necessarily follow these / principles, then you will be ridiculed” is a crucial piece to the unsolved mystery of identity because it demonstrates there is a correct way to express identity at a certain age (Brown, lines 15-16). Think about it, elderly folks are not expected to stay out late. In fact, if they do this, others will likely turn their heads repulsed or wonder if they have mental struggles. Additionally, it is assumed Brown does not affiliate with a strict religion because most religions do not advocate for teens experimenting with drugs, sex, or alcohol. Nonetheless, social norms influence how people go about the world in a way that makes sense to almost everyone. It keeps a common ground, so people do not experience anomie which is the chaotic loss of standards within a community or individual. Thus, this poem illustrates that society has a specific way to show one’s identity at different times of life and cultures.
Source
Brown, Luna. “Social Norms – a poem by Luna Brown.” All Poetry, 2015, https://allpoetry.com/poem/11759119-Social-Norms-by-Luna-Brown. Accessed 1 December 2022.