Summary: Slam-Dunking Nonconformity

Slam-Dunking Nonconformity Conformity in the means of “complying with standards, rules, or laws,” can in some cases have people in shock when they're told they adhere to those circumstances. In other words, conformity can be good or bad; yet a lot of people don’t know that they are conforming. They simply do it subconsciously. The sheep in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell, conform without complete clarity of what they’re doing. Whereas Allen Iverson, a retired NBA basketball player from Hampton, Virginia; did not conform to what society's expectations had set out for him. In the case of the sheep from Animal Farm, societal consequences occur with conformity, stifled free speech and with Allen Iverson, individual consequences occur in nonconformity. In the fable Animal Farm, the sheep were a prime example of
conforming to a set of rules and people. Subconsciously, the herd of sheep conformed to the rules Napoleon spoke out about. The sheep were manipulated by Napoleon. By giving them rules to go by, the sheep repeated these rules and created consequences for the rest of the farm animals. “Four legs good, two legs bad” was an example of the repetition of Napoleon's rules. This interrupted crucial moments in snowballs speech which allowed Napoleon to get his point across which evidently caused a corruption. Where interrupting Snowballs speech may have helped Napoleon gain control, it also caused distractions. The distractions caused by the sheep did not benefit anyone besides Napoleon himself.
The bleating of the sheep allowed Napoleon to go and interact with humans. This enabled Napoleon to trade with the humans. Although, the sheep's conformity resulted in consequences, so did Allen Iverson's nonconformity. Allen Iverson, also known as A.I., refused to conform in many different ways. In some of the ways he did not conform they resulted in bad consequences and others in good consequences. For example, Iversons appearance was not quite like the average basketball player. “He had multiple tattoos, freshly done cornrows, and baggy shorts. He was also only six feet tall. Now the average basketball player’s height is 6’7”. His appearance did not cause neither good nor bad consequences in the sense of punishments; though one bad consequence was the opinions of others on many aspects of how he lives. Because of his height, this caused conflicts with many different people on whether or not they believe he could make it in the NBA world. All things considered, Allen Iverson's actions did not always conclude bad opinions and accusations yet good ones
also. During school everyone might not be your friend and/or like you, but there might be someone who has your back. When A.I. was younger he went to a predominantly black school, so when a kid was being bullied because of the environment he was placed in Iverson came along to help and gained a lifelong friend. “Iverson saw Jamie Rogers being picked on simply because he was different as he was white. So, in classic Iverson form, he acted differently than most of his fellow schoolmates and becomes friends; best friends with rogers, even protecting him from the bullies in school.” Iverson’s actions carried him to make a lifelong best friend. Therefore, concluding that nonconformity have its individual consequences that you could benefit from. In the long run, conformity and nonconformity has its consequences as an individual and as a society. The sheep from Animal Farm accepted their consequences and the entire society had to pay for it. Although, Allen Iverson’s nonconformity had its ups and downs, in most cases had its individual consequences.