ISP English Essay
Grade 11
Mulin Li
Griet is a young girl living in 17th century Holland who is observant and smart. When she was young, she lived happily with her parents and her two younger siblings. It seemed like her family was inseparable and they loved each other very much. How is it now that she is a butcher’s wife and emotionally scarred for life?
No matter how hard they try to not let it affect them and who they are, society and its pressures will always significantly shape and impact an individual. Because an individual is in a society from the moment they are born, it will shape them into the person they are. In that society, there will be various people that they will have to interact with because they will be bound by emotions. With interactions, people will try to force them to become what they want. This peer pressure will weigh down on them and change who they are. This change can cause a huge impact on the individual’s future life.
Society will shape you into the person you are. From birth, you are already part of a society known as your family. This small society will grow as you grow and each person’s society will be unique. Having influences and people you look up to like parents and teachers at a young age will shape and cause your views to change. Since at birth you have no set values and morals, the people who raise you will pass theirs onto you. An example from the novel Girl with a Pearl Earring1 would be the main character Griet. She was shaped by her parents to have their views on the world. She was taught to have faith in the Protestant religion, so when she moves to Oude Langendijck, a Catholic society, little things like Catholic paintings disturb her (Pg. 8). She was so used to her family’s beliefs that a small change such as paintings on the wall would bother her to the point where she was scared to look at them (Pg.