Byron Esquivel

Progression 3
Professor Vana
English 115

Fit In Or Stand Out

What is Peer Pressure? Peer pressure is the influence you feel from a person or group of
people to do something you might not otherwise consider doing. - Reachout.com/Becca As
humans, why are we so desperate, if you will, for acceptance? Most of the things that are done
today are done to please other people rather than doing the right thing or doing what we
ourselves please. This can be traced to sports, literature, and even daily life. Earlier in the
semester, my English 115 professor assigned a reading entitled Shooting an Elephant by
George Orwell, in which Peer Pressure plays a major role. Peer pressure has a negative effect on
society due to the fact that people do things that they dont want to and will more than likely
suffer from the repercussions.
In December of 2014, Kobe Bryant (A professional basketball) was signed to a 2 year
$48 million dollar contract. I know what youre thinking, what does that have to do with Peer
Pressure right? Well, while Kobe has a huge list of accomplishments he is well beyond his best
days of playing basketball and a $24 million yearly salary is in the higher ranks of contracts in
the NBA. Kobe Bryant plays for the Los Angeles Lakers a team hes been with for about 18
years and while he certainly has done a lot for the team, the teams management thought it best
to move on from him, yet he was signed to this huge contract mainly because of his extremely
loyal fan base. The reason he was signed was to please all the fans and the team ignored the best
course for the team to do what the majority of the fans wanted. Management was pretty much
forced into signing him to this enormous contract. Management feared that by releasing Kobe
they would disappoint their extremely outspoken fans so rather than do whats best for the team,
management decided to fold into the peer pressure.

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In Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell, the protagonist was the narrator who was a
peace officer who served the British. Pretty much, he hated his job but did it anyway. The story
is set in Moulmein, in Lower Burma, where the citizens absolutely despised Europeans. The
officer was therefore hated by the people of the town as well. One day the officer gets a call
about a wild elephant sighting and hurries to meet the Burmese sub-inspector where the elephant
was seen. As the officer goes around town looking for the elephant he begins to hear stories of
how the elephant went wild and slammed people into the ground. As the officer approaches the
elephant he realizes that a group of about 2,000 people had followed him. While the officer
begins to think about how to get the situation under control he now has the added weight of
4,000 eyes on him, waiting for him to mess up. He fears that if he messes up, the town will see
him get trampled by the elephant. The one thing the officer absolutely does not want to do is
have to shoot the elephant and kill it. As the story continues the suspense only builds higher and
higher. The officer then realizes that all these people must be certain that the elephant will be
killed and are only there for a show. Finally after feeling nearly 2,000 people willing him to
shoot, the officer breaks and shoots the elephant. The officer instantly regrets this act after
realizing what he had done and why he had done it. The officer did the one thing he didnt want
to do simply because other people wanted him and expected him to do it. This story has 2
examples of peer pressure, one being obviously the native crowd forcing him to shoot and two
would be the fact that he was forced to support an oppression he didnt believe in because of the
job he had. The repercussions from the officers final decision is that he went against his own
morals because the masses wanted him to do something he had a definite stand against. The guy
lost his morals simply to please the masses and that was the negative effect peer pressure had in
the story. Although this story is fictional, peer pressure is very real.

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Not all peer pressure is bad though, sometimes you can run into someone who will
convince you to work harder, or to do something positive you would never consider doing. Teens
are influenced greatly by both positive and negative positions. Teens are especially easy to
influence because as teens we are more likely to be confused about our futures and therefore look
to any source or person to mimic. Forty percent of college students binge drink -- have four or
more drinks occasionally -- far exceeding the rate for their non-college peers, reports NYU
Steinhardt. Students rely more on their peers for support and guidance in college, which
increases the opportunity for peer pressure to occur, increasing the likelihood of drinking. It
doesn't help that peers often provide alcohol to each other without considering the consequences
of drinking. Kay Ozuma. According to statistics %40 of college students binge drink in order
to be accepted by their peers.
I myself have suffered from the effects of peer pressure in my everyday life. As an
average guy in society I must admit that I have fallen to peer pressure to be accepted just like Im
sure most other people have as well. One instance where I fell under peer pressure would have to
be at school when I was convinced by my friends to switch out of A.P and honors classes for a
semester. I was extremely reluctant at first but according to my friends it would be easier and I
would have class with my friends rather than the strangers in the honors programs. After
switching into general education classes I realized that I had made a mistake. The students
wouldnt bother listening to the teacher and could care less about class. It was then that I knew I
belonged with the honors kids who did all their work and actually valued their education. I
maintained decent grades but I somewhat obtained the nonchalant attitudes of the students
around me. I began to care less about the assignments in class and turn in late work and still after
turning in every homework assignment late for general English I was awarded an A for the

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semester. I knew I had not done anything to deserve the grade and it gave the A less meaning
than an A I worked hard for. After just one semester in general education I decided to switch
back into the advanced classes where there were more interesting and rigorous challenges. There
was more stress and I was surrounded by strangers but that was where I truly belonged. I cant
take that semester back now, but if I could go back I would follow my gut and stay where I knew
I belonged rather than doing something I didnt like simply so I wouldnt hear anything from my
friends anymore. It should be up to me to make my own choices.
I know a lot of people will say something along the lines of Well nobody put a gun to
your head or everyone is responsible for their own decisions. And while yes both statements
hold true, what is also true is that human nature is to want to fit in. Once in a while youll come
across a person who wants to be an alpha dog or a leader but it is more common to just want to
be another member of the pack. Peer pressure has an effect on most people at one point or
another and it can be extremely difficult to ignore it. No there is not a gun to my head but there
are eyes staring at me waiting for me to do what they want, and no I am not forced to say yes but
it is the easier thing to do. Peer pressure can have an enormous effect on people who are weak
minded. So when you say everyone makes their own decisions that is true, just remember the
circumstances under which certain decisions are made.
I believe we as people have become desperate for acceptance crave it enough to the point
of ignoring our own personal morals to achieve it. Many times we make the easy choice rather
than the right choice simply to please the rest of the people around us. As stated above, peer
pressure finds its way into pretty much every aspect of our lives. Whether its sports,
professional or amateur, or its literature, or simply an average day in the life peer pressure finds
a way to sneak in. I believe whether its good or bad, we as people should act upon our own

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feelings and simply do what we believe is right or necessary rather than listening to others,
because we will be held accountable for our actions and choices while the people that pressured
you into it will get a way without a scratch on their accreditation.

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Work Cited
Becca, Reachout.com, Fact Sheet, March 2014, Online Magazine
Orwell, George. Shooting an Elephant. New Writing, Autumn 1936. Print
Ozuma, Kay, Globalpost.com, Everyday life, Online Magazine