I am interested in The New York Times article “Yes, I’m in a Clique” by Nathan Black because I think his discussion of social hierarchy at many American secondary schools is relevant; I find his argument that cliques, despite popular misconceptions, are actually not a negative aspect of social life in high schools but an inevitable result when people of different backgrounds get together and coexist in a small space to be a relevant and insightful observation. Black, a high school student from Littleton, Colorado, uses a colloquial style combined with anecdotes to show how personal experiences with cliques can be helpful in instilling a sense of self-confidence in people just as “the good times” he had in his clique “convinced… [him] that… [he is] an O.K. person.” Black’s use of first person and informal diction such as “O.K.” provides readers with insight on the misunderstanding of cliques through his conversational tone. “Yes, I’m in a Clique” is directly related to real-life issues because it is written in the aftermath of the devasting Columbine school shootings and reveals the exclusionary tendency that is part of human nature. Throughout history, human beings have shown a preference for one group over another such as during the First World War when different nationalistic groups excluded each other, which reshaped Europe and led to the formation of many new states. Forming cliques is an inescapable part of human nature just as there are 193 sovereign nations in the world, which are merely 193 large cliques. Cliques are neutral and people should not assume they are bad because making groups is a natural human behaviour because differences and similarities will always exist.
what are the chances! someone else chose this too! thanks jeremy