The Elephant Man- What is Beauty?
What do you think when you see a very attractive person? A lot of people might assume that a nice looking person also has a nice personality. The opposite may also be true. When we see an ugly person we might assume that something is wrong with their personality. As a matter of fact, neither of these attitudes is correct. As we read in The Elephant Man, (Pomerance, scene II) you can’t judge a person by their appearance. People couldn’t bear the sight of John Merrick. His own mother abandoned him when he was three years old. Treves, the doctor in The Elephant Man, talks about Merrick being afraid of people because he was kept separate from them until he came to the hospital. Merrick had never seen the inside of a normal home before he went to Treeves’ home (Pomerance, scene IX). Merrick paid a big price for not being beautiful. At first he was treated like a freak. Later on, he was locked up in a hospital where people studied him. Only a few people recognized the person he was inside and tried to treat him as though his appearance didn’t matter. (Pomerance, scene XIV) Although he was ugly, Merrick had inner beauty. The main idea of this essay is that we need to look past a person’s exterrior apearance and discover their inner life and personality, before we make any decisions about them.
Our society defines beauty in different ways, For example, it can be defined by age, gender, color, body shape, or size. In various American dictionaries beauty is defined differently, but all generally agree that it means something along the lines of being attractive, appealing, alluring, and charming (Jacobson). Former super model Veronica Webb says, “And the ideal of beauty, and who represents beauty, and what is beautiful has changed so quickly and so radically” (Dawson). There is no such thing as ultimate true beauty because you can’t compare beauty. The Western Ideal of beauty is a skinny, tall, good looking lady with perfect teeth, perfect hair, and perfect fashion. (“Beauty Ideals Around the World”). However, we live in a multi-ethnic and multi-racial society. Everyone doesn’t fit the Western Ideal. The, “face” of America is changing. According to Allure Magazines, 20th Anniversary Beauty Survey (Dawson) sixty-four percent of all respondents think women of mixed raced are the most beautiful. Unfortunately, we see mainly Caucasian faces on the covers of women’s magazines. For many years African-American women were not even considered for jobs as models. This caused Non-White women to think that they weren’t really beautiful. They had no role models in the fashion world. Veronica Webb was the first African-American woman to win a major cosmetics campaign when she signed on with Revlon in 1992. She said that, “When you are rejected out of hand because of your skin color, ...... not even your skin color, but the perception of your race, there’s nothing more frustrating” (Dawson). When we look at the different aspects of beauty, we begin to understand how seriously people’s lives can be affected by their appearance.
John Merrick’s life was forever changed by his experiences with prejudice because of his appearance. In The Elephant Man, (Pomerance, scene II) we learn that his mother abandoned him at age three and he was sent to a workhouse. There is no mention of him getting an education. It was assumed that he didn’t have normal intelligence because of his abnormal appearance (Pomerance, scene V). It turned out that he was very bright and artistic and he loved to read, but he never had any encouragement. For his whole life he was treated as though he didn’t have any feelings. Inside he was suffering, but he had no one to talk to. Although the people who came into his life in the hospital, tried to be nice to him, but they didn’t understand him. They wanted him to be like them. They thought he reflected their own characteristics (Pomerance, scene XII). For example Mrs. Kendal said, “He is gentle, almost feminine. Cheerful, honest within limits, a serious artist in his way. He is almost like me.” The Bishop said, “He is religious and devout.” The Duchess said, “I can speak with him of anything. For I know he is discreet. Like me” (Pomerance, scene XII). That is how his, “so called friends”, thought of him. They didn’t take time to find out what he was like and what he wanted. They gave him fancy gifts, like silver-backed brushes and comb and a ring for Christmas (Pomerance scene XI). He didn’t need or want any of these things. What Merrick wanted was a woman who would love and care for him (Pomerance, scene XIV). Mrs. Kendal understood that Merrick never had an opportunity to be a normal man. She tried to show him how a woman looks without her clothes, Treves sent her away (Pomerance, scene XIV). He didn’t care that he was depriving Merrick of something that he really wanted and needed. Almost everyone in the hospital missed out on knowing what John Merrick was really like because they judged him and treated him solely on his appearance and how they thought he was like them. John Merrick missed out on making friends, having a relationship with a woman, having a family, and leading a normal life. All this because of his appearance.
The whole society loses when people are judged by their appearance. For example, people who might have contributed important ideas in different feels are not hired for jobs because the person who interviewed them was put off by their appearance. The people who are rejected don’t get the jobs or live the life to which they are qualified. No one knows how nice when they are rejected because of how they look. Starting at a young age, children can be very cruel to each other when they make fun of kids who look different. Sometimes children are so unhappy when people pick on them they don’t go to school regularly and they get poor grades. Their whole future can be changed by doing poorly in school because they develop low self-esteem and don’t try as hard as they can. Researchers have cited evidence that showed that more that eighty percent of ten-year-old girls are afraid of being fat, that girls’ self-esteem drops at age twelve and does not approve until the age of twenty, and that it is tied to negative body image. (Hartocollis) An aide to former New York Mayor Bloomberg, Samantha Levine was quoted (Hartocollis) as saying, “I think being a woman in this society it’s sort of impossible to not be aware of the pressures there are around appearance, around weight, around trying to always look a certain way.” Society looses a lot of interesting and creative people by not getting to know them and just assuming that because they look different, they’re not able to do the same things as beautiful people. So often when you first meet someone, we judge what they are like by how they look. If they’re nice looking, we assume that they are nice. Studies have shown that good-looking people earn significantly more money than their average or below-average-looking counterparts. Decades of research has concluded that if two workers with equal skills and education were to compete for a job, the more attractive person would most likely be hired (Eureka). Still, once they get a job, a person needs to do good work and get along with others to keep the job. Even though beauty may play an important part in our lives and careers, it is not the only factor in success. We need to remember to consider a person’s personality and achievements as much as their appearance when we are getting to know them.
The world lost a talented, loving person when John Merrick died. He was rejected by society and not allowed to lead a normal life. Instead of trying to help him, the people in his childhood treated him like a freak. During his last years in London Hospital, there was almost no understanding of his need for friendship and love. John Merrick and all people who are judged by their appearance, suffer greatly. All of us need to learn that people’s appearance doesn’t reflect their talents or personality. Each person’s appearance is unique. Their beauty can be on the inside, as well as on the outside. Each culture defines beauty differently. Not everyone lives up to their society’s definition of beauty. We need to put ourselves in other people’s shoes. We need learn how we would feel if were treated badly because of some difference that is not our fault. We should also realize that being beautiful doesn’t guarantee happiness. Beauty can fade away, but a kind heart is always inside you.
What do you think when you see a very attractive person? A lot of people might assume that a nice looking person also has a nice personality. The opposite may also be true. When we see an ugly person we might assume that something is wrong with their personality. As a matter of fact, neither of these attitudes is correct. As we read in The Elephant Man, (Pomerance, scene II) you can’t judge a person by their appearance. People couldn’t bear the sight of John Merrick. His own mother abandoned him when he was three years old. Treves, the doctor in The Elephant Man, talks about Merrick being afraid of people because he was kept separate from them until he came to the hospital. Merrick had never seen the inside of a normal home before he went to Treeves’ home (Pomerance, scene IX). Merrick paid a big price for not being beautiful. At first he was treated like a freak. Later on, he was locked up in a hospital where people studied him. Only a few people recognized the person he was inside and tried to treat him as though his appearance didn’t matter. (Pomerance, scene XIV) Although he was ugly, Merrick had inner beauty. The main idea of this essay is that we need to look past a person’s exterrior apearance and discover their inner life and personality, before we make any decisions about them.
Our society defines beauty in different ways, For example, it can be defined by age, gender, color, body shape, or size. In various American dictionaries beauty is defined differently, but all generally agree that it means something along the lines of being attractive, appealing, alluring, and charming (Jacobson). Former super model Veronica Webb says, “And the ideal of beauty, and who represents beauty, and what is beautiful has changed so quickly and so radically” (Dawson). There is no such thing as ultimate true beauty because you can’t compare beauty. The Western Ideal of beauty is a skinny, tall, good looking lady with perfect teeth, perfect hair, and perfect fashion. (“Beauty Ideals Around the World”). However, we live in a multi-ethnic and multi-racial society. Everyone doesn’t fit the Western Ideal. The, “face” of America is changing. According to Allure Magazines, 20th Anniversary Beauty Survey (Dawson) sixty-four percent of all respondents think women of mixed raced are the most beautiful. Unfortunately, we see mainly Caucasian faces on the covers of women’s magazines. For many years African-American women were not even considered for jobs as models. This caused Non-White women to think that they weren’t really beautiful. They had no role models in the fashion world. Veronica Webb was the first African-American woman to win a major cosmetics campaign when she signed on with Revlon in 1992. She said that, “When you are rejected out of hand because of your skin color, ...... not even your skin color, but the perception of your race, there’s nothing more frustrating” (Dawson). When we look at the different aspects of beauty, we begin to understand how seriously people’s lives can be affected by their appearance.
John Merrick’s life was forever changed by his experiences with prejudice because of his appearance. In The Elephant Man, (Pomerance, scene II) we learn that his mother abandoned him at age three and he was sent to a workhouse. There is no mention of him getting an education. It was assumed that he didn’t have normal intelligence because of his abnormal appearance (Pomerance, scene V). It turned out that he was very bright and artistic and he loved to read, but he never had any encouragement. For his whole life he was treated as though he didn’t have any feelings. Inside he was suffering, but he had no one to talk to. Although the people who came into his life in the hospital, tried to be nice to him, but they didn’t understand him. They wanted him to be like them. They thought he reflected their own characteristics (Pomerance, scene XII). For example Mrs. Kendal said, “He is gentle, almost feminine. Cheerful, honest within limits, a serious artist in his way. He is almost like me.” The Bishop said, “He is religious and devout.” The Duchess said, “I can speak with him of anything. For I know he is discreet. Like me” (Pomerance, scene XII). That is how his, “so called friends”, thought of him. They didn’t take time to find out what he was like and what he wanted. They gave him fancy gifts, like silver-backed brushes and comb and a ring for Christmas (Pomerance scene XI). He didn’t need or want any of these things. What Merrick wanted was a woman who would love and care for him (Pomerance, scene XIV). Mrs. Kendal understood that Merrick never had an opportunity to be a normal man. She tried to show him how a woman looks without her clothes, Treves sent her away (Pomerance, scene XIV). He didn’t care that he was depriving Merrick of something that he really wanted and needed. Almost everyone in the hospital missed out on knowing what John Merrick was really like because they judged him and treated him solely on his appearance and how they thought he was like them. John Merrick missed out on making friends, having a relationship with a woman, having a family, and leading a normal life. All this because of his appearance.
The whole society loses when people are judged by their appearance. For example, people who might have contributed important ideas in different feels are not hired for jobs because the person who interviewed them was put off by their appearance. The people who are rejected don’t get the jobs or live the life to which they are qualified. No one knows how nice when they are rejected because of how they look. Starting at a young age, children can be very cruel to each other when they make fun of kids who look different. Sometimes children are so unhappy when people pick on them they don’t go to school regularly and they get poor grades. Their whole future can be changed by doing poorly in school because they develop low self-esteem and don’t try as hard as they can. Researchers have cited evidence that showed that more that eighty percent of ten-year-old girls are afraid of being fat, that girls’ self-esteem drops at age twelve and does not approve until the age of twenty, and that it is tied to negative body image. (Hartocollis) An aide to former New York Mayor Bloomberg, Samantha Levine was quoted (Hartocollis) as saying, “I think being a woman in this society it’s sort of impossible to not be aware of the pressures there are around appearance, around weight, around trying to always look a certain way.” Society looses a lot of interesting and creative people by not getting to know them and just assuming that because they look different, they’re not able to do the same things as beautiful people. So often when you first meet someone, we judge what they are like by how they look. If they’re nice looking, we assume that they are nice. Studies have shown that good-looking people earn significantly more money than their average or below-average-looking counterparts. Decades of research has concluded that if two workers with equal skills and education were to compete for a job, the more attractive person would most likely be hired (Eureka). Still, once they get a job, a person needs to do good work and get along with others to keep the job. Even though beauty may play an important part in our lives and careers, it is not the only factor in success. We need to remember to consider a person’s personality and achievements as much as their appearance when we are getting to know them.
The world lost a talented, loving person when John Merrick died. He was rejected by society and not allowed to lead a normal life. Instead of trying to help him, the people in his childhood treated him like a freak. During his last years in London Hospital, there was almost no understanding of his need for friendship and love. John Merrick and all people who are judged by their appearance, suffer greatly. All of us need to learn that people’s appearance doesn’t reflect their talents or personality. Each person’s appearance is unique. Their beauty can be on the inside, as well as on the outside. Each culture defines beauty differently. Not everyone lives up to their society’s definition of beauty. We need to put ourselves in other people’s shoes. We need learn how we would feel if were treated badly because of some difference that is not our fault. We should also realize that being beautiful doesn’t guarantee happiness. Beauty can fade away, but a kind heart is always inside you.