Think back to the 1800s, when slavery existed. The slave owners treated them like animals. The slaves were simply doing what they were told to do, otherwise they knew there would be punishment. They couldn't really show who they really were. If they were funny, shy or maybe even artistic. No one could see the true side of the slaves. As the years passed, society began to establish more and more individualism. People in American society have their own opinions about individualism in our country. They choose who they are and what they want to become in the future. For this reason, there are some advantages to American individualism. For example, Edgar Allen Poe was a poet who expressed his feelings in his poetry. His poetry was a bit dark and twisted and is actually a bit confusing to understand. This is a good example of individualism because through his writing he showed what kind of man he was and the problems he was facing. In his day people were not used to authors writing in a style similar to his. He would be judged quite harshly, but that didn't stop him from writing. In one of Poe's stories, "The Raven", the man was grieving over the death of his wife. He entered a deep darkness crying for his wife; wondering, fearing, and doubting what had happened to her (Poe468). This explains the pros of individualism because he expressed exactly how he felt about his death. He got to express his feelings without being humiliated. Being an American citizen he was able to exercise his right to free speech, which everyone should not be afraid to do. This shows collectivism because it shows how he was not afraid to express his individuality even when numerous people made fun of him. Although... middle of paper... it's probably one of the best things a human being can do even if it's negative. Who knows, one day you might even become famous for doing it. Being individualistic is something everyone should appreciate because if everyone was exactly the same the world would be boring and we would all be like robots. Works Cited Poe, Edgar Allan, and William Ladd Taylor. The raven. New York: E. P. Dutton, 1884. Print.!function(d, BOB WOODRUFF Bob Woodruff More from Bob » ABC News Anchor Follow @bobwoodruff, S, Id){var Js, Fjs=d.getElementsByTagName;js.id=id; js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, Fjs);}}(document, "script" and "twitter-wjs"); Via Good Morning America. “Life on Ice: The World of Crazy Cryogenics.” ABC News. ABC News Network and Web. December 17, 2013.Weitlauf, Ashlee. Civil disobedience: Henry David Thoreau. Tempe, Arizona: Pell Mell, 2006. Print.