To understand the most important characteristics of a society, one must study its major cities.Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In deve

The study of the major cities or the megalopolis, as they are aptly known today, may provide some deep insights into the lives of the people. As they are highly populated, a thorough survey may lead to profuse understanding of life and living. It may even give an idea about the urban society. But, urban society is just a microcosm of what the society actually is or what the characteristics of a society are. Thus, the statement provided gives an equivocal result as only a small fraction is taken into consideration to describe a huge aspect like society.

There are different kinds societies namely; rural, religious, literary, etc. Urban society is just a small drop in the vast ocean. Therefore, to do some sedulous pondering on the characteristics of the society one must also study life in the country, religion, science, literature and others.

Life in big cities is fast and capricious. Hence, it is not feasible to understand society from them. If one wants to learn geographically distinct parts of the society one must also study the rural life. Though wanting in the fast pace of the city life, life in the countryside may not be as humdrum as commonly perceived. Even though it was prosaic, then too it would have put forward a connotation of a society. The pleasant scenery, the solitude all affects the residents in a positive way. The serene and blithe country life presents a different picture of society. For example, the urban society may be more career and asset driven whereas the rural society may be more of an aesthetic one. Again, these differ as everywhere it may not be the same. There are bound to be variations. Moreover, as often seen, the rural society is more conservative than its urban counterpart. Thus, the major city society is different from the society of the village.

Moreover, the assumption is restricted only to “major” cities. The count of small towns and cities is far more in number. Knowledge of the society can be obtained from their study too. People in smaller cities may lead a completely different life than the bigger and major ones. There can even be instances where it can be shown that the disparity between major and minor cities’ societies is more of an economical one. It might be assumed as a whole that small town societies are thriftier than that of the major cities. Again, there may be anomalies pertaining to this deduction. Hence, a consummate investigation is required in order to understand society.

Just a brief perusal of the cities is not enough to understand the society’s characteristics. A diligent study of various aspects of human life is required for it. More illustratively, the understandings of the cultural and religious facets are important in determining the phases of the society. Though geologically united, there exist cultural and religious divisions. The characteristics of society of the Christians may be different from that of the Hindus or Muslims and vice versa, also the culture of the rich may be different from the poor. This may not be achieved by just researching the major cities. Mere skimming of the top layer is not enough. Hence, the statement reflects a poor assumption.

Literature also plays an important role in depicting the society. It may be argued that literature literally gives a better understanding of the different kinds of societies. Taking the examples of the novels by the renowned writer Jane Austen, they provide a glimpse into both the middle and upper class societies of small and big cities. The variations are penned very discreetly; giving us a distinctive perception of the two. Similarly, Dickens’ work takes us into the variant aspects of the societies. Though set in major cities, assertive to the statement presented, it is literature that gives us this knowledge.

Society is the coming together of a group of people who share ideas, culture, livelihood, religion, caste, creed, race, etc. All these are not bound to just the major cities but also include the geological and theological as well as cultural and literary sides. If one sets out to know the different characteristics of the society it is important for him to understand every angle and not just go through the major cities.