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Literature poverty essay
Literature poverty essay
Literature poverty essay
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Reid Hoffman once said, “Identity is a core and unavoidable part of all our lives. Our actions shape our identity, and in turn, our identity shapes our actions.” This quote may imply that we can build our own identities with ease, however, at some points in life identity is uncontrollable. Like an ocean that chips away at a rock cliff, or a potter who molds their clay, identity is shaped through both internal and external factors within a society; Those of which you’ve been born into, or those that you’ve subconsciously created for yourself. The verse-novel Make Lemonade is a clear depiction of two characters who struggle to get by and meet their families’ needs as they face new inflictions both on a day-to-day basis, and on an inclusive level. …show more content…
Social class is a category that is pre-determined; Something that people most likely can’t help but deal with. Usually, being in a specific social class comes with certain advantages, privileges, and/or disadvantages. Throughout the introduction of the book the realities of social class are made clear by describing both of the girls’ environment, social past and present interactions, and economic capital. Jolly is stuck in a social class indicated by the fact that she lives in a very low quality area, and even then she still can’t afford to pay rent for her apartment. Lavaughn sees this and comments “I go to meet this Jolly like she says / at her place. The building was broken-down looking, / it was even a worse place than where we live,” adding to the effect of poverty that shapes Jolly. In addition, Jolly is incapable of holding down any sort of job, even one in a factory. During a conversation with Lavaughn, she says “‘I’m canned,’ Jolly says, and she translates immediately. / ‘Fired.’” (p. 55), further revealing her status as a lower class citizen. This poverty shapes Jolly because she learns to live in a different way than others that are her age; she has to take more responsibility, she learns to live frugally, and is forced to be a hard worker. Furthermore, social class shapes Lavaughn as well. To begin with, Lavaughn’s …show more content…
For instance, Jolly desperately wants and needs to keep a job, though can't for long. She displays her longing for a place of work by declaring ‘“I need a job,” and explains the reason why she was fired in the first place: “you blow the whistle on them, you're out of work for good.”’ (p.57), alluding back to the time when she got fired from her factory job for defending herself against sexual harassment. Jolly’s desire for a job, an internal factor, and inability to get one, an external factor, has created a bitter distaste for men in her mind. She cannot hold down a job because of what certain men have done to her, not relating to the workforce (unintentional pregnancy) and within the workforce (sexual harassment). This forms her as a character and shows a lot about her wavering views on equality and gender stereotypes. Moreover, although sometimes she doesn't show it, Jolly truly does want to do the best she can in making sure her kids are taken care of. By working to achieve this, Jolly has unknowingly shaped her identity because they bring her hope and something to work towards, instead of only
Class is a “relational social categorization based on economic, cultural, and social characteristics” (Barnes 2016) this includes a person’s: income and wealth, networks and connections, cultural knowledge, and social status. When a person has a high social status, that often means that they have more power in society compared to a person who is in a lower social class than they. A good example of class and how it separates the lower classes from the higher classes are private schools. Private schools are often very expensive and people who are in lower class systems often cannot afford to send their kids their, causing an even larger gap between classes. In Conley’s memoir, with him switching schools from a public, working class school to a private, middle class school shows how the schools that people go to can greatly effect their
There are many factors that lead to the development of an individual’s identity. Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” illustrates an extreme change in Gregor Samsa’s external identity and the overall outward effect it has on the development of his family. While James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues” illustrates a young man struggling to find his identity while being pushed around by what society and his family wants him to be. Both of these characters exhibit an underlying struggle of alienation but both also demonstrate a craving for belongingness. This conflict of trying to belong to something as well as satisfying the needs of society, has directly impacted their own individuality and the lives of the people around them.
At birth, every person is given a name, a birth certificate and a social security number. However, labels and documents do not identify who one is or who he will be. Family, environment, and circumstances shape an individual. At any one point in time, an individual may have one identity but at another given point, they may have another. What causes one’s identity to change? At birth, identity begins to form, shaping an individual; and while personal choice slightly influences a person’s identity, environmental factors weigh most heavily in molding a person’s permanent identity.
Social classes have been around since the beginning of time. Most people are lead to believe that rich people live in beautiful and extravagant homes, throw luxurious parties and do not give a damn about keeping it a secret. The poor people are happy to have a roof over their heads and have food on the table and will work their asses off to make a penny. The higher the class that someone is in, the better that person’s life is perceived to be and vice-versa. There is old money versus new money, which determines which side of town one lives on. Everyone knows the difference in social classes and is able to see where most people fit in. In the classic novel, The Great Gatsby, the reader is exposed to many things that show a difference in social class that sadly, still exist in today. Most people have a dream of being in a certain class; whether they ever get to experience it or not, the dream is there. The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925, shows how social class plays a theme in the story.
Identities are defined as a product of one’s natural individuation. All aspects about one’s life such as their job, hobbies, nationality, religious beliefs, and group associations, can shape one’s identity. Identities are significant because they allow us to demonstrate our uniqueness as an individual and allow us to fit into certain groups. Identities are like fingerprints; everyone has their own unique identity labeled to themselves. Although identities are unique, they can also become susceptible to conformity based on certain external factors. In Malcolm Gladwell’s “The Power of Context,” he discusses how the external environment molds individual’s identities and casts an influence on those, which can be used to prevent crimes. In Cathy
Identity is very important in a person’s life. It can induce pride or shame, provide a community or provide a way to distinguish one’s self from others. But, where does this identity come from? It is easy to assume we are who we are because of who raised us, but this is not the entire case. Andrew Solomon, author of “Far from the Tree” introduced two different forms of identity, vertical and horizontal. He defines vertical identity as the attributes acquired and shared by the people we are raised by and horizontal identity as the attributes different from those who raised us, but are shared and acquired through a peer community. These two types of identities generally do not intersect and, depending on the circumstance, one can greatly impact
One of the biggest fears in today's world is the idea of not fitting into society. Evan Hunter's story “On the Sidewalk Bleeding,” explores the theme of the importance of personal identity. This will be shown through an analysis of how external reality plays a critical role in defining who people are, how personal identity is a crucial aspect of how individuals grow and the fact that no matter how hard you try, you can never erase the troubles of your past. One aspect of identity that is evident in Hunter's story is how external reality plays a critical role in defining who people are. While individuals may wish to be many things, the world plays a role in who people are and how people perceive others.
Finding your identity and self-worth can get difficult sometimes. It takes time to realize your worth.Your self-identity is the way you view yourself, and the relationship you have with the world and the American society. Identity basically identifies who you are, where you are from, and most of all, who you want to become. As an African American woman, I was often tempted by the society to do greater than the rest of the ethnic groups. Because back then we didn’t have the right to do anything. We only had the option of being a housewife or a slave. The readings that were covered this semester, perceived self-identity. Each character in the novels confronted self-identity issues to find their true self, and their inner being. It took a while
Social class is defined as 'people having the same social or economic status' (Wordnet). In contemporary American society, social class is based on the amount of money and property you have and also prestige. Prestige is given to a person through the line of work or the family that they come from. For example, upper-upper class member Jennifer Lopez reeks of prestige not only because she has millions of dollars in her bank account, but she has very expensive luxuries, cars, and houses.
Identity is defined as being oneself and not acting or being something else. The identity that one forms throughout their life time is a slow and tedious process, each and every event in one’s life whether it’s larger or small scale has an effect on developing ones overall identity. In the play Only Drunks and Children Tell the Truth by Drew Hayden Taylor, Janice it caught between two identities and struggles to find a happy medium. Being adopted into a white family at a young age, Janice has become accustom to many of the white traditions and ways. Janice’s native family has recently gotten in touch with her and has put a great deal of pressure on her to regain some of the native culture she was born into. With pressure building Janice begins to question her identity and begins to show signs that she wants nothing to do with her native roots. Drew Hayden Taylor does an excellent job in this play showing how stereotypes and pre-conceived notions affect ones identity and their relationships within society. Each character within the play shows how their identity has been shaped through the relationships they have acquired throughout their lives; Tonto’s identity is heavily influenced by his father and best friend Rodney, Barb is influenced by the customs and traditional ways of her mother, and Janice after being adopted at a young age has formed an identity revolving around that of her adopted parents but she faces a great deal of pressure from her native birth family.
What is identity? Identity is an unbound formation which is created by racial construction and gender construction within an individual’s society even though it is often seen as a controlled piece of oneself. In Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum’s piece, “The Complexity of Identity: ‘Who Am I?’, Tatum asserts that identity is formed by “individual characteristics, family dynamics, historical factors, and social and political contexts” (Tatum 105). Tatum’s piece, “The Complexity of Identity: ‘Who Am I?’” creates a better understanding of how major obstacles such as racism and sexism shape our self identity.
All throughout the movie social class is a problem. Social class is the division of classes based on social, economic, and achieved status. All of the events on the ship are broken down based on which social class each person falls under. The upper class were those who were on a luxury trip, and
Social class, as defined by the film, is something that affects who you are as a person. In the film, the people saw class as the defining factor of a person. They saw class as a barrier between people. If one person is in a different class than another person, then obviously, they are not supposed to associate. They allowed their social class to dictate their action each day. It was amazing to me just how much the people in the film allowed their class to truly define them and really serve as a boundary in their life. The people in the film lived their daily life with their social class as the most influential factor. Their worth and value as individuals was not determined by anything else except the amount of money they had. It was really interesting to see how the amount of money a person had somehow equated with their worth in society. The same is true within our society today, but in the film, this aspect was especially evident. The film really shed a light on just how impactful social class is and just how much we allow it to
What is social class? It is a term used to describe a large group of people who share similar social or economic positions in society based on wealth, income, job status, education, skills or power in the political sphere. Class is not just about what you own or earn but also who you know. Class affects not only how we feel about ourselves, but how others judge and consequently treat us. Those at the top of the class structure, the elite, have more power than those in the middle and even more power than those at the bottom who are of lower class. Education is a highly valued commodity in our world. In his commentary on society Freud, claimed, “ No feature, however, seems better to characterize civilization than its esteem and encouragement
Social class is an underlying factor to which all characters run their lives. It is always a priority and influenced most, if not every part of their lives. Most of the characters in the novel respect the rules of class and are always trying to climb the social ladder. Or if they are atop this ladder, they make it a mission that they remain there. Mrs. Bennet tried very hard to have her daughters marry the most socially advanced men and in the end the daughters chose socially respectable men.