An Analysis of The Book Class Matter: The College Dropout Boom

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The book Class matter shows the importance of how much people should value and appreciate the importance of a classroom education. How much you dedicate yourself to school can help you gain enough knowledge to be successful in the future. Having good quality education in America seems to be the closest thing to a ticket to class mobility. The book was very interesting in explaining what social class really is in America, and the way it affects people's lives on how they live day to day. The different types of social class is what shapes our society. But I think this book is more for those people who aren’t that aware of social class, or for the ones who feel that we live in a society that is classless rather then the actually people who have realized the consequence that class really has on someone’s life. Many people can relate to what stories are told in the book if not, they know of a person that can relate to these stories. As a person that grew up in the lower class, I can definitely relate to most of the stories told in this book. From experience, there is a big difference in this country between the rich, middle class, and who are the poorest that we see daily. Even those in the so called working class have to make continuous sacrifices and live very differently from those positioned firmly in the middle class. Some people may have decent jobs but the bills and other expenses people may have make it harder on people than those who are in the same class but don’t have to necessarily go through the same thing as others. The chapters that I read in this book broaden what I said to a better more clear understanding. In chapter 6, "The College Dropout Boom" talked about the idea of how higher education, meaning colleg... ... middle of paper ... ...as big they needed quite a big house. Even though Kathy Link is a Relo there are other Relo’s out there that are a lot worse. Those people feel that if they earn a certain amount of money for example being in the upper class don’t feel the need for people in the lower classes to associate themselves with them. People become in tuned with having money being in a high status in society gives people the notion that having money, living in extravagant houses is normal. They think it’s the only way to live and don’t see how other people don’t live the same way. With that being said there’s a lot of disorganization in the society which increases the level of deviance occurring. The acts of deviant people challenge the boundaries of society and can eventually spread unto the masses, changing those boundaries. Deviance helps us affirm and define our own norms.

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