Logan Holt
Dr. Phillip E. Mitchell
ENGL 1101
24 September 2017 “Sagging on everyone’s streets”: How Saggy Pants are a Sign of Rebellion Sagging is the fashion of wearing pants with the waist around your lower hip or sometimes even further down than that (Mikkelson). The fad began in Hoosegow prisons, because inmates were not allowed to have belts. Without belts, their pants sagged. This trend was quickly adopted into the hip hop culture. The defiant style was picked up by a variety of rap artist like Ice-T and Too Short. Most rap artists wore saggy pants to promote a tough guy reputation or image. In 1992 Kriss Kross dropped his debut album (Totally Crossed Out), which showed a couple of 13-year-old rappers sagging their pants (Mikkelson). People started to pick up on the style and sagging your pants became a fashion statement. Only three years later in 1995, the style made its way into teen culture and every kid was slinging them low. Like all other fashion trends, sagging your pants came to an end in the fashion world. This didn’t stop thugs and delinquents from wearing them as a sign of defiance. Now,
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Many of the kids wear their pants low because of comfort or just the idea of looking “cool”. One teenager says, “its more comfortable than wearing them high up around the waist” (Pflughoeft, 2007). Another says, “If you wear your pants high, you look nerdy.” It’s clear to see that some kids actually have practical reasons behind wearing their pants lower. With young kids already struggling with self-confidence, sagging your pants is easy way to feel like your fitting in. However, some kids sag their pants just because their parents said not to. For some kids, they see nothing wrong with this trend. Many kids live in poverty and have known nothing more than what their parents have shown them or reflected upon them. It is almost second nature for some kids who have grown up living this
Ragged Dick: Or, Street Life in New York with the Boot Blacks tells the story of a young teenage boy trying to survive as a boot black on the streets of New York during the period of industrialization. Ragged Dick: Or, Street Life in New York with the Boot Blacks overall is very accurate in its portrayal of the era. Several examples throughout this work can be used to justify this such as Dick’s occupations, his enjoyment of theatre, his rags to riches story, the adversities some individuals struggle through, the emphasis on the suite making a professional, and the hard economic times. However, throughout this book, although not abundant in my opinion, there are also inaccuracies in its portrayal of the era which several example can attest such as Dick‘s and Fosdick surviving on their own without any public assistance, or the fact that Dick was able to gain higher education on his limited leisure time despite working full time. Overall, this work is a great book showing that character, good intentions, honesty of an individual can help them gain a great life.
In an excerpt of The Street, Ann Petry illustrates Lutie Johnson's determination against the formidable wind and offers a perspective that sheds light on its underestimated consequences. Through personification and selection of detail, the narrator effectively characterizes the wind and its unrelenting "fingers" as an unwelcoming and obtrusive force that is capable of uncovering society's filth.
Stephen Dobyns’ poem “The Street” on Balthus’ painting The Street affirms his belief “that no one can see his neighbor” due to people’s concerns with their personal duties in their ordinary paths of life (1). Balthus illustrates people’s compulsion with menial tasks as blinders obstructing vision to the outside world. He positions each subject of the painting to symbolize his or her inherent dexterity and purpose within the society. However, we pick up on his theory that individuals become consumed with their selfish pursuits forming weak and divided communities. Dobyns elaborates on Balthus’ painting to transparently elucidate the deliberation behind the work of art. The structure of Dobyns’ poem reflects the systematic steps of people within the painting as he plainly interprets their motives. In separate stanzas, he relates the story of each person in the painting to reveal their deliberate duties. This emphasizes the artist’s vision of the world. Through poetry, Dobyns brings life to the differing individuals, allowing the reader to enter more fully into the vision of the painting.
...he boy sagging his pants like his Hip-Hop idol, or the convenience store owner who puts up a sign refusing service to those who sag their pants. This is not a serious problem that we need to combat, like the war on drugs, but something that many just don’t like.
Depending on who you ask, this fashion became popular in the early 1940’s. As we can see, history has a tendency to line things up for the “perfect storm.” This just so happen to be the time that thousands of service men, fresh out of boot camp arrived in Los Angeles looking to blow off steam before being deployed into combat around the world. To these service men, large baggy pants and jackets were a symbol of hate or disrespect to the
In the beginning of The Street (1946), written by Ann Petry, the narrator describes the relationship between the setting and the numerous people involved. The main character, Lutie Johnson is seen struggling against nature. Petry shows this relationship between Johnson and the city setting through imagery, personification, specific detail, and figurative language. The author, Ann Petry uses imagery all throughout this excerpt to relate the relationship between the environment and the people, more specifically Lutie Johnson. One example of imagery found in the passage is located in the very first paragraph when describing the wind. “It rattled the tops of garbage cans, sucked window shades out through the top of
Life is full of distractions and, for high school students, inappropriate clothing has the potential to grab much attention. However, does the matter of clothing warrant strict rules? I agree that, like alcohol, the students’ attire should have rules regarding whether or not the choices in clothing are suitable for a public school setting. I also agree that violators of school rules should receive punishment for their lack of compliance to the school policies. However, there is a fine line. Some schools, like Carroll High School, are taking dress codes too far. One rule in particular hinders the students’ ability to wear pants with holes in them. It makes sense that holes located in certain places might cause a...
Mean Streets' greatest influence in American cinema was not on directors or scriptwriters (though its influence there was considerable) but rather on actors. The film has Harvey Keitel (as Charlie) at its center, whose solidity and slight dullness as an actor keeps the film from spinning off into total anarchy; but it is Robert De Niro's Johnny Boy (Charlie's wild, self-destructive friend whom he looks out for with all the obsessiveness of an older brother) that gives the film its charge. Johnny Boy dances and gyrates and leaps and spins about the edges of the film, continually threatening to take it into and out of chaos (which he finally does). De Niro's performance, which remains as hilarious and breath-taking as ever - was a revelation at the time. De Niro took naturalistic, "method" acting to new highs, and his Johnny Boy is possibly the very first performance of its kind. It's a genuine portrayal of a street punk whose charm and obnoxiousness are almost uncannily intertwined - you can't despise Johnny Boy, but you can't respect him much, either. You just have to love him. It's easy enough to imagine Charlie's frustration over this kid - De Niro's work here adds depth and veracity to Keitel's, and the two actors work so well together that some of their scenes ? like the one they have together in Taxi Driver - have an almost hallucinatory buzz to them.
“According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, one in three black men can expect to go to prison in their lifetime.” We beat the street, is a novel created to tell the testimonies of three doctors Sampson D. , George J. , and Rameck H. , who didn’t let the environments defy who they was and what the could do with their lives. The Theme that was conveyed in the novel was “If you get caught up in bad things there is always hope you can overcome them.” The theme was conveyed through the storytelling of some of the adversities that the three gentlemen go through as they went through school for doctors.
The reason why parents give into buying their children the trendiest clothes or shoes is because they do not want to see them get bullied at school and see it lead to more severe situations. They rather work harder to help bring the extra money to buy their kids clothes, regardless of whether working the extra hours and sleeping less is good for their health. Just like students feel pressured to try and fit in with their classmates, parents also feel pressured to continuously buy more clothes for their children. Nevertheless, the alternative of turning to school uniforms would be much cheaper for the parents, as it is explained in the periodical “What The United Kingdom Can Teach The United States About School Uniforms,” Walmsley says “[People spend] less money and need far fewer items of clothing for [their] children when they [wear] school uniforms” (66). Indeed, if schools enforce stricter rules for the use of uniforms in their schools there would be no need for students to wear such things as watches, jewelry, or any other accessories that might cost the child’s parents more money. Walmsley also makes a great point when she states that “Because of competition uniform cost go drastically down” (“What The United Kingdom Can Teach The United States About School Uniforms” 64). Here the author helps make the point that if school uniforms are required all across the country there would be more and more markets trying to sell the product, and the more stores that sell uniforms the less expensive they will become because every store will be trying to convince the person to buy from them. Also, the parent will not be as pressured by his or her child to purchase the newest fashions that everyone knows is expensive. Additionally, if school uniforms are implemented, there will be no more need for parents to buy their children ten or twelve outfits for everyday use, but
As Sarah enters her high school dance wearing pants rather than a fancy dress, there are many eyes judging her. Sarah doesn’t follow the typical high school girl norm, and although it may not be a big deal to her, she is giving another girl just like her the confidence to rock her own style. In a time like high school, it is easy to want to fit in, but those who stand out make huge impacts on the community around them. While society is always changing, it is evident that peer pressure is always constant. The nonconformists in life are the people that make a change to society’s negative routine.
In society today, the clothing that someone wears is basically a billboard for his or her personal, or family's financial situation. For children in public schools, fitting in with the popular, or most fashionable people is probably the most important thing to them. When children are preoccupied wi...
There have been many forums and discussions about mandatory school uniforms in public schools. They assume that wearing uniforms is a kind of Nazi education tactic; however, school uniforms reduce fashion-envy among students. For example, it is extremely easy to tell who is rich and popular at a public high school. Only popular girls wear Buckle Jeans that cost approximately one hundred dollars per pair. Only popular boys wore Ralph Lauren T-shirts to school. High school students are teenagers who are developing their self-esteem; therefore, it is important to guide students to lead a confident life without caring too much about appearance and materialistic things. In every public school, lots of students try to follow the newest trends and brands by begging their parents to buy them expensive clothes. They also work too hard to earn money for buying clothes, rather than focus on schoolwork. Moreover, the cases in which students steal and commit crimes are increasing like a strong wave.
All children desire to be “socially accepted” (“Should Students”), but many do not have the financial backing to do so. For children who cannot afford name-brand clothes, uniforms eliminate inferiority (Thompson 302). Uniforms also help “avoid economic classification” and “level the perceived financial playing field” (Firmin et al.). In schools, many people form cliques based on social standing. Uniforms do not disband cliques; however, students are able to become part of different groups because of their skills. This might seem unreasonable, but many students judge people based on what they are wearing. Because uniforms level that playing field, students are not judged by their clothing choices but by their success in school. Students prove their intelligence and athleticism based on skills and accomplishments (Thompson 302). As President Bill Clinton states, “If it means that teenagers will stop killing each other over designer jackets, then our public schools should be able to require their students to wear school uniforms” (“Should Students”). Uniforms limit the need to fit in and put more attention on
Children sometimes feel as if parents are mean and overprotective. Children get mad when their parents do not let them date at a certain age, stay out late, and even wear certain clothes. But parents always have a reason for their actions whether the child may like it or not. An example, one’s parent may have dated at a younger age and ends up pregnant. Parents do not want their children to make the same mistakes as they have done. Another example, everyone wants to wear the latest trending clothes. For women the clothes may be too revealing or makes the child look older than what she is. For men, the clothes may be baggy and not professional. Parents try not to let their children dress a certain way because they care about their children’s appearance. Some parents did not have anyone to tell them how to dress or carry themselves when they were younger. All of this ties in with having