C Wright Mills The Promise Analysis

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In “The Promise,” by C Wright Mills, he believed that sociological imagination was the ability to look at an individual’s experience and role of the individual in society. He was of the opinion that ordinary human beings felt caught up by life circumstances because they did not view their lives in terms of culture, history, education, religion etc. It is necessary to consider these social structures while evaluating one’s life because they influence individuals in more ways than one can imagine. Social structures have evolved greatly over time and continue to do so today. In order to fully understand our society and our roles as human beings within society, it is important to evaluate our lives in terms of social structures. Without using Mills stated the use of three things while using sociological imagination; history, social structures and power. I see myself as an individual in society based on those three aspects. One social structure that has had a meaningful impact on me is culture. I only realized this when I came to college last fall, as an international student from India. My ideologies, upbringing and identity play a huge role in setting me apart as an international student in a predominantly large college, consisting of majority Americans. Thinking about what led me to actually be here in Syracuse University, away from my home, half way across the globe and combing Mill’s theory, it all comes together and makes sense. A few members of my family received an education abroad in the United States. My family history of people going abroad to study, eventually led my parents and I to decide that I wanted to study in the United States as well. Besides this, several social structures also influenced this decision. A crucial one of these is socio-economic status. I’m extremely thankful and feel fortunate that I come from a wealthy family that can afford to pay my college tuition. I also believe that social structure is very closely linked with power. Because my parents have the means to educate me abroad, it gives them the power to pay my

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