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The impact of social class on individuals
The impact of social class on individuals
The impact of social class on individuals
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Has one ever thought about social class affecting the way someone feels towards others and yourself? Social class can be defined by “a broad group in society having common economic, cultural, or political status”. (Social Class, np). Lynda Hull is an American poet, who attended Johns Hopkins University. (Lynda Hull, np ). In the “Night Waitress” by Lynda Hull a waitress gives insight about how she feels working as a waitress and the effects it has on her social class. Being in a low social class, can cause feelings of hopelessness. In this essay one is going to look into how material possession affect us, feelings associated with social class and the possibility of being stuck in one's social class for the rest of one's life. In the poem, the “Night Waitress” thinks of material possession of a higher social class because she talks about a Cadillac. Using the quote from the poem “I want a song that rolls through the night like a big Cadillac”, could symbolize her expensive taste. (Lynda Hull, np). Material possessions can serve as a stereotype meaning, we base how we like someone depending on what they own. This goes back to the theme of feeling hopelessness. For one to think and dream about something that might be out of their reach can either make them work harder to …show more content…
She feels worthless that she is in the social class she is in because she feels no man will want her. Maybe the guys are out of her league, but one would believe she isn't happy with herself. She looks at all the men going to the factory and doesn't feel any romance, could it be she doesn't accept herself for who she is based on her social class? She gives hints that she lives in a jail cell, meaning she isn't happy and she is quite miserable. Since she is in a lower class, she depends more on people and can read their gestures because they are close in the social
She always wanted to be the center of attention, she was prejudiced and believed things should stay the same, and she was very selfish. While she thinks she’s above everyone else, she feels that the world revolves around her.
She gets dressed up for a car trip so that, on the off chance that they would be in a car wreck and that in that wreck she would be thrown from the car and laying on the pavement, she would be happy because the people passing would think that she is a lady. This represents us as humans because daily we choose to be way too self-conscience. Think about females and make-up. Make-up is a perfect example of us caring a great deal about what others think of us. She is also very selfish in her endeavors. Instead of caring about what is best for the family, she wants to go to Tennessee because she has friends there whom she would like to see.
It was a dark, menacing night as she stood there in the shadows. Waiting for the finale of the show that was playing, she glanced toward the exit through which people would soon be leaving. The rich, as patrons of the theatre house, promised her a salary at least for today. Her tattered clothes revealed the effects of personal destitution; the emaciated frame, that presently existed, harked back upon a body she must have once possessed. Driven by poverty to the realms of "painted cohorts," she makes up her face daily, distinguishing her life from the respected (264). She is an outcast, a leper, a member of the marginalized in society; she envelops the most degraded of positions and sins against her body in order to survive. As she looks up, her eyes reflect a different kind of light, a glimmer of beauty that has not yet faded despite her present conditions. She was, at one time, a "virtuous" woman, most likely scorned by a dishonest love. Finding no comfort or pity for her prior mistakes, she must turn to the streets and embrace the inevitable - the dishonor and shame from her previous engagement will follow her unto death. Shunned from society she becomes the woman who sells herself for money and sadly finds no love. She is the abandoned, the betrayed, and the lost, embarrassed girl; she is "of the painted cohorts," the female prostitute of the streets (264).
The world in which Lily grows up in is one where money is the standard by which everyone is judged. In a setting like this, “money stands for all kinds of things- its purchasing quality isn’t limited to diamonds and motor cars” (Wharton 66). Therefore, even small things such as the way a person dresses or the places someone frequents become of high importance as they are representative of how much money a person possesses. This materialistic tendency ...
What is social class you ask? Social class is a system created to categorize people by education, wealth and heredity. What are the different class systems you ask? There are several class classifications and they’re Upper Class–Elite, Upper Middle Class, Lower Middle Class, Working Class and poor. In the united states and being a victim of “ social class categorizing” is an issue that must be addressed and people must be made aware, because it seems as if it’s not going anywhere anytime soon so the least we can do is try and make it fair as possible. Being defined unknowingly by a class system is one thing, but having no say so or fair opportunity at being placed in the best “class system” as those more fortunate than others needs to change because it’s not like we all came out of our mothers womb starting the race of life at the same starting and advantage point, and since we as Americans pride our-self on being the land of the free and equal opportunities I feel compelled to inform you of the unfairness of the issue and state ways to make it fair. In an article read while doing research this is how the author defined Social class “Classism is similar in many ways to racism, sexism, heterosexism and other forms of oppression. Classism appears individually through attitudes and behaviors, institutionally through policies and practices, and culturally through norms and values. Like other forms of oppression and prejudice, it is the tendency to make sweeping generalizations or stereotypes about people, such as “Poor people are lazy.”(Class Action) This essay will assess the determination of social classes in the United States and will seek to provide examples to demonstrate the inequalities and provide ways to improve them.
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.
No one had a sustainable job and Bessie, Sara’s sister, was the family’s only hope to continue living in their home. Sara could already see their “things kicked out on the sidewalk like a pile of junk. A plate of pennies like a beggar’s hand reaching out of our bunch of rags” (Yezierska 1-2). This poverty continued for a while as the customs set in society for women are only wives and mothers. Their father mostly relied on marrying them off to wealthier suitors and obtaining the dowries for the marriage arrangement as a source of income since he did not believe in women getting a job like men do. Sara faces yet another obstacle in her quest which are the customs and expectations that are in place in society. It is obviously wrong to think poorly of one’s parents since they provide food and care for their children, and put a roof over their heads. Sara faces an inner conflict deciding whether to blindly follow her father’s plan for her or create her own path. Being a free spirit, Sara recalls all the hardships her father has put her, her sisters, and her father through; he had ruined their lives and created their own personal hell in conformity. However, Sara would not follow the trend and inevitably chose to disobey his rules (Yezierska 135). Although Sara chooses what she thinks is right which is to disobey her father and find her true self-worth, there are still many repercussions that she faces along her quest for independence. For example, in the end she learns that no matter how hard you try, you cannot run away from family. She begins to wonder if her father, too, was just following customs because the shadow she felt “wasn’t just [her] father[’s], but the generations who made [her] father whose weight was still upon [her]” (Yezierska 297). Although Sara did reach her goal of being independent for a while, she ended up taking care of her father and found
Social immobility has been a problem for many people, whether they are citizens of United States of America or immigrants from another country, this is something people confront from time to time in their lives. Janie from Under the Feet of Jesus by Zora Neale Hurston, and Estrella from Their Eyes were Watching God by Helena Maria Viramontes are both examples of characters restricted by the intersectionalism of their gender or social and racial class. Through the two class texts mentioned above, social immobility will be further expounded in the context of characters such as Estella and Janie, and it will also be explored as a force that leads to the restriction and/or the loss of innocence for the characters.
Social class is a subjective concept in social sciences and political theory where individuals are grouped into different classes. This set a hierarchy inside the society structure where the upper and lower class exist and contribute to the society. Understanding social classes and their effects on the people, as well as cultures and social behavior and lead sociologist closer to the development of an ideal society.
Social classes are divisions of individuals based on the amount of money one has. These classes are defined by one’s wealth and economic success. Social classes can determine what kind of life one may have and some of the obstacles they may have to deal with. The social classes are like ideas of levels, the higher the level one may be on, the more opportunities they come upon. Within the United States, there are three social classes; these are lower class, middle class, and upper class.
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