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Social class and society
Factors contributing to social inequality
Factors contributing to social inequality
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The Outsiders is a famous book written by S.E. Hinton. The book talks about the struggles between two groups that are separated due to financial and social situations. One of the classes lives their lives going through harder situations and experiencing some unfair opportunities that the other class does not have to deal with. Throughout the book there are characters that believe in egalitarianism and there others that do not.
In the novel egalitarianism does exist. Egalitarianism, also known as equalitarianism, is the belief of equality for all. In one part of the book Ponyboy talks to Sherri “Cherry” Valance about how both social classes share the same struggles. As Cherry said to Ponyboy, “Things are rough all over.” The simple quote that we all know
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is true did not occur to the greasers, especially Ponyboy. As it was said in The Outsiders, “They grew up on the outside of society. They weren't looking for a fight. They were looking to belong.” The quote talks about the Socs and how they were misunderstood, like the Greasers. The quote helps explain that not everyone was able to fit in so easily, which helps explain everyone deserves an equal opportunity to fit in and make friends. The different groups are separated and seem very different to one another.
The struggles and separation between the social classes are caused by the economic situations of each class. Although not all of the characters agree with this.
Some characters like Bob would not agree that egalitarianism exist. Those characters can lead you to believe that it should not exist in the book. They let financial differences change and decide their views on people and things, like egalitarianism. Bob’s view of a greaser is based on their appearance. As Bob said to Ponyboy, “‘You know what a greaser is’ Bob asked. ‘White trash with long hair…” Judging by appearance is not only showing ones rude character trait but it also does not give an equal opportunity to who is being judged.
Since there are characters like Cherry Valance and characters like Bob Sheldon the book is easier to have opinions on egalitarian existing or not existing in the novel, The Outsiders, based on the socio-economic opportunities afforded to the Socs and the Greasers. The Outsiders can have characters that believe in egalitarianism and some that do not. Although this is my opinion and there are others that do not feel the same way, my opinion seems to
fit. In the end, not all characters think they are equal. Some think that they should all be equal and have equal opportunities and others think the opposite. Whether they have these opinions on economic or social situations it should not decide who the Socs and who the Greasers are. To conclude, if characters like Bob Sheldon viewed the two groups like Cherry Valance did, then maybe they could see the equal opportunities they could all share. As Cherry Valance once said, “Maybe the two different worlds we live in weren't so different. We saw the same sunset.”
Equality eventually escapes from the place that never felt like home, and runs off with his love, Liberty 5-300, who he calls the Golden One. After learning about the men from the Unmentionable Times, Equality would agree with Ayn Rand’s words in her short essay, “How Does One Lead a Rational Life in an Irrational Society?”, where she not only talks about the importance of having moral judgment, but also about being brainwashed by your leaders and government. Equality can relate because, for his whole life, he was in a society where their version of wrong and right were opposites to what they should have been. Individualism and moral judgement weren't encouraged, they were prevented, and that is where the society became
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 than the actual people who have realized the consequences 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 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.
The difference between social and economic classes is best demonstrated by the comparison between Tom and Gatsby. Tom was born an East Egger, which was something that Gatsby could never achieve. No matter what he did, he would always be a West Egger. Although Gatsby could have been an economic equal to Tom, he would never be a social equal.
People should have a conversation with someone and get to know them before judging them. Ponyboy changed the way he thought of the Socs. At first he thought of the Socs as thugs who enjoy jumping Greasers. He later learned that Socs have problems that Greasers don’t know of and not all Socs hate Greasers.
After all, they are the “out” group— the clique that society condones. Ponyboy, the protagonist, also identifies himself as part of them. While reading Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, he felt Pip, the main character reminded him of the greasers–”the way he felt marked lousy because he wasn’t a gentleman or anything, and the way that girl kept looking down on him” (Doc B). Greasers are lookeed down opon in society becuase they aren’t rich, and the image associated with them is negative. They are believed to be a general menace to society; people think they all steal stuff for kicks, attack innocent bystanders for no reason, and are uneducated hoodlums. They are outsiders to society as a whole. Pony, no matter how smart or talented he may be, will always be treated as an outsider by the Socs just because he’s a
The beginning of the story opens with Equality being chastised because he is too tall and too smart. He noticed that “to be free, a man must be free of his brothers” (Rand 101). This quote shows that when society controls him, and he relies on everyone else, a lack of progress is inevitable. Even the higher powers control their city with aggressive strength; the Council of Vocations assigns Equality to be a street sweeper even though he wants to be a scholar. Out of curiosity, he finds a tunnel while on duty. He begins to write about himself, even though “it is a sin to think words no others are to see” (Rand 1). Having no obligation to others allows one to work towards their own goals, Equality is able to pass his previous instinct where “all men are one” (Rand 20). With the revelation of himself as being a separate indiv...
A piece of literature that has a strong theme of equality was The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton. A character that definitely showed that was Dally. Dally was the tough guy of the group, a stone faced criminal. “Dally had spent three years on the wild side of New York and had been arrested by the age of ten” (Chapter 1 Page 10). This quotes shows Dally’s past and how he’s always been a thug and has known no other life. After the first few chapters Dally doesn't make many appearances but when he does they play a huge role. Every time Dally appears in the story he seems, softer. Towards the middle point Johnny and Ponyboy have to run away from the cops, so Dally brings them in tells them where to go and gives them whatever they needed to run away. Near the end of the story is where he definitely changed, after Johnny is hospitalized he is depressed because Johnny is really the only one he sympathizes for and cares about. This shows how vulnerable he is now with what happened to Johnny so how he would react to even more stuff happening to him is unknown. After the two gangs had their fight(s) Dally and Ponyboy speed down to the hospital to see Johnny but they were too late. By the time they got there Johnny was on his last legs and after a few words he died, sending Dally into an emotional breakdown. Dally bangs his fist on the wall yells at Johnny’s corpse and eventually runs away.
Throughout life individuals face many challenges testing their values and personality one situation at a time. In the evocative novel The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton themes of growing up and innocence are shown. Ponyboy is not your average 14 year old he is part of a gang known to many as the Greasers. He encounters many situations testing his values and beliefs. Having lost both his parents recently he and his brothers stick together like a true family but this relationship is tested when Darry hits Ponyboy. He also experiences the loss several close friends in a very short period of time. Throughout this novel, Ponyboy encounters many life changing experiences that prove he is a dynamic character.
The Outsiders is about the life of a 14-year-old boy. The book tells the story of Ponyboy “Curtis” and his struggles with right and wrong in a society in which he believes that he is an outsider. Ponyboy and his two brothers, Darrel (Darry), who is 20, and Sodapop, who is 16, have recently lost their parents in an automobile accident. Pony and Soda are allowed to stay under Darry's guardianship as long as they all behave themselves. The boys are greasers, a class term that refers to the young men on the East Side, the poor side of town. The greasers' rivals are the Socs, short for Socials, who are the "West-side rich kids."
The idea that microclasses exist and that two people can be from different classes, the way that the narrator alludes to, comes from a capitalistic ideology. In a Marxist society, this story would not carry the same message as it does in a capitalistic society. For example, in a Marxist society, Sonny and the narrator would both be living different lives. They would not be struggling financially because everyone in that society would be equally taken care of. Another example, would be that Sonny would first and foremost not have succumbed to drugs and alcohol because there would be no stressors to push him towards that type of lifestyle.
As unfortunate as it sounds, no matter where a person lives, inequality will exist. There may be some people who acknowledge it and try to prevent recurrences, but more often than not they go along with the majority, making judgments. When someone lives a different life than another, they are not capable of comparing themselves to the other person or their situations. Differences in society allow judgement of others and inequality to continue to exist. In Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, the World State divides citizens into different class systems known as “castes” depending on the level of mental development in each individual. It is clear to see that because of the direct divisions, inequality would be created among them. In many situations
Warren Farrell, an American author once said “Nobody really believes in equality anyway” and this is true because, equality among people is near impossible to create while still making everyone happy. For many years people have been striving to have complete equality in their everyday lives. Equality, to a certain extent is a wonderful characteristic, but complete equality is not. Not all people have the same talents or weaknesses, so therefore, you can never have true equality due to limiting other people's freedom. In the novella Anthem by Ayn Rand, they have created a society with complete equality, where no one is happy, especially the main character whose name is “Equality”. The rules of the society of Anthem exist because the government
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
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.
for all persons (Rich and Walker 1). Egalitarianism deals with the acceptance of any gender or