The division of work and class within society is very seldom. A certain profession seems to mark a individuals class without much room for social improvement. However, it is important to note how these professions mark a place in society’s judgement of class. As it is shown within in The River Underground by Richard Tromans, a certain type of work is stereotyped by society into a class placement that either hinders or favors an individual’s class position. Yet just as work and class strictly define each other, the breaking of his bond leads to an expansive exploration within an individual. Hanif Kureishi’s The Buddha of Suburbia’s Karim and his father illustrate the expressive behavior of reaching out of class, regardless of the work profession. …show more content…
Husman’s employment as a subway station cleaner provides him with enough pay to satisfy his income needs to succeed in his home country, Gambia. He expresses excitement with the amount of little pay he receives and discusses how little labor is needed to perform well (p. 24-26). In addition, Husman does not express any concern regarding his life style until further, which I will discuss at a later time in this paper. Husman seems to be comfortable with his small and unsafe apartment and his lack of adequate pay because he does not seem to be aware of anything greater than this. Yet, it is not Husman who labels himself as a lower class than the individuals that surround him at work, it is those exact individuals who place him with that status. Another never explicitly stated, it is known that society places Husman in a low class due to their ignoring and rude behavior towards him as he does his job cleaning around them. He does not seem to be concerned with this behavior either, as he ignores the class differences as well. Nevertheless, this blind acceptance of Husman’s does not uphold long after his introduction with Helen. Helen acquaints Husman with a significantly higher class than he is used to. Her affluent life style becomes familiar to Husman, as he grows accustomed to upscale apartment and lavish belongings (p. 38 and 39). Although Helen did not last in his life long, her class impact did. Husman could not adjust into his original class after seeing what society provides to a higher status. It is important to note that Husman did not long for the return of items, he scolded at his work the reaction that society gave him while working. This revelation of Husman’s is valuable in understanding that society strongly ties both work and class together and that it is difficult for an individual to branch away from
We, as a society, feel the need to draw imaginary lines to separate ourselves whether it’s the line between color of our skin, our religion differences, our political beliefs, or the status of our class. As much as I wish there wasn’t a defining line between high class and the educated vs. low class and uneducated, there is. In Mike Rose’s narrative essay “Blue-Collar Brilliance,” he describes his mother’s lack of education and her hard labor work which is the quote on quote the blue collar working class.
Author and historian, Carol Sheriff, completed the award winning book The Artificial River, which chronicles the construction of the Erie Canal from 1817 to 1862, in 1996. In this book, Sheriff writes in a manner that makes the events, changes, and feelings surrounding the Erie Canal’s construction accessible to the general public. Terms she uses within the work are fully explained, and much of her content is first hand information gathered from ordinary people who lived near the Canal. This book covers a range of issues including reform, religious and workers’ rights, the environment, and the market revolution. Sheriff’s primary aim in this piece is to illustrate how the construction of the Erie Canal affected the peoples’ views on these issues.
Also Ehrenreich makes it extremely clear that her work was not designed to make her “experience poverty. ”(6) After completing the assignment, given to her by an editor, she had planned to write an article about her experience. Her article is intended to reach the community that is financially well off and give them an idea of how minimum wage workers deal with everyday life. It also illustrated to the Economist the harsh reality in the ultra-competitive job environment and how someone in a low paying career cannot survive.
A big disadvantage that the lower class has compared to the wealthy is a lack of quality education. While serving as a waitress, Ehrenriech learned about many different people. Some of these co-workers were immigrants who had recently come to this country. “I learn that he [George] is not paid by Jerry’s but the ‘agent’ who shipped him over--$5 an hour, with the agent getting the dollar or so difference between that and what Jerry’s pays dishwashers”(38). Their contracts lacked any benefits, and they were paid below minimum wage. People, like George, cannot read their contracts before they sign because they don’t understand the language. The critic would argue, “…They are baffled at the idea of fighting the class struggle of which…Ehrenriech appears to be the only person complaining about the situation…” In Georg...
In his essay “Land of Opportunity” James W. Loewen details the ignorance that most American students have towards class structure. He bemoans the fact that most textbooks completely ignore the issue of class, and when it does it is usually only mentions middle class in order to make the point that America is a “middle class country. This is particularly grievous to Loewen because he believes, “Social class is probably the single most important variable in society. From womb to tomb, it correlates with almost all other social characteristics of people that we can measure.” Loewen simply believes that social class usually determine the paths that a person will take in life. (Loewen 203)
The juxtaposed contrasts that she often uses are seen explicitly in anecdotes or implicitly in conscious thoughts. Such contrasts first appear in the first paragraph. Even before Ehrenreich makes any substantial effort to join the poor working class, she is hit with this sudden unease of being recognized. At that time, it is clear that she has not relinquished her middle class status since she feels ashamed of being identified as a poor worker. In the world that the author originally belongs to, name and reputation are considered important to one’s standing in society yet in the working class realm, as Ehrenreich later finds out, one is often “unnoticed” and names are “unuttered.” Not only are names forgotten but one’s ability and education are also ignored when looking for jobs. Oblivious to the “rule” for hiring for unskilled jobs, Ehrenreich initially worries about her over-qualification but only to be shocked when she realizes the employers are not even interested. Whereas jobs for the middle class often demand higher education and past accomplishments, jobs for the low-wage workforce are simply depended simply on luck or as Ehrenreich claims “ being in the right place at the right time.” One can convey this as part of a corporate scheme to ensure the
Gregory Mantsios advocates more on the struggle to proceed from one class to another in his essay-“Class in America”. Mantsios states that, “Class standing has a significant impact on our chances for survival....
Does it matter what your social and economical standings are, and do they play a role in if you will succeed in life? The importance of this essay was to talk about the different viewpoints and to argue the point of succeeding and social statuses. I
In today’s civil society, we are taught to show compassion and tolerance towards one other, yet the media portrays society in a different perspective, as being intolerant. In the book The Other Side of the River, writer Alex Kotlowitz reflects on the story of a young black male whose lifeless body was found in the St. Joseph river of Michigan. In this story, Kotlowitz reflects on two communities that are opposite from the other in regards to ethnic background and financial well-being, yet both appear to share the same lack of tolerance towards the other. There is a paragraph were Kotlowitz writes,
Karl Marx, one of the founding fathers of Sociology defines class as “those who share common economic interests, are conscious of those interests, and engage in collective action which advances those interest” (Hammond and Chaney, 2012, p.39). The Tortilla Curtain, by T.C. Boyle gives a glimpse of how people from different social classes live, interact and pursue the “American dream.” “Differential association” is a theory that discusses the “distance within the social space,” where social interactions will occur most likely between people who are socially close and relatively infrequently between those who are socially distant (Prandy. 215). It is very apparent in the story that there are separations between classes by the way the author uses the “ wall” as a symbol of such separation. The Tortilla Curtain shows the divide between those who live within the “wall” and those on the outside. Among many social issues discussed in The Tortilla Curtain, social class is one issue that is prominent throughout Boyle’s
Class for the purpose of this paper is the concept that those who are better off are of what can be considered to be upper class and those that lack financial means are of the lower class. Mantsios says that there is an absence of discussion in reference to the distinctions of classes (697). In a study performed by Susan Ostrander, in regards to the term “upper class” one woman responded “‘I hate to use the word ‘class.’ We are responsible, fortunate people, old families, the people who have something’” (697). Yet it appears to be opposite that those who are in this lower class realize the plight they suffer. As one student from Fremont High School noted, “‘The owners of the sewing factories need laborers. Correct…It’s not going be their own kids… You’re ghetto,’ said Fortino unrelentingly to her. ‘So Sew!’”(Kozol 645). The student who knew that he was more than likely to be stuff in his place was willing to point out this fault of the system. This topic which more than likely the well-off woman would stray from rather because she had life easier than Fortino will in his lifetime.
Social and economic class is something we as Americans like to push into the back of our minds. Sometimes recognizing our class either socially or economically can almost be crippling. When individuals recognize class, limitations and judgment confront us. Instead, we should know it is important to recognize our class, but not let it define and limit us. In the essay, “Class in America”, Gregory Mantsios, founder and director of the Joseph S. Murphy Institute for Worker Education at the School of Professional Studies, brings to light the fact that Americans don’t talk about class and class mobility. He describes the classes in extremes, mainly focusing on the very sharp divide between the extremely wealthy and extremely poor. In contrast, George
The more educated and diverse a society is, the better society’s job market is served. This social economic separation of class is both good and bad for society. Many workers at the lower levels of employment are both pleased and displeased with many aspects of work. Though this fact also holds true with most any job at any level, pay scale often compensates for endurance of a particular job type. The security of a person’s job is also an issue that in today’s economic times forces one to be prepared for change.
In Industry and Idleness, Hogarth illustrates the positive connotations of work ethics and personal relations. He points out that hard work and dedication might not be enough, but rather personal connections might be the key to success. In his work, Hogarth shows the life of Tom Idle and Francis Goodchild, two individuals who started out as apprentices, but their life choices and personal relations determined their path. Goodchild becomes an industrious apprentice and succeeds in life, while Idle is restrained by his lack of aspirations and lazy persona. Both apprentices have the same opportunity to succeed, however, their personal interests, relations, aspirations, and work ethic impact their life path.
Jean Anyon. “Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work”. “Rereading America”. Bedfords/St.Martin. Boston, New York, 2010. 169-186