Class In America Research Paper

Q. 1. Answer Tocqueville illustrates the harsh fact of an aristocratic society that if a man has been born rich, he is credited to wealth and inherits to remain rich. This striving force led by a man continues till he dies. Furthermore, if a man is born a peasant, it becomes his destiny to die as a peasant, consequently inheriting the same virtue to his children (Tocqueville, p. 54). All in all, both of these classes intersect to pursue their private interests in their walk of life.

It is quite shocking for students in college to talk about their parents with no respect. Bell Hooks, a southern black girl from a working-class background in Kentucky, who has never rode on a city bus, or even an escalator, explains her feelings about going away for college in Keeping Close to Home: Class and Education. She took her first plane ride to Stanford University where she received her bachelor’s degree. She examines and challenges intertwined assumptions about race, class, and academia. She is credible in using ethos by giving her personal experience as an undergraduate at Stanford, and educational background about leaving home and how being underprivileged at a university where most people are privileged can cause one to think hard about the decision they have made.

Stephen Marche wrote an argument trying to argue the point that we as Americans are not as equal as we have always believed we were. Marche is a mainstream writer and a novelist with his first novel published in 2005. Many of his articles can often be read in the New York Times and the Atlantic. In his article “We Are Not All Created Equal: The Truth about the American Class System” he gives valid points and details to inform us the truth behind what we think we see.

There is lower, middle, and upper class, but there are also subcategories that fill the gaps in between, like the impoverished and the top one percenters. “Class in America”, written by Gregory Mantsios, addresses the myths and realities about socioeconomic class in America and how they affect American lives. His article highlights the unequal divide that has persisted over the course of history and will continue to manifest in the future. To introduce the existence of this issue, Mantsios states that this country’s citizens “don’t like to talk about class...or class privileges, or class oppression, or the class nature of society” (Mantsios 378). This is the case in America today because people are neglecting to acknowledge the existence of these elusive

"What do you know about the hardships and obstacles that the underclass faces?" The other students were staring at me. "You have a point," I said. " (Walls 257).

I had an opportunity to watch a movie “People like us” in my class last week. This movie has great impact, which reflects the images of different types of society. It focuses side by side on different social classes by describing their economical social status in society. In our society, most of we Americans do not think about how education, income, aspirations, family backgrounds, and the appearances distinguish someone as an individual of a certain class of society? A particular class is very difficult to mark than race or ethnicity difference.

Consider how socio-economic status has influenced the ability of Americans to “succeed” There are many different aspects of life that contribute to the success of Americans. One of which is the socio-economic status a person is born with. The status is not something that is chosen, but is something that could be changed. Americans socio-economic status has an influence on the ability for an American to succeed because there are more doors already open for the privileged than that of someone from the lower class. Some people's path is a little smoother than others.

The American dream is a dream of a land in which one can prosper with ambition and hard work. This idea has created many illusions for some because in reality the American dream is proven to be something that is rarely achieved. No individual is guaranteed success or destined for failure, but it is apparent that women, people of color, and those born into poverty will face greater obstacles than others, despite being a greater part of the American population. An author that tackles the issue of class in the United States is Gregory Mantsios. In his essay, “Class in America-2009”, Mantsios aims to prove that class affects people’s lives in drastic ways.

He briefly explains how there is a high class and low class depending how

The idea of classroom causing problems for America’s society is elaborated when President Johnson explains that many children in America don’t have enough money to afford school. “There your children’s lives will be shaped. Our society will not be great until every young mind is set free to scan the farthest reaches of thought and imagination.” In order for a society to be great, education is the foundation; schools are where child learn about their world, and what it is they will do in the future to earn money to live a good life. And to better prove his idea Johnson states, “Each year more than 100,000 high school graduates, with proved ability, do not enter college because they cannot afford it,” then questions what will happen in years when time has become elapsed to conclude any efforts are needed to come into play for there to be a Great Society.

Socioeconomic status is what caused many of the challenges that Vance endured during his attendance at Yale and some of these problems included social alienation and isolation, but sadly these issues are not unique to Vance, for a number of low income student fail to attain a higher education due to these factors. Furthermore, students that come from a low income background find that their very identity is being criticized the moment they step on campus. However, these experiences are far more subtle then one may expect, and they often materialized as offhanded comments that result in low income student questioning their right to be on campus such as Vance did during the dinner party he attended. These cultural differences are what trigger a countless number of underprivileged students, including Vance, to develop the belief that they are an outsider in their own community; especially as the income gap continues to widen, making it harder for people to smoothly transition into higher social classes. However, having the right teachers to support them as well as friends can cause those feelings of inadequacy to slowly lessen over time as proven by Vance’s success in school and later his career.

The lower class works for their living and spends what money they have on things they need. Whereas the upper class, usually has a higher education and better paying jobs than the other classes in America. Thus, heritage plays a big part in reasons of social classes.

Inequality has many forms racism, sexism, ageism, and ableism, and classism. Yet one that doesn’t have as much attention as racism and sexism is classism or the inequality between social classes. One can see classism in everyday life. In which somehow the poor no matter how much and hard they work they get poorer and how the rich keep getting rich. To truly understand what classism is one needs to understand the difference in social classes.

All through this course there has been many inquiry regarding social sciences, yet through doing diverse exercises in this course I had one fundamental inquiry. That inquiry is how do mental slants affect our practices to hold quick to sparing classes in the United States? Most sociologists characterize social class as a gathering in light of comparable social variables like riches, salary, instruction, and occupation. These elements influence how much power and notoriety a man has. Social stratification mirrors an unequal dispersion of assets.

Many in this class lack a high school degree and are unemployed (Barkan, 2011). This class is also suffers from poor health for a number of reasons to include poor diets (Barkan, 2011), bad reputations, and higher crime rates (Mary, 2014). Those who do work in this class, work in lower esteemed jobs such as janitors, migrant laborers, and house cleaners (Barkan, 2011). Some portions of this class are clustered into highly urbanized areas and rely on government assistance to live (Chapter Eight: Social Class in the United States,