Social Classes in America :: Informative Essay

Social class divisions have always played a prominent role in America. These class distinctions inflict unfair on all Americans. The idea of social class has been a central concept in determining the opportunities a person is capable of having. People from different socioeconomic backgrounds live different lifestyles as well as have different opportunities available to them. Because of this idea, people with a higher social class ranking have an advantage over those in lower class rankings. Class distinctions have inflicted limitations and less of an opportunity for been factors are a barrier and prevention for lower class Americans to have an equal opportunity. The sociological tone limitations that. Young people must be convinced of the value of a good education. Despite lofty goals such as instilling self-confidence and acquiring knowledge, a High School diploma increases future income. A non-high school graduate's average earnings in 1996 was $14, 013. A high school graduate earned 21,431 on average. Going to a college or trade school makes one's economic outlook even brighter with Bachelor holder earning 36,980 on average (Statistical Abstract of the United States). Thousands of inner city youth, smothered by the poverty and hopelessness that abounds in inner-city communities, lose their lives. In addition to physical moralities, many suffer an emotional death that ends in a loss of hope and continues the cycle of poverty and hopelessness. Economic disadvantage limits the number of resources available to youth. With over 49.8% of youth aged 12-24 living below

Fairy Tales and a Dose of Reality Essay

Today’s media plays a massive role in the establishment of a fantasy marriage that was first embodied in the classic tale of Cinderella. Many people are persuaded into believing that these finely crafted stories occur everyday and are very much achievable. Catherine Orenstein illustrates this in her essay â€Å"Fairy Tales and a Dose of Reality†. Orenstein relates the connection of many people’s fantasies and ambitions of perfect marriages and relationships with the success of Hollywood’s own interpretations of Prince Charmings and Cinderellas. However, the interpretations were not based off of pure fiction. She points out the popular T.V. series â€Å"The Bachelorette† is a satire of the entire Cinderella Story and draws many people’s attention because this is what so many of them crave. Many people however do not realize that the actual fairy tales themselves from the late 17th centuries are not at all about cliche happy endings and romance . These tales incorporate harsh truths that exist in human nature such as jealousy, greed, lying and cheating. Orenstein uses these examples to awaken people about how much are expectations and desires of romance and marriage have been manipulated and twisted over the past three hundred years into something almost unimaginable and far from reality. She puts to rest one of the most common fairy tales Cinderella by explaining how one of the original authors, Perrault, based his story off of typical aristocratic marriages in the 17th century and not from some make-believe fantasy that he wanted to entice his readers with. Orenstein closes the essay by bringing in the true history of the wedding. Weddings weren’t evoked by undying lust and erotic love for a partner, but rather they were established by the parents of the two families often times to settle disagreements or to spread the wealth by joining themselves together.

The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain - 2413 Words

The historical fiction novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, is one of the most remarkable written pieces of literature in the United States due to its outstanding use of dialect. Twain was born and raised in Florida, Missouri- an extremely racist state-where the manner of how people speak impacts society, so he decides to write a novel, which he hopes will represent the different terminologies and their importance. Growing up, Twain’s father owned a slave and had an uncle who owned many so he was often found playing in slave head quarters and became inspired to create the well-known character Jim. This novel was written in the year 1885, which at that time, segregation and discrimination towards African Americans†¦show more content†¦Huck’s dad, Pap, dies as well so Huck no longer needs to worry about running away and constantly hiding from him. Huck’s definition of being civilized is going to church, having good manners, wearing clean clothes, and following society’s rules. Huck, a carefree individual, lives a life of being an uncivilized outcast. He does not want to succumb to being civilized like the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson, and rejects dressing properly or attending school. He prefers to be unsupervised and live his life outside of the social norm. Huck makes his own judgments and decisions that are not influenced by society. Throughout the novel Huck struggles with two voices going through his mind. One voice is the voice of society, which suggests that he should turn Jim in to the authorities as a run away slave. The second voice is his own and he sees Jim as an equal individual and clearly can tell that turning him in would be wrong because he deserves freedom along with every other slave. As the novel continues, Huck’s judgment changes slowly into a person who sees everyone as equal and is not affected by society. When Huck talks about helping Jim escape to freedom, he feels guilty so he begins to write a letter to Miss Watson informing her that Jim ran away. Huck comes to the conclusion that he will end up feeling even guiltier if he turns in Jim, who has become a close friend of his. He decides to rip up the letter and says, â€Å"Alright, then, I’ll go to hell† (Twain