Hillbilly Elegy Final Discussion The final reading of Hillbilly Elegy starts with J.D applying to law school. This was J.D’s goal, and I was so happy that he was about to achieve this. I found it interesting that J.D did not apply to Stanford Law School because to be admitted, you need a letter of recommendation from the dean from your undergraduate school. Vance did not apply because he didn’t know the dean from Ohio State. I think this says a great deal about how Vance views outsiders. I feel that J.D is hesitant to trust outsiders in every part of his life, and I think this feeling started with his upbringing. I was also happy to read that his financial aid allowed him to attend Yale. I was initially shocked to read that the most …show more content…
Growing up, I was always taught that the more connections you make the better off you are. For Vance, he made some of the most important connections he could ever dream of at Yale. Another thing that displayed how different Vance was from the other students at Yale was the test for The Yale Law Journal. Almost all of the students at Yale knew what this test was for, and how to prepare for it, and Vance was completely in the dark about it. The only way he knew if he should even take the test was because he finally worked up the courage to ask one of his professors about it. This story, like the restaurant tale, is another instance of the cultural differences between Vance and most of the other students at Yale. When Vance was trying to get a clerkship to be a Supreme Court litigator, his professor warned him that this might not be the career for him. When I read this, I couldn't help but think what would have happened to J.D if he had pursued this job, and how different his life would have been. When I read that J.D avoids conflict with Usha, I was not surprised by this. I think Vance saw all the abuse and fighting his mother and grandparents went through, and did everything in his power to avoid this type of relationship with his wife. I think this is a fairly normal response for him. I personally think that J.D wanted to do everything he could to not be abusive to the people he loves. I also think that because he witnessed abuse when he was young, this makes it
I am interested in attending the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University due to the plethora of opportunities that are offered to their law students. I believe that these opportunities are encapsulated by the Scalia Law Advantage, as the law school’s proximity to northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. grant access to an incomparable amount of career opportunities and high-caliber faculty. These features are especially of interest to me as I believe that gaining practical experience in the government, a private law firm, or a non-governmental organization would be integral in developing a legal career. In addition to the exceptional location and professional opportunities, Mason Law’s smaller community and 1:11.8 teacher to student
The multidimensional expression “hillbilly” carries different cultural significances throughout the book Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance. First, Vance utilizes the term “hillbilly” to refer to the working class white Americans of Scots-Irish descent who have no college degree (3). Second, Vance uses the term hillbilly to refer to a group of people from a specific geographic area, namely the area of the Appalachian Mountains. According to Vance, the area stretches from Alabama to Georgia in the South to Ohio to parts of New York in the north (4). Third, hillbilly indicates the way of life, behavior, or identity of the people of Greater Appalachia.
The Baltimore Sun newspaper supplied an article about Wes Moore, a local who had just earned a Rhodes Scholarship. The same paper also ran a series of stories about four men who had robbed a jewelry store and allegedly been involved in the killing of a police officer. The police were still on the hunt for two of the suspects, who were also brothers. One of the two was named Wes Moore. After the newspaper ran the stories about the robbery, the manhunt, and the trial, Wes, the scholar, wrote a letter to the other Wes, a now convicted murderer who was serving a life sentence at Jessup Correctional Institution. His letter contained a jarring question: How did their lives end up so different? That first letter led to an ongoing correspondence in which the two discovered that a teens’ success is decided by his environment, education, and the expectations held to him.
This simile is quite effective, as society’s perception of a teller is one of a mild-mannered man or woman, skilled with mental problems. Nolan’s placement of a wild animal, one known for its power and
Your book Uncle Tom's Cabin informed me about how people were treated back during the Antebellum Era. Before I read your novel, I really didn't know what slavery was. I wasn't really informed about the topic, although I watched little plays about slavery since they were some what informal, But I didn't fully understand the lifestyle of slavery. The idea of slavery never came into my mind unless it was brought to me by teachers and classmates. It wasn't something that I regularly talked about in general.
In Hillbilly Elegy, J.D. Vance talks about his rise from the poor, working class Hillbillies of the Rust Belt to the more affluent middle class. In doing so, he talks about the work needed to move up the economic ladder (to a different social class), expressing that it is always possible but very difficult. Vance talks about the struggles he faced within his family and his community, as well as how he overcame them. Vance’s reason to write this book was because he accomplished something ordinary, which does not happen to most children that grow up like him.
“She came here to look for her husband who was recruited for the mines… She lives in Claremont, not far from here. It is one of the worst places in Johannesburg… … that is her work, she makes and sells it… These women sleep with any man for their price… She has been in prison, more than once.” (53)
The memoir Hillbilly Elegy, written by J.D. Vance, is the remarkable story of a young man’s challenges of growing up in poverty. The book focuses on the difficulties that come along with living in Appalachia, and the family issues that go on as well. Living in poverty introduced Vance to a world filled with toxicity and violence. This unhealthy environment caused Vance to develop a conflict within himself, making him struggle with his self-identity. In Hillbilly Elegy, Vance uses Conflict to empathize the toxicity that surrounded his family.
The book Hillbilly Elegy, A Memoir of A Family And Culture In Crisis written by J.D Vance is not like anything I have ever seen or read about. Vance begins his book by introducing the most important people around him, his family. Mamaw, Papaw and his sister Lindsey were his biggest support system and in many cases, his safe haven. In Middletown, Ohio where Vance spent the majority of his childhood was described as a town that didn’t have much money nor opportunity. What I learned from Vance was that being a “hillbilly” wasn’t an attitude or simply one’s lifestyle they chose, it's a culture. What they saw, learned, heard and adapted to was generational and it was surrounded all around them. One positive aspect of the hillbilly culture was
When Owen follows his mission and goes to the army, John is left without a sense of direction. With Owen gone, he has no one to tell him what his next move will consist of. He ends up going into graduate school because he fears the day when he actually has to make a decision about what he will do for the rest of his life. Technically he does make a decision for the rest of his life by going to school for a degree in English, but I see this as the easy way out. Owen has no hesitation when it comes to his future and his decision-making: “Owen Meany got his scholarship to the University of New Hampshire; he signed up for the ROTC…” This certainty could also stem from Owen’s strong relationship with god. He is gods instrument, making every action meaningful, making every move count. John has a weak relationship with god and is left doubting the existence of a higher power and a purpose for himself. The productivity deck is stacked in Owens favor because John has to play his own game; he is not just a chess piece being directed by God. He has no idea if his next day will be his last or if his next decision will matter in the least, where as Owen just follows his road map to the date on his grave.
When Mamaw and Papaw were teenagers back in 1947, they got married and it was the beginning of a long and adventurous marriage. In the first seven chapters of Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance, Mamaw and Papaw have a very unique relationship. Mamaw and Papaw are somewhat abusive towards each other due to Papaw’s drinking problem. Not only Mamaw and Papaw’s relationship suffers because of their behavior, their family as well is very dysfunctional because of Mamaw and Papaw’s relationship.
The book “Hillbilly Elegy”, written by J.D. Vance displays the theme of persistence, resilience, and grit. Vance writes this book from a first-person viewpoint, describing his life growing up in a low-class family. The title comes from Vance’s family growing up in a “hillbilly” lifestyle. The story starts with J.D. growing up in the Appalachian Valley, beginning his life in Jackson, Kentucky. Jackson, Kentucky is a very rural area where the culture of family’s focus is on loyalty, love for the country, and self-pride. We later learn that Vance moves in with his grandparents for a sense of stability and security.
While I read Hillbilly Elegy, I drew numerous parallels with the struggles and triumphs faced by the characters in the memoir and that of my mother’s life. My mom continues to be the strongest person, both physically and mentally, I have ever known. She spends her weeks managing a nonprofit veterinary clinic and her weekends climbing mountains. And while her current endeavors are nothing short of amazing, it 's less than shocking compared to the obstacles she has already overcome.
Southerners are known to be proud of their traditional beliefs. To Kill A Mockingbird allows its readers to question and consider those beliefs. Maycomb represents a typical old southern town. Not many people move into Maycomb and not many people who live there journey beyond its boundaries. As a result, the opinions held by many of the citizens of Maycomb are left to grow and foster in the same families for many generations. The circumstances in Maycomb are less than ideal for generating change and more prone to sustaining traditionally accepted codes. Two codes embedded within southern social beliefs are class and race.
In Uncle Tom’s Cabin, female characters are always depicted as mothers or wives, and these women mostly are the moral guidance of the slaves. For example, Mrs. Shelby, the first masters of Tom, was shaped as a woman with noble moral and deeply influenced by some Christian doctrine. When she was told that Tom was sold, she scolded the slavery system seriously, which indicated that she was also a radical abolitionist. However, most of the men in this book are always shaped as greedy, brutal, and morally weak. Uncle Tom’s portrayal was quiet different from all these male image. Tom was an honest and tolerant man, and he is also pious follower of Christianity, which lead to his choice differ from others in the book. For instance, when Tom was told