Charles Horton Cooley Analysis

Societies vary depending on region and culture, but. But all societies have the characteristics of strict conformity, intolerance for the unique, as well as perfect functionality. The society shown in Harrison Bergeron is as follows: “Everybody was finally equal. They weren't only equal before God and the law. They were equal in every which way. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else. All this equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution, and to the unceasing vigilance of agents of the United States Handicapper General” (Last name 1). This is the dream of society: perfect conformity and functionality. “Everybody was finally equal” (1) shows that society had finally achieved its goal of conformity.

The law is said to be fair to everyone. The law is meant to be for everyone there. There was no set of rules for the rich or another set of the common these things did not happen. Or was there? The same crime but the consequences are the same for all the people. For an example if a commoner pokes another person’s eye out he, the commoner, would also have to have his eyes poked out. But if the situation was that a rich person who had poked out someone’s eye, he would then have to sell wife, daughter or son to a business for three years. Also if a slave was to poke out a commoner’s bull than the slave will have to poke out his own eyes too. So there was prejudice in the Hammurabi laws. The riches would get the easiest punishment, than the commoners and finally the slaves or homeless. As from the example all law was NOT meant for all the people if you were in a different class (the rich, the poor, slaves, commoner, royals and homeless) you would get different punishments for the crime or accident that you have committed.

In the essay, “The Common Life” by Scott Russell Sanders, Sanders studies the connection between the individual and society. However, this leads to the question, what is the relationship between the individual and society? Individuals and societies may be in opposition but this helps to develop both the individual and society. The decisions that an individual makes reflects on how society views him/her. The overlook of the community can be reverted back to the individual within the society. Society and individuals are a package deal.

The Law Code of Hammurabi shows how class structures were unfair because it was a stratification hierarchy, which consisted firstly of “the freeborn or nobles, secondly “the freedman/woman” (also known as commoners), then lastly “slaves”. During this primordial time, slavery was legally recognized. The laws were contrasting for each social class, which makes your consequence different because each class held a different level of reputation. The Hammurabi law code states in laws 202-205 that “If any one strike the body of a man higher in rank than he, he shall receive sixty blows with an ox-whip in public. If a free born man strike the body of another free born man of equal rank, he shall pay one gold

The time when iron was beginning to be used primarily for making tools is referred to as the Iron Age.

Hammurabi’s Code reveals much about the social class structure of Ancient Babylonia, particularly the distinction was made between the treatment of the rich, the poor, and the slaves. For example, Hammurabi’s Code states that if a patrician (noble) or plebeian (commoner) stole something that was used to contribute to

(society determines what the groups are, where the boundaries are, what the hierarchies are) - therefore the consequences are social

In Mesopotamia, the caste system was divided mostly based on skill and wealth. Many of the laws in Code of Hammurabi relied heavily in the different classes you were in. Some of the laws differed against people in different classes. For example, law 196 states, “If a man destroyed the eye…his own eye shall be destroyed” compared to law 198, “If he has destroyed…he shall pay one mina of silver.” This clearly shows the contrast of treatment from one class to another.

It has been confirmed by archaeological evidence that iron, made from melting pig iron, was developed in ancient china in the early 5th century BC during the Zhou Dynasty. during the Shang dynasty China went into a flourishing period for steel smelting. in the Han dynasty, private enterprise iron making was abolished and was monopolized by the state, creating iron smelting bloom. The first famous metallurgist in ancient China Qiwu Huaiwen of the Northern Wei dynasty, who invented the process of using wrought iron and cast iron to make steel.

Hammurabi’s Code of Law demonstrates strong beliefs in the hierarchy of class, sex and religion as shown in many of the codes, for example, code 202 decrees that “ If any one strike the body of a man higher in rank than he, he shall receive sixty blows with an ox-whip in

I agree with what Conley said about “society is a single, complex organism with many internal organs that perform specific tasks.” (190) The reason why I agree with Conley is because each different major job in society help runs society. Like laws enforce people, citizens to follow them and police enforce those laws to keep the citizens safe. The government made those laws to protect everyone, citizens and police officers safe. Without those laws society would not run how it should. Society’s a system where everything and anything have to work together to keep the system running. Everything in society needs to run by working together and by communicating with each other in order to have a functional system.

While Charles Horton Cooley has an excellent point with how primary and secondary groups work within one’s life, they can be very different from person to person. For example, if one were to take each house in Harry Potter, he would find that each house has a different feel for its students. Using the Harry with the Gryffindor house and Draco Malfoy with the Slytherin house, two interpretations of Cooley’s groups are presented. Draco has a family with whom he is very close. This is demonstrated when he joins his parents in fighting for Voldemort’s army in the final book, even if it was not necessarily what he wanted to do. With all Malfoys having been sorted into the Slytherin house for centuries, Draco holds his house very near to him as another tie to his family while they are apart.

Society and its inherent need to have all of its inhabitants fit together as one

As Mills understands the concept of the social makeup of reality, he points out that people are bound by the effects of historical change and the contradictions that been implemented within the institutions of a society. Through social control, Mills addresses how the need for information has gained the attention of people to the point where it overwhelms people’s lives. Societies are able to maintain social control by “keeping people in line” as they ultimately keep themselves in line and follow this instructed form of action that “is typically expected and approved within the social system” (Mills, 32.) However, with maintaining social control, there’s the dilemma of attempting the people of a society desire to do what is initially expected of them. Through the use of the Sociological Imagination, people are better able to understand the idea of social structure and how social control is maintained through this process. The “Sociological Imagination” allows individuals to obtain an understanding of the historical context

Personally I feel that this is the correct way to view societies. At one point in my life I was walking in a park and noticed a man picking up trash and then later on walking I noticed someone disposing of trash wherever they wanted. If only the person that threw the trash down could have placed himself in the shoes of the person picking it up, it might have changed that person. He might have realized what his carelessness had created for someone else. I believe that society is about integration. One back scratches another. From the economic standpoint, I consider it to be like a snowball rolling down the hill. It collects many