Is There Nothing Wrong With Having To Prove Itself?

How do people perceive others’ limits when they've never had a chance to prove themselves? Miles Corwin, a newspaper reporter from the gang roaming streets of South Central, wrote And Still We Rise to enlighten the lives of the children who, despite the challenges they face around them, are madly driven to finish high school and seek better lives. The author wrote about twelve gifted students at Crenshaw High School, filled with hidden potential, to show that the neighborhood wasn’t just a place full of gang activity, but rather a place filled with students who wanted to grow up and make something of themselves knowing education was key. The targeted audience of the book were individuals who had similar problems to the students; Corwin

Additionally, my parent’s substantial economic and social capital was a great asset in my career path of finding a better education outside of my community. Professor Abrego explains that one’s social location shapes an individual’s identity and how one experiences how the world treats them (Abrego, Lecture 01/06/16). In my case, there were not as many resources that my social location offered, for this reason, my mother was determined to find another high school for me to attend, away from South Central. To emphasize, my local high school carried a bad reputation of teen pregnancy, gang violence, and lacked many resources, therefore, due to my mother’s strong social capital she managed to obtain a fake address in order for me to attend a better

Leading a meaningful life meant breaking away from the fear of criticism or rejection; conforming to society limits Illgunas’ definition of life. Illgunas’ suburban upbringing makes the danger of social conformity clear to him. Surrendering to society would consequently cause him to completely lose himself. After graduating from high school, Illgunas and his classmates follow the conventional path towards a higher education. Illgunas explains, “My high school class and I moved like a school of fish: we graduates were capable of going off on our own, in whatever direction we chose, but something demanded we all swim as one…” (6-7). Parallel to the claim Illgunas makes, graduates that do not attend college are stigmatized. Society has created a paradigm: after graduating high school, students should attend a traditional four year university, and then enter the “career world.” In Illgunas’ perspective, people in

The narrator, who does not come from extreme wealth, privilege, or class has trouble dealing with his lack of social prominence. The school has an elite group of boys, which the narrator is not a member of, who are understood to “get a leg up from their famous names or great wealth”(3-4). Being a senior, the narrator has spent the past three years assimilating to the social customs of his school and adapting the attitude of the elite boys. He has recognized many normalities that some of his peers such as Purcell and George Kellogg live by. The boys have a constant laidback and relaxed attitude that is fostered because of their innate understanding of their wealth. They wear clothes loosely and without care and do not give much thought to their future. Additionally, through their class and wealth the elite boys are grouped together and bonded by what seems, as the narrator describes : “tribal tattoos”. This high class attitude of some of the students is ever present as the narrators says, “Class was a fact….His way of turning cold at the mention of money, or at the spectacle of ambition too nakedly revealed”(15). The narrator realizes that public school attitude and being on scholarship, like he is, are repugnant at his school. Rather than announce his perceived shortcomings, in social capital, the narrator is very quiet and abstains from showing his true self to his school.

In “Keeping Close To Home: Class and Education”, Bell Hooks argues that we have to not only maintain our ties to home but adapt to the new settings around us . In order to strive in one’s life, you must be able to interrupt daily life changes and maintain stability. (74). She explains that being an African American woman, coming from a Southern state, not really experiencing the things she did once she transitioned to Stanford University was a little frightening for her.(74). Hooks found many differences in the environment she now lived in. For example, the way the students interact with one another was strange to her. Where she comes from, children treated their parent with respect, but her white, middle-class roommate thought otherwise. She explained that “things were different” there and people “[thought] differently.”(76).

For example, in chapter six, Grillo goes to Taft High School, and feels as if he could do more with his life than just doing industrial work. As illustrated within this quote, “ I just thought, maybe, i can do something else here. It seems like a good school and I want the chance to do something other than with my hands” (137). Within this quote Grillo is trying to better himself and make something of his life, but because of the times and the racial tensions a school counselor tells him, “ It doesn’t work that way, i think you’ll find our industrial arts subjects are more suited to your need”(137). This is a prime example of Grillo feeling unwelcome at

Leaving high school I was consistently in the majority: I co-captained my basketball team and was always welcome to play. In my Bronx experience overall, I often felt racist, close-minded, and self-centered because of the reactions that I was having internally with this new environment. And even more I felt ashamed for this. I quickly wanted to escape back to Ann Arbor to be back in the majority, but I didn’t want anybody to feel bad for me. I knew that what I was thinking was mostly wrong, but I also felt it was human. Large paradigm shifts in one’s life often come with large sentiments, both good and bad. Also, I felt that my experience in the Bronx became easier and easier as I integrated and adjusted. As the shock to my system eased my feelings eased, too. I eventually began to feel extremely connected to the Bronx, the differing cultures, and even my almost omnipresent

In Mike Rose’s “I Just Wanna Be Average,” he argues that educational placements stereotypes negatively affect one’s performance. Rose was placed in the vocational program in school, thereby his attitude towards his education was to just get by. He was later placed in a higher level class where he struggled to keep up with, until a professor helped him see the amount of potential Rose had and that’s where his confidence went up, along with his grades. Rose supported his argument with techniques such as ethos, pathos, and attention to detail.

Including different types of economic status, An example, could be a low-income student may have more of an urge to attend a University and finish quickly to gain money, However, A high-income student may take his time. The High-income student may have the economic resources for parents to help live life easier while a low-income may have to work and study to finish a degree. Yet, the performance of a low-income student may change because of the way he is seen by others. Performance and stereotypes, have a balance between each other. Meaning, If there were no stereotypes it will have a great balance on the performance one has. Yet, because stereotypes are well known, people have struggled with becoming the person they try to grow into. Even now, as a low-income student, I see many student struggles with their academic with how comfortable they are in the environment. As said in the Stereotype Article, all races can feel the same type of stereotype threat. There are many ways we can change this situation, one being to announce it. During Orientation for freshman could be the best time, especially because it's a mandatory event students have to

In the novel, “A Hope in the Unseen” written by Ron Suskind explains the journey of Cedric Jennings from the Inner City to the Ivy League. Throughout his journey Cedric Jennings has had to navigate many challenges first at Ballou High School, then MIT in the summer, and finally at Brown University. During his High school career at Ballou he received many backlash from his peers because of his devotion to his studies. In Ballou High School, “the school’s dropout/transfer rate at nearly 50 percent, it’s understandable that kids at Ballou act as though they’re just passing through”(Suskind 3) but not Cedric. He had a determination like no other to succeed academically where he would often stay after to finish his homework and work on SAT practice

Jewish, white, upper middle class, I have always been lucky. My surroundings remind me of this daily. Pikesville High School is a melting pot of differences, with kids from high class families with parents who attended schools like Harvard, Yale, MIT and then kids on the total other spectrum. We have students in their sophomore year of school, reading at a fifth grade level. Many of the attendees of my school have blinded themselves to these

For example, if in an environment with people of all classes someone who is a member of the “working class” may feel discouraged or out place next to someone with more money. If that person is better dressed or more successful one’s attitude can change. For example, in Paper Daughter Elaine talks about comparing herself to her friends and their wardrobes and how jealous she was that they could afford Izod shirts. She mentions, on page 215, “how lonely is [was] to live in Glendale,” one of the lower end neighborhoods. She then goes on: “I didn’t want to sound stupid, so I chose silence instead.”

One thing that I experienced due to where I lived and my parent’s social class was the fact that I got to attend a good school district, with updated technology and books. My parents’ success and lifestyle were all the reason to me to be hard worker and do well in school. After high school, I took a break in my education, which set me apart from many others whom I had previously been societally grouped together with. This was the cause of many judgments against me, which was difficult at times. Society’s idea of “normal” is to attend college directly after graduating high school, but society’s normal wasn’t going to work for me as I had became pregnant right out of high school, and felt the need to focus my direction on working and making more money in the immediate.

Within oneself, there is an urge to be recognized. To fit into a society while at the same time becoming a distinct figure. In the book Old School by Tobias Wolff, the unnamed main character experiences both the struggle to conform to a boarding school, and the inward soul-capturing questions of what is right. The tangible tension within this character allows the reader to ponder the development of a renowned writer and what it truly takes to reach a point of content.

Sociologist Robert Granfield studied the effects of class stigma in upwardly mobile, working-class students at an Ivy League law school. He found that although these students had embraced their class status before entering college, they “soon came to define themselves and their