write an essay in an hour

Composition I Name____kumhyun Lee_

Study Guide

Janny Scott and David Leonhardt

“Shadowy Lines That Still Divide” (2005), by Janny Scott and David Leonhardt

p. 1

1. What is interesting about the class statuses the four people pictured on page 1 give themselves?

The four individuals are graduates with different ideas about the rich and poor. They describe the gap between the poor has widening and would not close at any given time. In addition they all do have an American dream of being successful in future when one strives to work hard.

2. What things to they seem to agree about?

American dream is to help others, though each describes that dream in different perspective; Steve works to help his family, Barbara wants to transform the world from old generation using available technologies and create more opportunities to generate money.

Secondly, they believe in making huge sum of money- financial stability is there dream. They work hard to support their families, create more opportunities and to achieve the American dream of success.

p. 2

3. What does the understanding of class described in the first paragraph sound like?

They are democratic and are holy. They also have mutual coexistence as they lived in common grounds and sharing common beliefs.

4. According to the authors, what has changed?

The classes that existed in the present are hard to group or depict in given aspects like clothing, color of skin etc.

5. So why does class still matter?

Success in school is linked to given class as far as academic excellence is concerned.

6. What has happened to class mobility, or, the American Dream?

Has people work hard to be at same level or being equal in opportunities, the difference might not have changed their class. It has become hard for the rich few to move from one economic class to another.

7. What is the basic contradiction this article points out?

Class difference in America

pp. 3-4

8. What is the paradox of the new meritocracy?

Merit has replaced the old system in that privileges are inherited. It has become class based. For instance parents with money, education and connections cultivate these traits to their children.

FAITH IN THE SYSTEM

9. How do American feel about their prospects for class mobility?

Hard and education are main feature that alleviate one from one class to another other than connection and background.

10. What conclusions can we draw from the graph on page 3?

Mobility can either be driven by hard work and education status or background. In addition, the sole responsibility of the rich is to help the poor since they have the power to do so.

p. 4-5

11. What does the graph on page 4 tell us?

The rich are more powerful and they favor the idea of class based affirmative action to help those at the bottom.

12. According to the authors, what is a serious difficulty for any discussion of class?

The word class means different thing to many people. Class is rank; it is culture, tribe and taste. It is attitudes and assumption, a source of identity, a system of exclusion and to some it is money and accident during birth.

13. What do the authors consider class to be?

Class is a group of people with similar economic and social position; people with same political ambitions, lifestyles and cultural setting.

14. Why has our idea of class changed over time?

Many sociologists have undertaken intensive research and each brings different views on aspect of class with time. Also the educational and political views affect the idea of class.

15. Do researchers agree on what class is?

They do not agree since most of them have different ideas, sociologists argue that old classes have been broken to micro-classes defined by different occupations and livelihood. They say that complexity social aspect has eradicated existence of classes hence more diverse in terms of income, political views and lifestyle. In the other hand, other researcher disagree by arguing that classes are defined by four bases; income, occupation, education and wealth. They give an example of Bill Gate who grew from middle class to upper class. In conclusion, class starts from parent’s class and Americans have moved to nation’s ladder or class.

THE AMERICAN IDEAL

p. 6

16. What does one’s class status seem to be most dependent upon?

Money

17. What conclusions can we draw from the graph on page 6?

Class mobility is dependent upon wealth and this mobility is advanced with educational level with time. From the graph, movement from one class to another has increased from 1970’s to 1990’s and become arbitrarily constant since tend technology has been advancing and economic growth also affected proportionally across all classes.

pp. 7-8

18. How does mobility in the United States compare with other countries?

Economic inequality in United States is wider than in other countries in that there is wider disparity in what parents poor and rich can invest in their children. Child school performance is proportional to his or her background which is not the case in other countries. Born poor in USA is more disadvantageous.

BLURRING THE LANDSCAPE

19. Why does it appear that class no longer exists in America?

Industrial revolution is growing at higher rate. Technology is bringing up the poor to an economic convergence in that it is hard to tell the difference.

Economic changes have made material things cheaper and readily available to both middle and lower-income people hence hard to depict any differences. Bank rate has been lowered despite the risks and in addition the communication accessories like cellphones have become cheap thus enabling people to access high class materials.

20. What conclusions can we draw from the graphs on page 8?

Race and class have been eradicated in America and most people have moved to middle and upper classes. Diversity in gender, race and ethnicity has promoted these mobility.

p. 9-10

21. What conclusions can we draw from the graph on page 9?

American enlightened group have increased than it was in the past and at present many religious groups are more and has a result a class of entrepreneur is picking up.

22. What makes it appear that class does still exist in America?

Adopting programs to enroll lower-income students is seen as source of societal alienation and unhappiness. Secondly, family structure and educational background among different classes and more so the benefits of new meritocracy will never agree at any instant hence escalate difference presence.

In addition the level of health care varies from on group to another.

23. What conclusions can we draw from the graph on page 10?

Class difference plays a vital role of achieving the American dream. It serves has boost in economic mobility though the has these gap narrow it creates societal alienation and unhappiness has per Anthony W. Marx who explains that we might lose talent and leadership skills if we enroll low income students to academic programs. Lastly, family structure across class lines varies as those who are rich and stable have few children than the lower class poor.

pp. 11-12

A RAGS-TO-RICHES FAITH

24. What is the contradictory conclusion the authors reach?

Class contradicts there assumption of American dream, equal opportunities and reasons of their own success and failures. Americans, constitutionally optimistic are disinclined to describe themselves as stuck.

25. What conclusions can we draw from the graphs on pages 11 and 12?

The gaps between the rich and poor are narrowing. In addition this economic change has brought political and health issues at hand. Mobility in class is brought by faith and hard work, thus one can grow from poor to rich and lastly American dream is all about being Optimistic.

Trading of societies pie tends to be unequal among has American themselves acquirer greater share than the rest.

26. Which cultural icons have contributed to Americans’ belief in social mobility?

American dream, equal opportunity and Optimism

27. What are the disadvantages and advantages in optimism about class mobility?

That if opportunity is taken for granted the country is less likely to do hard work to make it happen.

Advantage, without optimism, there would never be success.