We All Belong to a Particular Class - Essay Example

Introduction In the society of today, we all belong to a particular Social is merely just an object of analysis for sociologists. When compared to other people, we essentially all belong to different classes. In some cases, social classes is protected by law. For example, there are places here certain modes of dressing is acceptable while other forms of dressing is not acceptable. The social classes are usually three in number. The upper class, middle class, and the lower class. These classes are mostly defined by the amount of wealth that one has or the social status that one has. People in the upper social class are considered to be more powerful than the people in the lower social class (Lareau, & Conley, 166). It is therefore very possible for social classes to interfere with one’s thinking capacity. Furthermore, they affect one’s decision making power. Due to the difference in classes, some people feel superior than others, which may result in the mistreatment of some people, thereby resulting in the emergence of conflict between different levels of social classes. This paper will therefore discuss how social classes affect people’s character, decision making ability and conflict. Character Each and every person has a unique character in themselves. Character is what defines our uniqueness. Our character can be either moral or non-moral. Character is one of the factors about a person that is highly affected by the social class that a particular person is in. Character is the way one behaves. A person’s behavior can be greatly affected by one’s social class. In essence, a person’s behavior is designed to maintain and display the individual's social class. For example, people in the upper social class, tend to behave in a manner that they would want people to notice them. This is because chances are that they are rich and therefore, being noticed by people, satisfies a certain part of them. They find it fulfilling. Having been brought up in this general lifestyle, this character becomes embedded in them, thereby making it difficult for them to stop it even if they wanted to as they are now doing it involuntarily. On the other hand, people in the lower social class, do not have the tendency to show off to, or become noticed by others. This is because in most cases, they are not wealthy. They are generally very humble in character. On examining these two different types of characters, we see that there is a clear distinction between the different types of social classes with reference to their character. This is a clear indication that character affects a person’s character. Based on the novel, Wuthering Heights, we see that the rich family that had adopted an orphan by the name Heathcliff, is mistreated by the son in the family, Hindley. Heathcliff was treated well by the father of the family, Mr. Earnshaw. This behavior was very much resented by Hindley. Owing to the fact that the two people came from two different and completely social classes, their characters were also very different. Hindley changed and started mistreating Heathcliff. Several years down the line, both Mr. Earnshaw and Hindley die, thereby leaving the Wuthering Heights to Heathcliff for inheritance by him. During this moment, we see a clear demonstration of how the social classes can change character. With this newly acquired wealth, Heathcliff shifted from being in the lower classes to the upper classes instantly. This caused him to change his character completely as he began mistreating his wife as well, whereas before, he was known to be a very humble human being (Bronte, 150). Decision making Throughout the entire duration of our lives, we are forced to make decision every time. Decision making is therefore inevitable. Decision making involves the process of choosing between two or more circumstances. However, social classes have the ability to affect our decision making abilities as well. People from different social classes have different priorities. This therefore means that people from different social classes would most likely make different decisions based on what they perceive to be of most importance to them. When decisions are made, a certain process is followed. This process is what is affected by the different social classes. For example, people in the upper social classes my don't have much trouble with high end valuables. That is, chances are that they own expensive items because they can afford them. On the other hand, the lower social class people, would be very careful when making decisions because they have little and would therefore prefer to make the most out of it because such opportunities are rare for them. From the novel, Wuthering Heights, we see that Hindley made a decision to mistreat Heathcliff due to the fact that Heathcliff was treated very nicely by Hindley’s father. His objective was therefore to revenge to Heathcliff because he assumed that it was his fault that he was treated in a such a manner. Furthermore, he did this simply because it was possible for him to do so. This is a clear example as to how the social class can affect a person’s decision making process. It was wrong for him to make such a decision all on his own (Bronte, 98). Decisions always affect other people around us in one way or another. It is therefore very important that you consider what other people will go through as a result of the decisions that you have made before you move ahead and make any of those decisions. Conflicts Conflict is any form of disagreement that may occur between two or more parties, for various reasons. People often fail to agree on a number of factors because they have different views and opinions about the said factors. Conflict is also another factor that is affected by the existence of social classes. People from different social classes are very different from each other. This therefore means that they tend to be interested in very different things. How people perceive things might be different from the manner in which other form different social classes perceive the same situations. In the current world that we live in in, conflict is inevitable. We are all different people who have different interests. For example, people from the lower social classes may at many times disagree with people from different social classes based on what they stand for. People from the lower social classes often from the people in the upper social classes due to the fact that they are superior to them. They may often feel that they deserved better and the people in the upper social classes do not deserve any of what they have currently. From the novel, Wuthering Heights, we see that Hindley created a conflicting situation with Heathcliff during the time when he was mistreating him. We also see that Hindley was jealous for the manner in which Heathcliff was being treated by his father and yet he was not related to them by birth as he was just an orphan who was brought back to the family when their father when on a business trip. This therefore a conflicting situation between the two people, Hindley and Heathcliff. However, Heathcliff did not attempt to fight back. He eventually had a burst out when Hindley died and left him Wuthering Heights. He took it out on his newly wedded wife as at that time. This thereby makes it evident that the difference in social classes can cause conflicts among people (Bronte, 68). Works Cited Bronte, Emily. Wuthering Height. USA. Thomas Nelson & Sons Print. Page 13-330. 1858 Print. Lareau, Annette & Conley, Dalton.Social Classes: How Does it Work?Illustrated. USA. Russel Sage Foundation Print. Page 124-202. 2008 Print. Read More