Literature as an Important Tool in Sensitizing People about Social Inequalities - Essay Example

SOCIAL GAP In our contemporary society, people exist and conduct their affairs different depending on the prevailing conditions. A social gap exists in the society if there is a wide gap between the different classes in the society. A minority group may comprise of a certain race, tribe or economically disadvantaged members of the society, who are usually termed as being poor. In any society, whenever, there is a social gap, there are different outcomes that come along. Social gaps contribute to oppression where by the majority or advantaged group exploits that group that is the minority (It, 555), or one that is economically disadvantaged. Whenever there have been increased oppression, people have been known to start demonstrating in a bid to start fighting for their rights. Many governments have always embraced dialogue and other methods to avoid tensions whenever there are cases of demonstrations when people are fighting for their rights. This is because they are a potential source of instability in many societies, besides claiming the lives of many innocent people and destruction of property. Literature has been an important tool in sensitizing people about social inequalities and their potential effects. Many stories have been composed by different authors and artists to shows how this inequality can arise and what it can lead to when not well addressed by the relevant authorities. For this reason, many societies have been gaining many insights about the culture and practices in different societies, and how it plays a role in contributing to social inequality and related issues. “Superman and Me” by Sherman and Me This is a short story by Sherman Alexie, about an Indian boy who has moved up the ladder of life, from the scratch out of sheer struggle and determination. The boy’s family did not have a lot of money to take this boy to school so that he could make it in life, in fact, the family had to work from pay-check to pay-check in order to make ends meet. If Sherman’s father would make any extra cash, he used to devote it to buying books, which he would read (Wright 850-3). Sherman developed an interest in the books although he did not know how to read and write, for this reason, he would only look at the pictures and from them he would interpret what they meant. Life was hard in Washington, and Sherman learnt how to read in such a hard way, his main aim was to love his father amidst the hardship and books too, with only one book in particular, “The Superman and me.” With time, Sherman became fond of books and could read any kind of literature that he came across (Alexie, 45); he could read magazines, books, cereal boxes and anything that was in his vicinity. Soon he learnt about sentences and paragraphs, and then started categorizing everything in his life I form of paragraphs like his family, reservations, society and so on. By putting many paragraphs together, he was able to make an essay comfortably and began his writing career. When in school, the fact that Sherman was clever and would answer many questions in class placed him at a point of confrontation with his classmates. On many occasion, he would find himself in many fights with boys who became jealous of him. The central point of argument arose from the fact that Sherman was from a poor background and them from rich backgrounds. This is a practical example of a social gap brought about by discrimination in terms of economic status. The rich people seem not to care about the welfare of the poor people, this flows down to the young children who extend the same discrimination to their friends in school. “The House of Mango Street” By Sandra Cisneros In this novel, the author, Cisneros Sandra explains how the theme of social gap affects the society. The story revolves around a Mexican-American girl by the name Esperance who is about twelve years old. In the course of the year, this girl moves along with her family in a new house on Mango Street, after having lives in a dilapidated house (Cisneros, 34). Their new house is a huge improvement from the one that they have been living because of the education. For a long period, the family has been living in extreme poverty and has managed to own a house of its own. The place that this house is situated is in a place that is specially kept for people who are poor. The society in this kind of place seems to put a lot of interest in class separation; the rich do not mix freely with the poor in the society. They attend different schools and other social amenities different from those of the poor people. Life in this new neighborhood is no pleasing at all, something that makes Esperanza to start dreaming of owning her own house, different from this neighborhood. One thing that makes life hard in this neighbourhood is the fact that it is very crowded, making the living conditions unbearable. In this dilapidated neighborhood, Esperanza does not enjoy any level of privacy that she deserves most. This situation underpins her intentions of owning her own home at one point in time, different from the areas that they are experiencing. In this case, in can be seen that the majority poor are segregated and left to live on their own. This is the actual case that happens whenever the society happens to draw a line between different people according to their class. It is evident that when this is done, the group that is segregated suffers several social, environmental as well as economic challenges, just as it is at Mango Street. Soon Esperanza grows to become a mature woman, and develops both emotionally as well as sexually. In the novel, the writer explains that Esperanza chart her course in life as she establishes relationships with new fiends in the neighbourhood. She grows her hips and starts to engage in new sexual relationships, at this time, she involves in her first crush and falls in love, however, this is not a lasting relationship since she is sexually assaulted. In a bid to escape from all this tribulations that seem to affect her life, Esperanza starts to write, in the hope that she can one day change the face of the neighbourhood or escape this kind of life. The path that Esperanza takes to reach the peak of her life is that of many obstacles and challenges, yet she preserves and puts on self-confidence in facing her challenges. Soon Esperanza finds new friends in the neighbor street and they become fond of each other, they learn stories about boys as well as how they can make their life better. Esperanza finally grows and improves her intellectual capacity, this time her dreams of leaving Mango Street become more pronounced, however, she does not want to leave because of the women whom she is bound to leave behind if she goes. She realizes that by leaving, it will not be easy to change the kind of life for women in this neighborhood. This is because; she is determined to reduce the social gap that is prevalent, placing a big divide between the rich and t poor people. “The lesson” Tony Bambara In this story, there is still an element of social injustice that is highlighted in this society, between the rich and the poor people. Just like the previous stories, this one story explains about the life of children in a society that is thriving in abject poverty. The story is told by a young girl names Sylvia, and begins when the girl meets a young woman by the name of Moore. This woman is described as being as black as hell; however, she is dedicated and enjoys her work of taking after the small children. In this new responsibility, Moore is supposed to take Sylvia and her cousin Sugar to various educational events so that they can learn some of the important things that can help them in school. The adults have the view that Moore is quite odd and does not fit to take care of their children; however, they give the children an opportunity to go for those events since it is a unique and rare opportunity. When Sylvia takes the children for the events, Sylvia does not have better intentions, instead of sticking to the main objective; she decides to take advantage of Miss Moore, since she seems not to understand some of the important aspects of life in time. Miss Moore has been raised up from abject poverty and does not understand some of the important elements of life as those people from rich families have. Seemingly uninterested, the children beg Miss Moore to take them to the subway; this is because the children are feeling too much heat. Miss Moore does not know that these young girls have a different intention, in actual sense; they are only after meeting having an admiration for the boys who are on the other side of the venue. As Miss Moore drives the children, the see different places and things that are owned by the rich, the children start to question why the rich people have to spend a lot of money buying some things that to them do not make any sense. For instance, they question why the rich should spend so much money buying some toys, when then they cannot buy even a small boat. In all this stories, it is proof enough that social gaps play a big role in discriminating different classes in the society (Stephanie & Hatzenbuehler, 460). In most cases, the group that does not have resources is disadvantaged, with most of its members suffering social and economic effects. Works cited Alexie, Sherman. Superman and Me. Los Angeles: Milkweed Editions. 1998. Print. Cisneros Sandra. The House on mango Street. New York: Arte Público Press. 1984. Print. It, Elo. 2009. Social Class Differentials in Health and Mortality: Patterns and Explanations in Comparative Perspective. Annual Review of Sociology, 35.1. 2009: 553-72 Stephanie, Rose & Hatzenbuehler, Stephanie. Embodying social class; the link between poverty, income inequality and health. International Social Work. 52.4. 2013: 459-71. Wright, Richard. The Man Who Was Almost a Man. Bedford: St. Martin’s. 2011. Print. Read More

Soon he learnt about sentences and paragraphs, and then started categorizing everything in his life I form of paragraphs like his family, reservations, society and so on. By putting many paragraphs together, he was able to make an essay comfortably and began his writing career. When in school, the fact that Sherman was clever and would answer many questions in class placed him at a point of confrontation with his classmates. On many occasion, he would find himself in many fights with boys who became jealous of him.

The central point of argument arose from the fact that Sherman was from a poor background and them from rich backgrounds. This is a practical example of a social gap brought about by discrimination in terms of economic status. The rich people seem not to care about the welfare of the poor people, this flows down to the young children who extend the same discrimination to their friends in school. “The House of Mango Street” By Sandra Cisneros In this novel, the author, Cisneros Sandra explains how the theme of social gap affects the society.

The story revolves around a Mexican-American girl by the name Esperance who is about twelve years old. In the course of the year, this girl moves along with her family in a new house on Mango Street, after having lives in a dilapidated house (Cisneros, 34). Their new house is a huge improvement from the one that they have been living because of the education. For a long period, the family has been living in extreme poverty and has managed to own a house of its own. The place that this house is situated is in a place that is specially kept for people who are poor.

The society in this kind of place seems to put a lot of interest in class separation; the rich do not mix freely with the poor in the society. They attend different schools and other social amenities different from those of the poor people. Life in this new neighborhood is no pleasing at all, something that makes Esperanza to start dreaming of owning her own house, different from this neighborhood. One thing that makes life hard in this neighbourhood is the fact that it is very crowded, making the living conditions unbearable.

In this dilapidated neighborhood, Esperanza does not enjoy any level of privacy that she deserves most. This situation underpins her intentions of owning her own home at one point in time, different from the areas that they are experiencing. In this case, in can be seen that the majority poor are segregated and left to live on their own. This is the actual case that happens whenever the society happens to draw a line between different people according to their class. It is evident that when this is done, the group that is segregated suffers several social, environmental as well as economic challenges, just as it is at Mango Street.

Soon Esperanza grows to become a mature woman, and develops both emotionally as well as sexually. In the novel, the writer explains that Esperanza chart her course in life as she establishes relationships with new fiends in the neighbourhood. She grows her hips and starts to engage in new sexual relationships, at this time, she involves in her first crush and falls in love, however, this is not a lasting relationship since she is sexually assaulted. In a bid to escape from all this tribulations that seem to affect her life, Esperanza starts to write, in the hope that she can one day change the face of the neighbourhood or escape this kind of life.

The path that Esperanza takes to reach the peak of her life is that of many obstacles and challenges, yet she preserves and puts on self-confidence in facing her challenges. Soon Esperanza finds new friends in the neighbor street and they become fond of each other, they learn stories about boys as well as how they can make their life better. Esperanza finally grows and improves her intellectual capacity, this time her dreams of leaving Mango Street become more pronounced, however, she does not want to leave because of the women whom she is bound to leave behind if she goes.

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