Inequality in the American Society - Essay Example

Lecturer Introduction As a matter of fact, inequality is still a major issue in the American society. For a very long time, there has been a persistent disparity amongst the different classes of people. Even if the constitution condemns inequality, the gap between the rich and the poor has significantly increased in the recent past. My research will be focusing on this menace. As stated in my thesis statement, a lot still need to be done in order to liberate the underprivileged American populations from the yoke of inequality. While it is going on, it is only the less fortunate people who feel the pinch. This is because, with their limited income, they can not acquire quality education, housing and medical facilities. In order to conduct an extensive research, I will have to look for some of the most authoritative, sound and reliable book, journal and article resources to use as references in my research. A part from helping me to have a baseline source of argument, it will enable me to produce an excellent research which can be relied upon by the readers and anyone else who might be planning to conduct a further research on this area. A careful selection of resources to use will definitely make my research to be accurate, valid and credible. Therefore, a part from my two primary sources, I will have to add six more references to be used as secondary resources. These will enrich my research and makes it to be quite exhaustive. Annotated Bibliography Carver, Raymond. “Little Things” in Where I’m Calling From. New York: The Atlantic Monthly Press, 1988. Print. This short story was written by Carver Raymond and published by the Atlantic Monthly Press in 1988. Here, Raymond Carver addresses several issues associated with the development of unequal society. Carver argues, ‘The disparity existing within the society is based on the development of the opinion and the social segregation in the whole process.’ Likewise, racism has been passed over from slavery to the end incorporation of the current corporate racism as revealed in the society. When doing a research about inequality in USA, I would use it as one of my credible and authoritative resources. This is because it will provide me with adequate information about the causes of inequality in the country. Besides, it will enable me to take a journey through the challenging issues of inequality and racism. These are very important issues which need to be captured in my research. Carver, Raymond. Cathedral .New York: Knopf, 1983. Print. This story is a product of an extensive work by Raymond Carver. The 1983-published short story takes the reader through a journey of self-actualization. The story is minimal with only three characters namely the narrator, the main character’s wife and the third party being the blind man Robert. He says, ‘Inequality is depicted in the story through the different lives lived by the characters.’ The inequality in story is revealed in the complexity of the lives of characters. The disconnection between the wife and the main character reveals the inequality and lack of understanding between the two families. When conducting this research, I will have to use it. It is not just a novel, but a very useful text which can be of great value to me in this research. It addresses the major issues like indecision, disunity and isolation. As he explains, these are some of the causes of inequality in USA. Therefore, they need to be incorporated into my research. Besides, it is vital because it links the issue of inequality with choices, selfishness and family set-up. Patterson, John. The Bill of Rights: Politics,Religion and the Quest for Justice. New York: iUniverse, 2004. Print. This book was written by Patterson John and published by the iUniverse in the year 2004. It discusses about racial discrimination as a major problem which has been affecting the American society for a very long time. Despite the success of enacting the bill of rights and other affirmative action legislation, several challenges still exist in the integration of the various races in the society. The government is not helping much because it uses the same racial terms to define the population either as Black, Hispanic or white. This book will be of much help to me during my research. I will use it to find out more information about the legal stipulations governing equality in the country. As explained by this author, ‘the law highly condemns practices like racism and any form of discrimination.’ Moreover, it covers other sectors of the society including the discrimination in media, sports and employment. These are important issues which will be addressed in this research. Getting information about the position of the law and challenges in its implementation will help in producing an accurate research which can be relied upon by any reader or future researcher in resolving the problem of inequality in the society. Robberts, Sam. "Poverty Rate Is Up in New York and Income Gap Is Wide. Census Data Show.” 24th September 2013. New York Times. Online. 12th October 2013. Retrieved From: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/19/nyregion/poverty-rate-in-city-rises-to-21-2.html On 27th/03/2014. This article was authored by Roberts Sam and published in the New York Times on 24th September 2013. By relying on census statistics as the main source of data, Sam traces the rich-poor gap which has been existing in USA especially between the dominant whites and the minority immigrant groups who were initially taken to USA as slaves. Here, Sam explores how civil rights movements have been actively invoilved in eliminating this disparity. In his opinion, this is the best way through which the ordinary Americans can be liberated. For he acknowledges people’s agony when he insinuates, “There is no question that people are suffering in this economy.” When used in this research, it can provide a very resourceful information regading the history of disparity in USA. Besides, it will help in providing the necessary data regarding the activities of the civil right organizations in condenming any form of inequality in the country. These are some of the issues which will have to be addressed in my research so as to make it more useful than it would otherwiuse be. Rosenfeld, Jake. "The meaning of poverty and Contemporary Quantitative Poverty Research.” The British Journal of Sociology (2010): 103-110. Retrieved From: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1468-4446.2009.01267.x/abstract On 28th/03/2014. This article was written by Rosenfeld Jake and published by the British Journal of Sociology in 2010. It addresses the meaning of poverty through study by arguing that the study of poverty has not been developed theoretically in the 21st century. In fact, during the postwar period, Jake says, ‘Social scientists developed a notion that the poverty was a solved problem.’ The twin development of the welfare state expansion and economic growth was thought to improve the quality of life, but the elimination of poverty could not be achieved. Since my research will incorporate poverty as one of the major areas in which unequal society is manifested, it will have to rely on this journal as one of the resources. By looking at the concept of poverty through different angles, the article will help in knowing much about the perception and understanding of different people concerning poverty. This will definitely add value to this research and make it exhaustive. Larry M. Bartels. Unequal Democracy: The Political Economy of the New Gilded Age. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2009. Print. This book was authored by Larry M. Bartels and published by the Princeton University Press in 2009. It provides a detailed analysis on the relationship between the economic disparity and politics in USA. According to Bartels, the rich-poor gap has been a major issue affecting the American society since time immemorial. He points out, ‘Republicans have contributed to the widening of the rich-poor gap in USA.’ However, as he argues, it is purely blamed on the poorly designed political economy. In this research, I will use this book as my reference. It has lots of information about the political economy of the USA. Therefore, as the author examines, it can be easier to trace and analyze the contributions of the Republican and Democratic regimes towards the widening or narrowing of this persistent rich-poor gap in the country. This is because, as I believe, government has a significant role to play in the eradication of any form of inequality in a nation. During their campaigns, they have to include this section in their manifestos as they seek to be voted into the highest political office in the land. Ronald Takaki. A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. New York: Little, Brown & Co., 2007. This book was written by Ronald Takaki and published by the Little, Brown & Company in the year 2007. In this book, Takaki focuses on the plurality of the American society. According to his research, ‘USA consists of people from diverse social, political, racial, cultural, ethnic and geographical backgrounds.’ Therefore, he says that disparity has persisted in the country because of lack of tolerance, appreciation and acceptance by members of these groups. In my research, I will seek to use this book as one of my resources. It is rich in information about the dynamism of the US society and how it has contributed to the increase or decrease in inequality in the country. In addition, it can be used to challenge the readers to be proud of their diversities and consider using them to promote unity and fight for equality. After all, everyone is equal regardless of their background. This is a major appeal which will be lodged in my research. Read More