How I Have Grown

Over the course of this class, I have learned a great deal about sociology and myself as a reader and writer. I was not expecting to learn sociology, but I am glad it was a part of the course as I gained much insight on how societies function and how we grow throughout the years. I have also improved my interaction with reading material, and how I handle the readings that initially seem dull. In addition, I have explored many ways to improve my writing process from start to finish.

 

The many essays I have written for this class has reflected the vast knowledge I have gained from the material we have read and seen throughout the class. As I prepared for my first in class essay titled “We Are Who (They Think) We Are,” I learned a great deal about socialization, more specifically, the agents of socialization. A few examples of those “agents” are parents, friends, media and environment. Furthermore, how a person shapes his identity is an age-long process, which starts during childhood and as he grows up, he starts to learn more and more from his surroundings, both in his own neighborhood and through a global perspective. For my first out of class essay, “Her Words, My Inspiration,” I was able to self-reflect on similarities between my own and the author’s, Rose’s, agents of socialization. Both of our mothers indirectly showed us the importance of having inner strength.

Next, for my second in class essay “Why is There Crime and Deviance?” I learned the difference between crime, which is carrying out an illegal act, and deviance, behaving in a manner that contrasts the social norm without necessarily performing an illegal deed. More specifically, we learned about the children living in poor suburbs around major cities, and how they do not have a good moral guidance from neither their homes nor their surroundings. In addition, I learned about juvenile crime for my second out of class essay “Stop Juvenile Crime.” I believe it is important to change the environment that these children grew up in, as they are heavily influenced by gang life and feel the need to commit criminal acts to survive. Also, we should work to change the juvenile’s the bad behavior once he is in detention so they can learn how to properly behave and live crime-free. Lastly, for my third out of class essay, I learned how different cultures around the globe “assign” different gender roles.

In terms of reading, I have gained much knowledge on how to properly absorb the information I am learning. I learned that it is crucial to define a focus question before reading because then I pay attention particular attention to information necessary for my essay. Before this class, I have already acquired the habit of annotating the books I am reading. I did not, however, annotate in accordance to the focus of my next essay. This is important to learn because it makes the writing process a great deal smoother, and it is easier to find quotes to provide examples and prove points.

I have gone in-depth with methods that improve my writing during this class. I truly appreciate the significance of creating an outline before writing the essay to make sure I know what points I want to make and organize my ideas in a fashion that will make sense to the reader. As I write, I am more aware of my reader and make sure the information is portrayed in a way that will make sense to the audience. I learned that the ordering of the paragraphs themselves is crucial, and within the paragraphs, whether or not the information is organized properly.

In the future, I can take what I have leaned about sociology and apply it to social science classes I decide to take. Also, I will be more effective in how I read difference material, making sure I attain the most information and useful information I can. Also, my essays will have better flow, and I will continue using the methods of writing we learned to produce a fluid and high-quality essay.

Gender Roles Around the World

Gender roles, which are learned traits that determine how women and men behave based on their societal and cultural norms, is a prevalent concept all around the world. There are those who believe that biology is a major contributor in how people act in accordance to their sex, what physically sets them apart. However influential biology may be, cultural factors are the most important in determining how women and men should behave. Evidence of such influence is portrayed across the globe, and even though there is a potential for similarity, many defining aspects of gender roles in different cultures are very distinctive.
The gender roles that divide women and men in the United States has changed over the course of its history, providing women with more equal rights. As more women join the workforce, they have voiced their rights, and in response, women are experiencing more equal opportunities and privileges as men. Nevertheless, women are still not treated equally compared to men. Many women are not receiving the same pay grade as their male counterparts, and some are still prone to encounter sexual harassment at work. In addition, with the growing number of working women in the workforce leads to the question of their success at parenting, and the possibility of the father assuming the role of raising the children. Journalist Katherine Lewis’ article “Gender Roles Change at Work and Home” reviews the results of the rising number of women in the workplace. Studies have shown that women who partake in jobs similar to men do not struggle with raising children properly. Fathers are also spending more time with their children, “almost two hours more than the 1977 average of 2.4 hours” (Lewis). Perhaps it is becoming more acceptable for men to help the women in the household, as that responsibility is diffused between fathers and mothers.

My mother, brother and me at Disneyland.

Here I am wearing very feminine clothes, and

my brother typically boyish.

Of course, the American culture has an immense role in how people assume their respective gender identity. As children grow up, they receive cues on how to “appropriately” act as a girl or boy from their parents. It is well established that men are the masculine type, meaning they are supposed to be independent and robust. The girls are treated more delicately, and their safety and well-being are more carefully protected. From a young age, girls are constantly hugged and given compliments on dress, whereas the boys are left to explore on their own and rewarded for participating in more athletic endeavors. As the children grow up, they encounter gender roles from their peers, as a boy could be taunted and excluded for acting in a feminine manner. 

Gender roles are not as clearly defined as they once were in China. They are now combining gender roles for their children, a possible result from the one-child policy. Perhaps this leads the parents to raise a more well-rounded child to ensure his or her success. Some parents are teaching daughters to be independent and to pursue their dreams in a firm manner uncharacteristic of femininity, while others who gave birth to sons do not let them participate in athletic activities from fear of serious injury. All of these aspects can be a result of a growing sense of equality between men and women.

The nation is now accepting a more similar gender role for males and females. In response to this new concept, men and women are dressing and behaving similarly. A major contributor to the positive change in women’s status is the addition of the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Women, where “Women enjoy equal rights with men in all spheres of life, political, economic, cultural and social, including family life.” The new law also reinforces that women should receive equal pay compared to the men. In addition, women have more rights concerning marriage, which, compared to many other cultures, is a right from which many women are excluded. There is a higher percentage of women in the workforce than even the worldwide percentage, and many are holding higher-ranking positions than ever before. The government itself is working to improve women’s education and literacy.

Almost in stark contrast, women suffer a great deal of inequality in Islam. Although the Qu’ran promotes the equality between men and women, scholars have interpreted its messages to suggest that men hold a higher ranking over women. Once example from the Qu’ran that scholars use to defend men’s power is that they are labeled as a woman’s “guardian.” They interpret this as men holding more authority over women, and they should be safeguarded. In turn, women are to be taken care of and should therefore be thankful and obedient to the husband. They should stay at home with the family while the man is the breadwinner. While One main dissimilarity between China’s new revolution and Islam’s culture is the iniquitous treatment of women in relation to marriage. Women of Islam possess almost no power in deciding who they want to marry, obtaining a divorce and holding custody rights of their children.


Women in Chile seemed to have gained more equality in many aspects over the years. They are able to get a better education and can be a part of the workforce. Also, while many men still believe that women should listen to their husbands, there are those who think otherwise. In a national survey, only a little above half the men who participated agreed that women obey their husband. Given the traditional view that women should comply with her husband’s commands, the number of men who oppose it is relatively high. Those who are part of the lower working-class still attain to the more traditional views; however, those who are more well-off are starting to break away from the conventional mold. They believe that women should indeed have jobs, and that men should participate in household activities to help the women who work.

The Arapesh tribe of New Guinea

There are cases that in more primitive societies, gender roles are not as clear-cut as many people in more developed areas are used to. In fact, some of the roles are reversed in these cultures. Most of the societies in New Guinea exhibit the belief that women are inferior to men, and it is the men who lead the communities as they hold more power in decision-making. They also are responsible for hunting and protecting the tribe, while the women stay at home and take care of the grounds and the children. There are communities that do not adhere to typical gender roles; a few of these tribes are the Arapesh, Mundugumor, Tchambuli, and Sambia. The Arapesh perceive both men and women to have feminine characteristics. They are both emotionally sensitive and passive. Both the father and the mother take care of the children. In contrast, the Mundugumore assign masculine traits to both sexes. Men and women are seen to have tough and aggressive personalities.
Even more peculiar, the Tchambuli tribe “reverses” the gender roles, where the women are more masculine and the men are feminine, as they enjoy styling their hair and clothes. The women control the internal affairs of the communities, including the infrastructure and the economy. The last tribe, Sambia, introduces the idea of having a third sex, which pertains to those who are born with both sets of genitals. The distinction between sec and gender is crucial in understanding how the tribe handles assigning gender roles. Although they recognize three sexes, there are still only two genders. It is the parents’ decision to raise the child of the “third sex” as a male or female. The gender roles themselves are not unique to that of the rest of New Guinea. They hold an initiation ceremony for the men, and after this ceremony is completed, they hold more power in the community, especially compared to the women of the same age.

All around the world, gender roles are not as consistent as one might have assumed. In some cases, gender roles are blurred and more evenly distributed between men and women. In other examples, the roles are completely reversed, where women are celebrated for their “masculinity” and the men for showing “feminine” traits. Culture has a big position in determining a society’s gender roles.

Stop Juvenile Crime

An inside look on juvenile detention by Steve Mitchell

When people think of crime, rarely do they think of children offenders. It is evident, however, that juvenile crime is an issue in society today. The question that remains is whether or not these juveniles are mistreated by the justice system. This is a difficult question to answer, and there are many factors to consider in determining the effectiveness of the current system. In many cases, youths feel that they were pressured into or saw no better option than to participate in criminal behavior. After reading Mark Salzman’s True Notebooks and various articles on juvenile crime, it is evident that minors are not given the proper help they deserve to better themselves for their future.

Many of the youths in juvenile detention grow up in environments that enforce criminal behavior. It can therefore be hard to escape the appeal of a life of crime because leaders of groups like gangs often lead an attractive lifestyle amongst individuals living in poor inner-city areas. Elijah Anderson explores potential causes of criminal life in his book The Code of the Street, and why crime is so well established in these urban environments. Many of the children living in these surroundings do not understand how to properly handle situations, and instead “they learn that to solve any kind of interpersonal problem one must quickly resort to hitting or other violent behavior,” (E. Anderson 174). These children understand that power and violence is practically the onl
y way to be successful and survive. Often times the parents in these homes are abusive because the only method they know to correct, and therefore punish, their child’s unwanted mannerisms is through violence. These kids will then bring this aggressive behavior to the streets. In addition to violence in the homes, children can be drawn towards joining gangs, where they may seek this lifestyle as a form of protection from other enemy gangs in neighboring cities or races. Many of the juveniles featured in True Notebooks, like Francisco, understand that many people living in these dangerous areas resort to a life of crime. For Francisco, “‘writing gives [them] a way of telling people what it’s like, growin’ up with violence all around, no positive role models, crazy shit happenin’ all the time at home,’” (Salzman 173). Salzman organized a writing class for a few juveniles at L.A. Juvenile Hall, where many expressed the challenges they faced growing up and participating in gang behavior. Some felt that once they understood the extent of their criminal behavior, it was ‘too late,’ since their gangs prohibited the option of leaving. Of course, it was the youth’s decision to partake in criminal behavior. People should, however, become aware of these youths’ backgrounds before condemning them as ‘hard criminals.’

The juvenile justice system does not seem to make an appropriate effort in treating juveniles with the help they deserve. Many are therefore mistreated and are not given the opportunity to change themselves for the better. In general, people are now more inclined to punish the juveniles for their actions rather than help them improve their behavior. David Anderson’s article “When Should Kids Go to Jail?” describes the injustices exhibited by the judicial system. In fact, a few juveniles are even condemned because they “look like ‘hard-core’ juvenile career criminals… [Legislators] required juvenile courts to impose determinate or mandatory minimum sentences based on the severity of the crime rather than the needs of the offender,” (D. Anderson 77). These legislators, on the other hnd, are spending much less time focusing on ways to uncover the reasons that reinforced these bad behaviors. Legislators should consider the juveniles’ childhood environment as a possible explanation for their misdemeanors and work to create a better environment to promote a healthier and crime-free lifestyle.

Furthermore, it seems that prosecutors, now mostly in charge of the decision to send the offenders to juvenile court or adult court, are discriminating against minority youth, as described in an article written by Building Blocks. They are quicker to try a juvenile in the adult system if they are a part of a minority group, providing them with “little or no hope [of] education or any form of rehabilitation. This is tantamount to throwing away their lives and giving up all hope for their future,” (Building Blocks 75). These juveniles should receive the same treatment as others charged with similar offences. When they are tried as adults, even the majority who are found not guilty will be released immediately after the trial is over. The problem is that many will therefore not be rehabilitated and will continue criminal activity. In addition, those who are charged with more serious offense are not given decent attorneys to plead their cases. Salzman was shocked at the brevity of the case presented by the lawyer of another one of his students, Kevin, and he “assumed [he] must have heard [Mr. Kinion, the lawyer,] wrong; he couldn’t be finished. He had called only one witness, someone who was not even connected to the case on trial. Wasn’t Kevin going to testify?” (Salzman 284). Although murder should never be taken lightly, Mr. Kinion’s performance was more than underwhelming, and perhaps Kevin’s case would have had a different outcome if he had been provided with a more enthusiastic lawyer. Without the proper support from the justice system, these juveniles cannot be represented properly and given the opportunity to show their growth as a person in court.

Once a juvenile is in juvenile detention, they are, or should be, given proper care for rehabilitation; yet despite treatment, a problem likely remains in the environment, not just the individual. Once rehabilitated, the person will still return to the same hostile environment, which could reinforce the previously instilled criminal behavior that the child worked so hard to suppress and alter while in detention. When asked if Francisco’s opinion about gang behavior changed, he agreed. Nevertheless, he does not think it will “solve anything. What [they] think in [there] don’t matter to people on the outs,” (Salzman 250). While some are changed, many will find it challenging to resist the criminal life they led prior to detention. They may not know other means of survival, since many come from poor families. Furthermore, being part of a gang increases the difficulty of leaving street life, since many expect the youths to continue after their return home. They would have to work extremely hard to oppose these gangs because it could be life-threatening to abandon their former comrades. Enemy gangs could still recognize the youth as their adversary, and without the protection of his own gang, the youth would be relatively defenseless. One possible way to prevent this, and possibly avert criminal behavior altogether, would be to provide a better environment in the home. Social workers could intervene “in the lives of children and teenagers ‘at risk’ of delinquency in hopes of averting criminal behavior before it starts. Research documents some success,” (D. Anderson 79). These children may be subject to less abuse, and experience less violent forms of punishment, therefore decreasing their chances of acquiring aggressive mannerisms. While intervention may not immediately affect gang activities, perhaps it can reduce the number of youths who choose to become gang members. Hopefully, over time, these gangs and other criminal groups will attract fewer youths.

Improving the mechanics of the juvenile criminal justice system is important. There should be more focus, however, not only on improving the trial process itself, as in providing better defense attorneys and preventing racial discrimination, but also improving the environment for these youths. Many learn from their surroundings, and are trying to survive in their harsh reality. However, if people could work to change that reality, fewer children will participate in criminal activities.

A Change in Heart

So far I think that the juvenile system has potential to do a lot of good for those in the system, however, it is not up-to-par just yet. At first, I thought that the kids who were committing the crimes had been desensitized and would have a hard time changing the way they were programed to think. As I have been reading True Notebooks, I see that these kids recognize their previous horrible way of life and wish to change their way of life. Many of them are frustrated, though, because they feel trapped by the system and sense no way out. Even though they have committed terrible crimes, they feel a tremendous amount of guilt and wish that they could prove to everyone how they have changed for the better.

It is hard not to feel prejudiced against these young adults when some of them have even committed murder. I am not arguing that they be treated with lenience; nevertheless, it is important for those in charge of the system to understand their background, and how something as simple as recognizing how harmful taking part in a gang can change these unfortunate youths' mindset. They are inspired to change their lives, yet they know the permanence of their situation. Perhaps, then, they should be given better attorneys to help improve this situation and even be given parole. I think that more attention should be given to these youths, because clearly they have the capacity to change, and if given the right opportunity, they will.

My Bad... Or is It?

After reading The Code of the Street and the different theories behind crime and deviance, I am more interested in why there is crime and how to prevent it. It is clear that much crime and deviant behavior has no definitive causes. Instead, there are many influences that one must consider before condemning an individual on his poor actions. One question is, did he have a choice based on his background and environment?

It is evident in The Code of the Street that there are children who manage to avoid becoming "street" personalities despite their violent homes. Nevertheless, it cannot be assumed that everyone will act this way, and perhaps if children who were raised in abusive environments received helped prior to joining gangs or engaging in criminal behavior, they will be less likely to become a deviant.

Why is there Crime and Deviance?

It is difficult to thoroughly explain what crime is and how a person can become a deviant. Many sociologists have tried to tackle this explanation by creating different theories to try to describe how crime and deviance functions. In Anthony Giddens’ Essentials of Sociology, he mentions a few of these theories to try to help others understand deviance. In The Code of the Street, Elijah Anderson explores one example of crime and deviance in a specific subculture – the lower class that exist in inner-city life and its suburbs. Anderson touched on a few crime and deviance theories; however, the most prominent were differential association, subcultural explanation and conflict theory. Of those three, subcultural explanation has the most impact.

Young children are very susceptible to adapt to and absorb their surroundings, which is essentially primary socialization. Children in poor city neighborhoods are generally born into two types of homes – the “decent” home, where good morals and valued, and the “street” home, which tend to go against mainstream norms and can be abusive. Since children are so easily influenced by their environment, “simply living in such a [hostile] environment places young people at special risk of falling victim to aggressive behavior,” (Anderson 171). These young people will learn that aggressive behavior is the only way to effectively survive in the street environment. Most of this forceful behavior is learned from the home, where parents will be harsh to kids since punishment is what they are most familiar with. Moreover, the more violent the parent is with their children, the more they “learn that to solve any kind of interpersonal problem one must quickly resort to hitting or other violent behavior,” (Anderson 174). As the children grow up, they learn that it is acceptable in their street society to behave violently, as they are accustomed to those actions. After they have successfully learned to behave in the street manner from their home, these street kids group to form their own subculture of street life.

After assimilating the aggressive behaviors from their parents, children find others with similar backgrounds and come together to share what they have learned. Whether they are conscious of this act or not, “in the street, through their play, children pour their individual life experiences into a common knowledge pool, affirming, confirming, and elaborating on what they have observed in the home and matching their skills against those of others,” (Anderson 175). It is important to understand that being violent is the only behavior that these children understand. This violence may be the only way they know to communicate with other another and establish community relationships. In addition, they tend to discard what most would consider “normal” behavior because they have never directly experienced such conducts within their own society. In general, subcultures that are lower class have the tendency to “reject the middle-class values and replace them with norms that celebrate defiance, such as delinquency and other acts of nonconformity,” (Gibbons 154). They cannot relate to the middle-class lifestyle, and there are many reasons why these lifestyles are different. Of course, those of the lower class are not as well-off, and perhaps some feel the need to commit petty thefts in order to survive. Also, they have different experiences growing up in the home, and a more violent setting can cause a different outlook on life and how to respond to life matters.

Another issue with city life is the fact that the police are not always able to deal with every problem that occurs in street life. This shortage of police force encourages some to resort to their own measures to ensure their safety. To ensure this security, “the street code emerges where the influence of the police ends and personal responsibility for one’s safety is felt to begin,” (Anderson 172). They create their own code that everyone in their subculture has to live up to, otherwise they will punished with forces described within this code. The street people do not think that the police adequately guarantee the safety amongst their society. Many times, however, different societies have felt the need to create their own rules. It has been an observed phenomenon, and “theorists of the new criminology frame their analysis of crime and deviance in terms of the structure of society and the preservation of power among the ruling class… They reject the idea that laws are neutral and are applied evenly across the population,” (Giddens 156). The societies that feel neglected by the “ruling class” recognize that they must develop their own laws in order to protect their society and the individuals within the group. People must form their own rules to organize themselves to create a stable society.

The functionalist theory, specifically subcultural explanations, best explains crime and deviance. It incorporates not just the functionality of the subculture itself, but how each individual’s background helped shape this subculture. Without sharing similar experiences, these people would not feel the need to form their won group identity, separate from the social norm. Furthermore, the addition of each individual’s poor behavior forms a sort of “snowball effect,” and “researchers located deviance in terms of subcultural groups that adopt norms that encourage or reward criminal behavior,” (Giddens 153). Each new bad behavior encourages the well-established street mannerisms to continue, and these new additions are encouraged by the existing behaviors that they are accepted in street life. These behaviors, though, were adopted from what the individuals have learned from their environment, and most importantly, their home. Once they have established their own street act, they can continue to join their appropriate subculture and foster their aggressive behaviors. Also, it is the interactions of these personal experiences that can help create an attitude for the group as a whole.

Deviance and crime are not clear-cut ideas. They are complicated, and while one theory may suite most examples of deviance, it is how these theories relate that can best describe and help to understand why there is crime and deviance.

Sociology & Me

There are many aspects of sociology that I have learned thus far. For one, I learned how different aspects of a society, whether they are within the home or the surrounding itself, affect personality and the overall characteristics of an individual, or their identity. It is believed that many people develop most of their identity from their parents during early childhood, and as they grow older, outside influences such as media, peers, school, etc can have their effect on personality. In addition, it is important to understand one's society's own history and the history of the world to understand how they impact one and another and oneself. These aspects are called agents of socialization, basically referring to how different influences from a person's life affect who they are as a whole.

"Neither the life of an individual nor the history of a society can be understood without understanding both." 

- C. Wright Mills

After completing the first portion of the class, I have learned ways to help me write more effectively and efficiently. I never fully appreciated the usefulness of annotating texts, and will definitely continue to do so in the future. As for writing the essay itself, I now concentrate more on having a clear focus, not just for the entirety of the essay, but each individual paragraph. I see how concentrating on different structures that comprise an essay can better the product in the end.