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Example research essay topic: False Promises Working Class - 2,033 words

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soc 219 This paper will be about things that shape of American working class consciousness. As basis for this work I will use only one source False Promises - The Shaping of American Working Class Consciousness' (Chapter 2 - Colonized Leisure, Trivialized Work) by Stanley Aronowitz. His work more then better enlighten this topic and material presented in it will help to understand how his analysis of education reveal the domination inherent in it. I will also try to understand how is his analysis of education related to the colonization of leisure and the trivialization of work. Stanley Aronowitz starts his chapter 2 from Marx and his theory about capital accumulation.

Marx theories are very interesting and have many thoughtful ideas but as many other people of his age he idealized many things which now lost their attractiveness. The struggle of the working class to obtain a higher price for its own labor power has been incessant, even under totalitarian conditions bearing out Marx's theory that the upward movement of employment and wages had its limits under capitalism, a limitation imposed by the profit criterion for production and the need for surplus labor force to be available in periods when capital expands (Colonized Leisure, Trivialized Work) Working class is an intriguing mass of people. The have tendency to do nit the things they wanted to. Why?

More then few centuries historians, sociologists and psychologists all over the world tried to answer this question. Why the large numbers of working people and the revolutionary leadership itself fell easily into the framework of reform politics while believing to be engaged in a quite different process? It may be explained with words If only sweet words for everybody who wants all but do not want work for this. How many times we said If only as for me I can say that there were moments when I said this words quite often.

In other words social forces can be directed and controlled by the ideology and moral values of individuals. In the light of all abovementioned I want to stop at theory of Herbert Marcuse. Marcuse's attempt to supply a theory not just for the persistence of working class integration within the some capitalist system but also for the possibilities of liberation. In order to understand psychology of workers Marcuse made a serious attempt to fuse Freudian theory into a revolutionary paradigm. According to Aronowitz Marcuse accepts the structure of Freud's arguments but rejects the conclusion. He assumes the existence of biological rooted instinctual structure that provides a material substratum for the liberation of humanity (Colonized Leisure, Trivialized Work) But in his work Stanley Aronowitz use many interesting theories.

All of them in that way or another reflect the formation of working class consciousness. For example work of Max Weber, the Parsorian theory of capitalist society allows for conflict without struggle. Here we are near the Aronowitz position of dominant education. Parsorian theory offered education as ruling tool of society and propose limitation to play critical role in the learning process. The virtue of Parsorian theory is its reliance on social life even if its assertion of equilibrium between the individual and society may prove nothing more than a conservative (Colonized Leisure, Trivialized Work) So lets observe the role of school and education in the process of society forming.

Education becomes essential for us because our society demands this. In Middle Ages an long after that in the lower classes children were mixed with adults in the age about seven. Then they immediately went into the great community of men, shared work and played with old and young companions. It was a movement of collective life, which was necessary for that period it is easier to survive in collective. Later early capitalism carried out the traditions of agriculture feudalism. The notions childhood, play, leisure even the idea of adulthood were reserved for the upper classes, excepts for Sunday rest in which the family was expected to go to church and engage in group recreational activities. (Colonized Leisure, Trivialized Work) End of 19 th century and beginning of 20 th it is period of rapid industrial development which continued and now we have what we deserve the most industrial developed country of the world.

During this period borders between town and country shifted agriculture country and industrial city. In the period of early industrialization the position of children changed and changed for worse. Children were employed in the new coal and metal mines, textile miles, shoe factories, and garment shops to fill the unskilled jobs that abounded in those industries. As men began to shift from agriculture to industrial labor, they left all but the most skilled jobs to women and children within the light manufacturing, and became the backbone of heavy industry and transportation. Working life began as early as seven or eight years of age (Colonized Leisure, Trivialized Work) Great depression also left mark on the children labor.

Streets were roamed with hungry children who seek for food. Then legislation came to labor and few laws were produced as well as new restrictions. Family was proclaimed a basis of the laboring class and was enacted a legislation that required children under fifteen years old to attend school for three months a year. Then the need in children labor become unnecessary and it was restricted as well as compulsory schooling provided. Interesting, if the need in children labor do not disappear then what? Will be no legislation for a few more decades?

Rich culture cultural maybe possible only in the urban environment and the role of school is to prevent chaos by providing a way to assist children to adjust. Knowledge had begun to replace brown as the motor of production process. (Colonized Leisure, Trivialized Work) But to contrary believe school is not an instrument of social advancement, but of social stasis because all learned in schools is not related to specific industrial skills. Not so long ago but at the dawn of the new century such American institution as public school was invested with a greater role to bring the young and their parents into the modernist regime. Common schools not just prepare children for their future social duties but also prepare them to labor. The democratic influence of school is that they are supposed to transmit the jewels of the Enlightenment especially in such fields as literature and science. Schools cultivate in children the love and loyalty to country, the importance of family, etc.

Schools, in that way or another, try to evaluate in children independent critical thinking. According to Stanley Aronowitz But the content of the curriculum is far less important than the structure of the school itself. The child learns that the teacher is the authoritative person in the classroom, but that she is subordinate to a principal. Thus the structure of society can be learned through the understanding the hierarchy of power within the structure of the school.

On one side school impresses students as a whole with their powerlessness since they are without the knowledge required to become citizens and workers. On the other the hierarchy of the occupations is reproduced by the hierarchy of grade levels and tracks within grades (Colonized Leisure, Trivialized Work) It is stupid to decline the important role of school. Educational ideology developed many years and now is more than institution, which impress child which failure to climb the occupational ladder or rise beyond his parents social class is result of failure of his own efforts. Schools create the notion of equality of opportunities through compulsory schooling places responsibility on the individual for social failure. When we talk about education revealing the domination inherent in it we must consider that fact that teacher in grade school as surrogate parent and significant adult in childrens lives tells them daily how they are perceived by the school system.

Vivid example exists, when in grammar school bright students are placed in the front of the classroom. Teachers present them as model children and make them an example for others. Later they become involved in active school life newspapers, cheerleaders, drama groups, etc. Otherwise dump or bad children are asked to keep quite and dont disturb others. In schools where are presented children from working class they are given hints that possible professional and technical occupation is their choice. Schools influence on the children a lot and may develop that or another attitude to labor.

Parents usually are not ready that school can change point of view of their child. Rare when parents can resist judgments of school officials because they accept them as accurate and honest because professionals make them. People of working class are very sensitive to the professional position. They respect those who are good specialists at something. On other hand they are very sensitive to the position of the teacher and his point of few usually accepts as only right one. In turn, the profession assumes the unwavering accuracy of the intelligence test as a measure of potential and a guide for making professional decisions as to the childs future educational experience (Colonized Leisure, Trivialized Work) The dominant power of education also consists in the need to be recognized as a worthy person.

Education becomes a distinguished feature for society may be due to the upper class. Because for upper class education always was undeniable part of their existence that thing which point on the privilege position. And now somebody critics complain schools on failing working-class students, Blacks, Latino / as and Whites, to fulfill the promise of equality of opportunity for good jobs (whether or not schools promise to fulfill them). Such discussions take place because many people think that educational system owes them something. Maybe that is echo from the past and now in such way people want to equalize or diminish the difference between classes. I know that schools still make a lot for society.

Children must make internal, incorporate in their self-system, the ideas of social mobility and social equality. They must learn how to cooperate with authority and with one another bit to complete at the same time for the rewards offered by the adult world. They must retain their drive to excel, but this drive must be sublimated by sports, schoolwork and self-discipline. They must learn to take pleasure in deprivation and reserve their leisure. (Colonized Leisure, Trivialized Work) As we can see the role of education developed with time and society.

Changes in environment, inquires and society shaped the attitude to the education. It inherit it dominant role from early times when Mentor was a rare occurrence and the significance of tutors only grows with time. Education is a powerful tool, which forms the society. Community in the Middle Ages or schools nowadays they formed consciousness of people.

In all times teacher was a person to respect. We can ourselves reveal the domination inherent in education. Lets exaggerate current educational system and reshape the existing social model. Just imagine that exists some society, a perfect on for the first sight.

It is very high developed, its technologies cannot be comparable to others, etc. But the basis of society is not a family it is a school or education if you exist. This society requires that children after the age of five for example were given to special schools, which along with teachers replaces them families. Children are a perfect material, which can be shaped in each possible form but of course influence must be well thought out.

Children know only one authoritative person whom they obey their tutor. He replaced them family, he replaced their world and shape them in the way it is needed for him. It is society where Teacher is the highest instance, the highest possible power. It is untouchable person whose word is a law. And really it is not so impossible. And it seems interesting enough to try it replace the current structure of power with the educational model.

Just few more generation and it will be possible to form wholly new society because the influence of education is great. Bibliography: Stanley Aronowitz, False Promises - The Shaping of American Working Class Consciousness.


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Research essay sample on False Promises Working Class

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