Social Class and Gender Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Social Class and Gender - Essay Example Question 1-Movie and Gender Gender issues come out clearly in the movie. The interactions between the various characters and the roles given to them bring out the gender relationships. Mrs. Tuohy is an extremely strong woman in the movie despite her being a female. She is also highly demanding as she heads her household and controls all the decisions made in the family. This portrays changing gender roles in the family, where women have gained ultimate control and ability to make vital family decisions. The changing authority and roles of women clearly comes out in the movie when Mrs. Demands that they go back and help Big Mike. She even offers him a place to sleep at their home (Lewis 18). In relation to the course materials from the gender lectures, Mrs. Tuohy shows that women have the capacity to give out orders just like men. On this regard, therefore, both genders should make decisions in their home. Men should not always dominate as the heads of households. No gender should be superior to the other; all should have equal opportunity and be accorded equal rights (Lewis 22). Mrs. Tuohy represents a typical modern woman, who does not heed to the traditions, which sidelined women and favored men. Her character and actions depict women who have the determination to challenge the status quo in the society. Question 2-Movie and Social Class The issue of social class depicts itself in the movie, with some characters having an elevated social status, while others appear to be in the low social stratum. Michael Oher belongs to the lower social status as his family cannot afford to cater for his education. For many years, during his childhood, Michael was under foster care with various families in Tennessee and Memphis (Lewis 30). He runs away whenever placed in a new home. On the other hand, the Tuohys can be regarded as influential and belonging to the upper social class/status. They live in a beautiful mansion. Besides, the friends of the Tuohy family have riches and property similar to that of the Tuohys. In relation to the lecture notes, the social prestigious status of the Tuohy and the lower social of Michael Oher depict the differences in social status. Further, this portrays the vast differences between the poor and the rich in the society. The rich, wealthy, and influential members of the society can be able to afford a luxurious and a happy, desirable life. On the contrary, the poor have difficulties affording to cater for the basic needs of shelter and education. The fact that the families surrounding the Tuohys have a lot of wealth depicts the existence of strong links and networks among the rich (Lewis 35). In the beginning of the Movie, Mrs. Tuohy nearly gets influenced by her friends, who discourage her not to adopt Michael. The Friends argue that the decision to adopt Michael would negatively influence SJ, Tuohy’s son. This shows how the wealthy view the poor as deviant and having undesirable morals. Moreover, when Mich ael goes back to interact with his family and friends, the community appears as poor African Americans who engage in criminal activities as gangs. Question 3-Movie and Race/Ethnicity Scenes from the Blind Side depict the relations that exist between the characters based on their racial and ethnic affiliation. The Tuohys, who belong to the white race, live a prestigious life, while Oher has gone through numerous challenges in life. Racial stereotyping is represented when the family friends

Self-Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Self-Assessment - Essay Example The value of quality communication skills is immeasurable especially when it comes to creating personal development and creating relationships. I tend to think of myself as outgoing and love initiating warm up conversations with people (Robbins, 2008). In an attempt to determine my strengths and weaknesses in terms of communication, I took a test on face-to-face communication style. The results, which prove what my peers think of me, indicate that I have a stronghold in the areas of being friendly, attentive to matters and contentious (Robbins, 2008). In addition, I appeared not only secretive about my own issues but to also leave an impression on people. My weak point according to the test on the face-to-face communication style include not being effective in delivering message to a group, being a loud communicator and finding it difficult to control myself in a heated debate. Several factors contributed to the perception by my peers that I am friendly. The first attribute was that I ordinarily introduce myself and give a handshake coupled with a smile, every time I meet a new person (Robbins, 2008). My peers were of the view that I tend to show effort in remembering the names of individuals. Most of my friends stated that I tend to associate the names of individuals close to me with a unique feature. To add to that is the perception that I often use courtesy words for instance Thank you and your welcome. According to Robbins (2008), with regard to the issue of paying attention to detail, majority of my peer argued that I occasionally make a lot of eye contact and nod my head to show understanding on an issue. My body language says it all as depending on the environment, I usually lean forward on the side of the speaker thereby indicating focus on the message. The perception of my contentiousness arises from the judgment that I argue my points from facts.