DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

Cultural Identity Profile and Lens:

How You Connect with People and Place

Shanetta Slayton

C-Block

10.3.08

 

Part I. G’GREASES questions--

 

Geography

  • Neighborhood-- What Boston neighborhood do you live in?

The Boston neighborhood I live in is Dorchester.

  • Is it urban or suburban?

Dorchester is an urban area of Boston.

  • How has living in your neighborhood or this city affected what you believe?

Living in Dorchester has affected what I believe because, it has allowed me in a ways to see both sides of the spectrum. Where on one hand I’ve lived in a more rowdy, and more rambunctious part of Dorchester. An I’ve seen things from people offering to exchange favors for money, to people being petty and wanting to fight over ridiculous things, to people just being ignorant and leaving there garbage all over the streets, instead of just being responsible and throwing it in the trash can. An on the other hand I now live in a more relaxed, and usually quiet part of Dorchester. Where people are a little more friendly, and responsible for themselves, and look out for one another. With all of this in mind, I’m able to see how people in this world really are, and how I need to deal with them. All of this I feel has made me realize how important it is to be open, and see how one reaction can lead to a totally different response. It all just depends on the person who is being approached, and how they are being approached.

 

Government

  • Politics--What are some of your political  views? (ex. Economy, national security, education, etc.)

Some of my political views on education is that the government should stop making it so expensive for their citizens to further their educations. I say this because, the high costs of colleges cause people to be discourage, due to the fact that they can not afford it. So they then turn to jobs making minimum wage or less, and end up working there for pay check to pay check their whole lives. The government show also fix the economy, because it is truly in shambles right now. I do not know how they can get things back on the right track, because I’m not into government like that, but one of many things that is for certain, is that gas prices among many have gone up tremendously. An I’m not quite sure what needs to happen to change this, but the government needs to thing of away to change things quick. Lastly the government also needs to wise up, and bring the troops in Iraq and, everywhere else that the war they’re fighting is nonsense back home to their families. The reason I say this is because, no government official can or has actually sat down, and explained things to America. So we have no idea why our troops are over there dying, if all of the main threats to America have been captured and killed, then what are our troops still doing over in Iraq? Getting oil? If that is the case then, is there really not any other countries in which we could get oil from? Overall I personally feel that the government just needs to re-evaluate the last 10 years, and try to do better in the following years to come.

  • Do you have the same views as those around you?

Actually in a way I kind of do have the same overall view of things as my family, and close friends. However the majority can actually have a conversation about why they believe that things should change, and so on, because they know a lot more about the government. Unfortunately I only know the basics, so I can’t really have a discussion or debate about too much, involving the government.

  • How important is politics to how you see the world ?

Honestly, I don’t think to much about politics. Except recently, because I will soon be able to vote, and I realize my voice really does count. Now when I really think about it politics and the government are extremely important to the way that I view my life as it is today. I say this because, without the laws that the government approved or passed, I wouldn’t be able to sleep or walk the streets without criminals walking up or driving by and trying to shot or kill me. Or I wouldn’t be able to rest knowing that there are child molesters out, and could try to come after my little cousin, and my baby brother. Little things like that, have made me realize if it weren’t for certain rules and regulations that the government provided, life as I know it would be changed forever.

 

Religion

Religious beliefs/practices-- How important is religion or spirituality to your identity?

Religion is extremely important to me, even though I may not go to church regularly, I still have a good and open relationship with GOD. However I still am not perfect, but then again no one is, and he accepts and knows that about  me. An I am always grateful for that, I’d be lost without my Lord and Savior. Truthfully speaking I cannot imagine life without him, in fact I would have never existed if it wasn’t for him and his grace. Therefore I will always put him first, and be forever thankful.

  • How does it get expressed in your life or in the decisions you make?

The ways that I express my religion are through prayer, and talking directly to him, as well as talking openly with other Christians about GOD. I do not force my religion upon anyone, but if a friend or family member who is also a Christian is feeling down, or is going a stray then I will remind them that GOD is always there for them, and they don’t ever have to fear as long as they pray, have faith, believe, and trust in him all things are possible.

 

Economics

  • Class--What is your family’s socio-economic status?

My family’s socio-economic status is a mixture of Lower-Middle Class, and Upper-Lower Class.

  • How important is social class to the way you see yourself and the world?

Social class to me is not really important. I feel as long as you and your family are doing whatever you have to do in order to survive, and you can do it with dignity, power, and respect for yourself and others, then who am I or anyone else to judge.

 

  • Work--How important is work to you?

Work to me is extremely important to me, because it forms a senses of importance, independence and security knowing that you can/are able to support your family and yourself.

  •  Do you feel like you are beginning to show an interest in a particular career?

Yes, I feel as though I’m becoming more and more interested in a career in either the criminal justice field or the field of sociology.

 

Art/Architecture

  • How important is  art, architecture, dance or music to you?

Dance is extremely important to me because, without it I don’t know what I would do. I use dance to help relieve stress, to have fun, and to help exercise my body muscles/ to see what my body’s limits are. Art is also important to me because, even though I’m not too good at it, I can still use it as a way to express my emotions/ to help me get through something that words alone could not help me overcome. Lastly, architecture is not of up most importance to me, however it is pretty to look at. I enjoy seeing the different shapes and angles that can be used, through architecture. An architecture is also a form of art.

 

Science/Technology

  • How involved or interested are you in technology (Internet, computers)?

I am extremely involved when it comes to the internet. I use it quite frequently, and I would love to learn how to further my knowledge on how to use it more efficiently.

  • How does science affect your life?

Science doesn’t really have much of an affect on my life, that I know about.

 

Education

  • How important is your own education to you?

My education is of the up most importance to me! Whenever I don not understand something, I always ask questions until it has been clarified for me. I do any and everything to stay on top of my grades. An I am definitely going to do whatever it takes to go to college, and learn everything I can. I believe that knowledge is keep to success, and if you have the opportunity to better yourself, than you should seize the chance to do just that.

  • What are your educational goals?

My educational goals are to further my education, and go off to college. An I want to major in sociology and minor in criminal justice. I would also like to graduate my senior year with, honor roll.

  • How has past experiences of education affected you or your family?

In the past my family has just fulfilled the basics, which would be graduating high school, and then most of them have just gotten jobs. Only one  person has even attempted to attend community college. So with all of that in mind, and my family’s first hand experiences with how hard it is to get, and keep a job without a college degree, it is with out a doubt I’m going to college to do better then them. There are no if, ands, or buts about it, my family will have it no other way.

 

Social/Cultural Values

  • Race-- How important is race to you and your family?

Race is important to my family, and I, but it does not determine how we treat a person. We are just proud, and embrace our “race” or ethnic background.

  • When did you realize your own skin color?

Honestly I cannot remember when I first realized my skin color, but I know I had to have been at least older then nine or ten. I say this is most likely the case because, I have seen pictures of myself in school, and just in general when I was young. An in every single picture I was happy and smiling, with people of all different ethnic backgrounds, shapes, and colors, and it meant nothing to me. I was too young to understand any of that, and I’ve never been a racist person.

  • How does it fit in your place in society?

My skin color in society usually would make narrow minded people, think that I am uneducated, ghetto, and probably will end up pregnant before I graduate from high school. However that is far from the truth.

 

  • Ethnicity-- How important are the traditions of your family important to you (language, food, customs or styles of dress)?

To be completely honest, my family doesn’t really have any actual traditions. Besides the fact that females, don’t go out side wearing anything inappropriate. An all children need to be respectful to adults in general, but I think that is just an unspoken rule or “law” among most people/ society.

  • How has the place or country where your family originally came from shape you?

I really do not feel as though the original country where my family came from, has shaped me because, I do not know exactly where my family originated from. All I know is that my immediate family came from Virginia.

 

 

  • Gender-- How does your gender influence the way you see yourself or your future?

My gender does not really influence the way I see myself or view my future. Except for the fact that in cooperate America people maybe quicker to higher a male over me, so I just need to make sure I’m covered and have all the education/ any other information I need to back up my degree(s).

 

  • Sexual Orientation-- How important is sexual orientation to you in the way you interact with others?

In all honesty sexual orientation does not matter to me one way or the other, as long as the person respects that I have my own preference, and they have theirs then I have no problem at all.

  • Do you assume that others know your sexual orientation?

To be truthful I really do think that others can tell what my sexual orientation is.

 

  • Body Issues-- Has your body size impacted your experiences?

Yes, I think that my body impact has impacted my experiences. I say this because, everyone has there preference as to what kind of person that they want to date, and in most cases for some reason I tend to fit that description.

 

  • Family-- How does your place in your family affect your identity?

My place in my family at first and from a far can seem a bit much, but in reality it really isn’t. It’s just life, and everyone has to play there role in a family, so that’s what I do in mines.

  • How does your role as a brother, sister, son, daughter, grandson, nephew, etc. impact your life?

My role as a sister, niece, daughter, etc. causes me to be depended on a lot, but it is nothing I can’t handle. All families have members that are more dependable than others, and I just happen to be one of them. So in turn I end up babysitting my little brother, and little cousins more than others. However I actually don’t mind, and enjoy spending time with them, and I love the fact that my family feels secure knowing that I will keep my word and take care of them. It makes me feel as though I’m an extremely important and valuable asset to my family.

 

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Lowell Mills Girls Essay

Shanetta Slayton

10.30.08

 

  Life for women during the 1800’s was far from easy. They had to live with the harsh restrictions and strong opinions of society. Not to mention the burdens that were sometimes placed on them, when a strong male figure in their families died leaving them to step up to the plate. Women also had to endure the unfair treatment placed on them when they did venture out and start making their own money, as well as the blunt discrimination of men and women during this era.

  Women in the Lowell Mills were according to Modern History Sourcebook: Harriet Robinson: Lowell Mill Girls subjected to “influences that must destroy her purity and self-respect” and their overseers typically thought of them as “a brute, a slave, to be beaten, pinched and pushed about” (Harriet Robinson 1). These are some ways in which women were treated, and portrayed as in the working field. It was quite clear that society promoted men to have so respect for women at all, and to keep them ‘in their place at all times’. A clear example of this is the sexism women had to undergo and withstand during these trying times. Men even went as far as to use “scientific sexism” to categorize women, and stated “the knowledge that women menstruated…menstruation was regarded as a periodic illness…could bring on temporary insanity in women. Clearly women were inferior to men who were not interrupted or incapacitated every month by illness”. Rationalizing that because the female body functions differently, so that they can reproduce and give birth to the next generation, that males are clearly more capable of surviving and better than women. Scientists also stated that “women had less more stamina than men because they seemed to faint so much more” (Cult of Domesticity passage 6). However they fail to realize that the clothing women were permitted to wear at this time, made it harder for them to breathe. Theses particular styles of clothing restricted women, limiting their movement, so that they could not escape their husbands or anyone else. In other words women wore a constant reminder of who they were and what they stood for in society.

    Women were primed from the time they were born, being told “any good and proper young woman should cultivate: piety, purity, domesticity, and submissiveness” (Cult of Domesticity passage 1). So with this in mind women became what their society demanded them to be “passive bystander, submitting to fate, to duty, to God, and to men” (Cult of Domesticity passage 4). They worked when allowed, which was mainly at the mills, and society did not believe in furthering women’s education. Women endured the brutal inhuman treatment while working at Lowell Mills, to help their families and others put males through school. The majority of women were more concerned with the males in their lives, than themselves…so they sacrificed themselves in order to see them achieve their goals and dreams in life.

   In the 1800’s women were discouraged to make their own money. It was thought that “women who ventured out into such a world could easily fall prey to it…women were weak and delicate creatures”. In other words it was the man’s job to go out into the crazy world filled with “temptations, violence, and trouble” while the “woman’s place was…in the private sphere, in the home” (Cult of Domesticity passage1). So when women begin to work in Lowell Mills, society wasn’t exactly thrilled, but it was still permitted. However when things in the Lowell Mills begin to change, so did everything else. For example in the 1830’s mills “systematically lowered piece rates…weekly wages remained virtually frozen”.  In which case the amount of money made  off of each piece decreases, and so does the workers pay. This made it harder for workers to find housing that they could afford, and they working conditions continued to get worse when “Irish peasants fleeing catastrophic famine” came over to the United States and started working at the mills, and then the “overcrowding” begin to worsen (Who Built America? pg1). Then in “December 1828...300-400 women turned out in the first recorded strike of female textile operatives”, women began to fight for their rights and independence. (Lowell Mills and the Rhetoric of Women’s Labor Unrest pg 2). 

   Women in Lowell Mills area continued to strike and fight for what they believed in, no matter what they consequences were. An even though there strikes were never successful their legacy lived on, and they are still known to this day for making the mark, as the first to start the movement. However one thing they fought for and did indeed accomplish was “persuading the Massachusetts legislative to pass the first law limiting child labor”, which was the first step the now ever effective child labor laws were have today. All in all the Lowell Mills girls faced many trials and tribulations, an even though the outcome wasn’t what they had hoped for, at the end of the day they still stood up for themselves facing and getting one step closer to changing society as they knew it.

 

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.