Analysis Of Distinction By Pierre Bourdieu

Improved Essays
Pierre Bourdieu, in Distinction, explains taste and preference between different social classes and education levels. He argues that taste is not pure and what we find aesthetically pleasing, and what we appreciate, in terms of art and literature, are directly connected to how people are raised and the way they are educated. Bourdieu is right in saying that literature and the study of art legitimizes social divisions in terms that those who can afford to receive a higher education will be able to understand and value it on a finer level. However, there are ways to promote more egalitarian ends, although it may be difficult. Pierre Bourdieu points out that taste shows class because, “taste classifies and it classifies the classifier” (1669). Whether people realize it, or not, their preferences in art and even what they wear …show more content…
Starting late only calls for catching up, which is very hard to do. All schools should promote a healthy development of literature, but it would also be in student’s best interest for their parents to show support even before schooling starts. A lot of development goes on in the early years of life. With this said, parental involvement with learning literature is very important. However, parents of lower social classes may need help too, in order for their children to receive outcomes similar to children of higher classes. It is important that parents have both economic and emotional stability themselves to be able to engage in their children’s learning on a daily basis. At times, parents of lower social classes cannot be as involved in learning as they may want because of various reasons, mainly due to economic situations. This is why promoting a more equal system is a difficult thing to do, but possible with better integration of early education systems at school

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    The concept of literacy is perpetually changing. For example, hundreds of years ago, literacy was significantly different than what it is today. Even during the same time periods literacy is different around the world. Depending on the culture, people consider certain levels of literacy to be socially acceptable. In some cultures, children only need to attend school until the eighth grade.…

    • 1032 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In fact, the concerted cultivation method gives cultural capital necessary to success in school. This idea is underlined when she analyzes Garrett Tallinger’s organization of daily life. Garrett, a white middle-class child, follows a tight schedule, enhancing his negotiation skills with adults, whereas the skills earned by Tyrec Taylor, a black working class kid, are not necessarily valued in school settings. This existing correlation between social classes, build a different set of skills as well as knowledge, resulting in class inequality. Back in my home country, France, especially in Paris, the school we attend depends on the district in which we live.…

    • 835 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Michelle Watts 10-22-2017 English Literature since 1800 Second Essay Assignment The Layers of “Goblin Market” Does great art make you feel or make you think? John Ruskin and Walter Pater have different approaches when it comes to art appreciation. The argument by Ruskin is that great art is “received by a higher faculty of the mind” and Pater is convinced that art “is the aim of the true student of aesthetics”.…

    • 1435 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Of course, in a literal sense, the indigenous Mexicans were dirtier than their Mestizo counterparts simply because they worked picking strawberries bent over the dirt, as opposed to the Mestizos, who worked on raspberry machines or walking through the fields as crew bosses. I never saw or heard of any disrespectful actions on the part of indigenous workers. However, the language barrier made this difficult to know. Shelly did not speak any Triqui or Mixteco and spoke poor Spanish, while the Oaxacan pickers did not speak English and many of them did not speak fluent Spanish. The idea that the Oaxacans were less work-oriented was directly contradicted by some of the crew bosses of Triqui pickers, who explain that the latter were displacing and Mixtec pickers on the farm because they worked so hard and fast.…

    • 732 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The exhibition ‘My Pretty Little Art Career’ is exhibiting in The Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, from 10 December-11 May. In this exhibition, Grayson Perry(born 1860) shows his opinion on society with a sense of humor by different types of his decorative artworks including ceramics,sculptures,drawings,prints and tapestries. Grayson Perry is a very famous British artist and Turner Prize recipient in the field of contemporary art. The main purpose of the exhibition is to provide Australian viewers with opportunities to experience outstanding artworks and to attract more tourists to Australia. The author aims to present his consideration to the relationship between British social class and aesthetic taste which affects the identity of individuals.…

    • 1972 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In “The Vice of Snobbery,” Kieran confronts a major concern facing aesthetic knowledge: snobbery. Snobbery is a concern, he argues, precisely because it threatens the very foundation of aesthetic judgments. As a result, it is critical for Kieran to distinguish between virtuous art appreciators – whose aesthetic judgments are legitimate, and snobs – whose aesthetic judgments depend on irrelevant considerations. I will argue that while Kieran’s account of snobbery seems accurate, it brings with it its own concerns of elitism.…

    • 1100 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    I never intended to be an illegal smuggler. Seriously. But when four-year-old me found out that preschool had "naptimes" (in which apparently nobody napped, making it a waste of time to me), I decided to take matters into my own hands, with drastic measures. The next day, my top-secret contraband came in with me, in the form of a book. At 1:30, while everyone else did whatever preschoolers do during naptime, the book snuck out of its carefully concealed hiding place and I disappeared into its pages.…

    • 338 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Cause Of Differences

    • 734 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The differences in class can lead to many home disadvantages such as material deprivation which means that students do not have enough money for resources such as private tutors, laptops, trips or uniforms; this will give them a disadvantage compared to middle class students. Working class students may also have other responsibilities to attend to such as looking after siblings or even disabled parents; this means that they do not have as much time to spend on studying. Parent’s attitudes towards school and education can also prove to be an impact, if a parent has a negative attitude to school and learning then the child will not have as much pressure or ambition to do as well. This idea of parent expectations links closely with ethnicity and how different ethnic groups view…

    • 734 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Annotated Bibliography

    • 704 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Citation- Fishman, C., & Nickerson, A. (2015). Motivations for Involvement: A Preliminary Investigation of Parents of Students with Disabilities. Journal Of Child & Family Studies, 24(2), 523-535. doi:10.1007/s10826-013-9865-4 Summary-…

    • 704 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    You will not be successful without the right resources you need to become prepared. I am using the articles Kozol “Fremont High School”which shows the dangers of not being prepared. Pennington “Defying the odds:Victor Cruz”because he didn 't prepare himself properly for what he could have avoided and Rich “Marlen Esparza” because she didn 't have the proper training . I will use these articles to argue the dangers of not being prepared,They all share the similarities of not having correct preparation. Success is where preparation and opportunity meet.…

    • 1166 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Abstract Art Case Study

    • 1113 Words
    • 4 Pages

    1 – In his study of abstract art, David Halle sought to answer multiple questions about abstract art, specifically the ownership and opinions pertaining to it. First, Halle looked at who had abstract art in their homes; determining if the ownership of abstract art indicated social class, he then moved on to more subjective questions such as opinions of abstract art. Halle asked questions about who disliked and liked abstract art for a few different reasons; to learn the specific thinking behind these preferences and to learn if these preferences were linked to knowledge or perceptions within different social classes. In addition, Halle sought to refute Pierre Bourdieu’s claim that only people with cultural capital like or understand abstract…

    • 1113 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    They believe that children need to be at home with their parents, and that parents are the best teachers for small children. This paper will argue that free preschool allows children from all backgrounds to get the experience and support they need to be successful in school. Homeschool parents believe that they are the best teachers for their children. The Exploring Homeschooling website states: “Parents can teach preschool at home--and do a much…

    • 720 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Society’s high standards do not make the path to success any easier for children. So the better prepared a child is, the better chances of children succeeding in their education and life. Having early education experiences sets children up for academic success because it gives them time in a structured educational environment before entering kindergarten. Early education improves the lives of children, ultimately leading to academic success, so regardless of income all children have a right to a free preschool program. As a society, we should do what works best for our children and make sure that they do not start their educational path…

    • 1234 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Determining which people we would like to become more acquainted with has a lot to do with their personal style which is projected in their clothing. Most men would be more likely to ask a woman wearing a tight short dress to dance than they would a woman wearing a baggy shapeless house dress. He senses a style and an attitude, and is therefore attracted to one over the other. Overall, people’s life-styles, beliefs, heritage, and attitudes, are all revealed in what they wear. Clothing illustrates personalities, it is important in helping people to feel accepted in society, and it is an important tool in distinguishing a person’s personality at first glance.…

    • 945 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Pierre Bourdieu Analysis

    • 1881 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Anthony Giddens and Pierre Bourdieu are two famed synthetic sociological theorists whose primary work revolved around solving the issue of structure versus agency. The sociological question of structure versus agency is a question that revolves around how structure and agency influence and shape human action and social life in general. Structure, in sociological terms, is defined as things outside of human nature such class or education level that to a certain degree shape human action. Agency, in sociological terms, is defined as an individual’s ability to act freely and not be influenced by structural forces.…

    • 1881 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays