Reflective Essay: Class War In America

I have learned more about acts of class war and society as a whole in the last three weeks, than I have in my entire life. Originally, I was skeptical about how much a course entirely dedicated to class war in America would resonate with me. In my mind, the theme of the class only affected a small percent of Americans; those at the very top and the very bottom. I quickly realized how wrong I was. I have been living in the middle of class war for almost my entire life and I did not even notice. The rhetoric I have been exposed to in these last few weeks has opened up my eyes to the hostility shared between classes, skewed distribution of wealth, and most importantly, the responsibility of the new generation to do something about it. I am left with the final consensus; we deserve better. I like to think I carry a unique perspective when presented with the daunting task of discussing class war in America. My mother is my sole provider and has been since my parents divorce in 2007. She was lucky and got to live a seemingly extravagant life courtesy of her godmother. My great-godmother …show more content…
Originally from Oklahoma, my grandfather migrated to the San Francisco Bay Area as a child after his family farm tragically burnt down and they could not afford to fix it. My grandfather, his six siblings, and parents had a choice to make; move or starve, so they moved. My grandfather settled down in Hercules, California where he started a cabinet making business and a large family, which is where he is today. At age 76, he is still working as hard as the day he got there, despite the fact that he only has eight fingers now. My father has geographically lived the same area his whole life, but he does not have somewhere he feels like he belongs. He could not bring himself to continue working as a teacher after my sister passed away and is now faced with the realization that what is left of his savings has to last him the rest of his