Jesse Goodman
Hewitt
English 10
9 March 2018
Welcome to Discriminatory America
Societal norms cause police officers to kill innocent individuals of color, all because of incorrect and invalid expectations of one another that we have as a society. In the book Always Running, Luis Rodriguez writes an autobiography about the harsh reality of the gang life as a teenager. He watches rape, experiences killings, sees death, and so much more all for a little power and freedom. Always Running exhibits how the social norms and social hierarchies limit the rights of the disadvantaged minorities.
Luis’ color of his skin plays a role in the amount of freedom and power he has. In the book and unfortunately in real life, people of color are less likely to …show more content…
Luis realizes through high school and life that some parts of one’s life are not under their control. Society can decide factors in one’s life which is shown when Luis writes, “The Anglo and Asian upper-class students … were tracked into ‘A’ classes”(Rodriguez 83). Society, and this high school in particular, put all Chicanos behind of everyone else. One may think that Luis could try to get into these “A” classes, and he did try. However, the classes were reserved for the smarter students. Luis realizes that even though he tries to put stereotypes behind him, they will always come back. Society makes some of our decisions, whether one likes it or not. The societal norms are thought to be erased when Luis says, “it’s time to go on with your life” (Rodriguez 245). He realizes that he finally feels free once he leaves the gang, even though he doesn’t have power. Even though he feels free, he will never be truly free as society’s expectations and assumptions of him are forever there and unable to change.
Society has set standards for us, and these standards can be hard to meet. Humans judges other humans based on societal norms such as race, gender, power, and freedom. In order to realize the true meaning of life, as a society, we need to come together and break the stereotypes that we have for everyone. If we cannot overcome the societal stereotypes so everyone has equal power and freedom, then what is the true meaning of
Hewitt
English 10
9 March 2018
Welcome to Discriminatory America
Societal norms cause police officers to kill innocent individuals of color, all because of incorrect and invalid expectations of one another that we have as a society. In the book Always Running, Luis Rodriguez writes an autobiography about the harsh reality of the gang life as a teenager. He watches rape, experiences killings, sees death, and so much more all for a little power and freedom. Always Running exhibits how the social norms and social hierarchies limit the rights of the disadvantaged minorities.
Luis’ color of his skin plays a role in the amount of freedom and power he has. In the book and unfortunately in real life, people of color are less likely to …show more content…
Luis realizes through high school and life that some parts of one’s life are not under their control. Society can decide factors in one’s life which is shown when Luis writes, “The Anglo and Asian upper-class students … were tracked into ‘A’ classes”(Rodriguez 83). Society, and this high school in particular, put all Chicanos behind of everyone else. One may think that Luis could try to get into these “A” classes, and he did try. However, the classes were reserved for the smarter students. Luis realizes that even though he tries to put stereotypes behind him, they will always come back. Society makes some of our decisions, whether one likes it or not. The societal norms are thought to be erased when Luis says, “it’s time to go on with your life” (Rodriguez 245). He realizes that he finally feels free once he leaves the gang, even though he doesn’t have power. Even though he feels free, he will never be truly free as society’s expectations and assumptions of him are forever there and unable to change.
Society has set standards for us, and these standards can be hard to meet. Humans judges other humans based on societal norms such as race, gender, power, and freedom. In order to realize the true meaning of life, as a society, we need to come together and break the stereotypes that we have for everyone. If we cannot overcome the societal stereotypes so everyone has equal power and freedom, then what is the true meaning of