The United States historic social inequality as presented in the story of Angela Whitiker is a reflection of the belief that deviance in not a mere personal deviant behavior but it is the deviance that is committed towards other members of the social construction. Social inequality constitute the connotation that some groups in the society are defined to be disadvantaged socially because of the condition of their life. However, as the society continues to move towards social change, inequality starts to be less evident. In accordance to the documentation by Isabel Wilkerson, majority of people fail to realize the existence of social inequality and mainly those who fail to realize are the most fortunate ones. People like Angela and the rest whom are less fortunate due to the social grouping that they find themselves in makes them realize the existence and the full effect of social stratification and associate inequality.
The fortunate ones usually rise above poverty lines and it is common for them to live sound economic lives. These are the social group that the societies’ benefits are supplied. Angela for instance is troubled because of her lower level in the social grouping. The social grouping that Angela belongs is the test of life that if she passed hence being in the high rank then she could have been enjoying the benefits available at the society. “She would finally be the registered nurse she had been striving toward for years. She could get a car that wouldn't break down in the middle of the Dan Ryan Expressway. She could get an A.T.M. card and balance her checkbook and start paying down her bills and save up for that two-story colonial on Greenwood that was already hers in her dreams" (Wilkerson, 2005). It then shows that the tragic social inequality in the society that Angela belongs is extensive as it denies her basic rights like basic education. Social inequality thus causes discrimination amongst citizen in their social setting and it results to burring of the dreams of young and potential but socially disadvantaged groups like Angela. Angela lost hopes in pursuit of her long-term dreams of being a nurse.
The advocates of social change and those who usually bring attention to the Issues of social stratification and social inequality are people like Angela who never find privileges and equal rights. People of this category are usually the victims and the suffering groups of the prevailing situation of social inequality. The inequality that is portrayed in the US is much depriving as it does not only deprive the victims materially but also psychologically. The deprivation causes Angela to engage into unorganized life, which drives her into unplanned births of which she could not manage.
The condition of the social construction that persisted in the lifetime of Angela is so much biased. Angela frustration when she dropped from school at the first place means that there is no ideological support for the socially disadvantaged in her setting or if it is present, it is weak and not effective. A government is usually supposed to take care of its citizen; however, the situation of Angela shows that the authorities are never democratic and do not control the cultural normative of its citizens as it is evident that its street residing groups who live their own different life. In equality is thus a very much detrimental issue in the society and it should be condemned by the various jurisdictions of the society. The social stratification of a society creates inequality in terms of opportunities as the lower in the scale have fewer opportunities than those at the top that have access to the wider category of resources and privileges (Kerbo, 2012).
The process of legitimating in the case of Angela’s situation as it is presented is in support of the phrase, ‘life is what you make it’. Angela who was deemed to be disadvantaged because of the social class that she belonged, meaning that she had no opportunity in the society struggles to reach the middle class of which she recognizes as her efforts despite the social challenges that she came across. Social legitimating is a process that its onset is full of sufferings and darker experiences but the ending is privileged (Kerbo, 2012).
Although Angela passed through many problems when she was in nursing school, she finally made it. After making, she got a job. Upon getting the job, Angela could not show off. This is because she continued assisting her parents and relatives, financially, giving them advises and even try to understand them better. She assists her parents through buying them the wants. She shows her generosity by assisting all other people. Although she came from a well to do family, she still shows humility, which is opposite to most of the people whose backgrounds, is impeded in wealth. The article represents and portrays different behaviors of the people who comes from well to do families. Those people in most cases are expected to show off in the society (Kerbo, 2012).This worsens especially when the person is successful in their education and career. The article however with Angela presents opposite of what people expects. It advocates for equality and fair distribution of resources in the society. This can be seen when Angela is ready to assist other people in the society. Patients sometimes go for assistance from her. This is seen when one patient an old woman asks her if she has money to lend her.
The article portrays Angela as a woman who is very dedicated to her work. She is a humble woman who loves all the people without any biasness. After getting married, she humbles herself. She is portrayed when she says that she talks of her salary as compared with her husband. She earns more earns more than her husband who is a police detective officer. Although she earns more than her husband does do, she is portrayed as being humble and she does not see herself as she is above her husband in terms of earnings. Her generosity and respect is seen when she accepts to raise up a child whose husband brought. In addition to her generosity and respect, she also is able and willing to spend her salary in household spending. After budgeting for the household spending, she however continues to assist her relatives. The article portrays Angela’s generosity as to be a lesson to other woman of her caliber. Most of the women after becoming successful in their education and work, they start showing off and neglect their relatives, friend and even their husbands. The article is a good lesson to them as it teaches them a lesson with Angela (Kerbo, 2012). It teaches that even after undergoing education and becoming successful, they need to see their relatives as important as before. Angela struggles to make her life smooth while still ensuring their relatives also get good life.
The article also portrays as woman of middle class woman however in her reality, she a squeezed woman. An example is her car, which is a 2002 type. She says the car is not fit for she it could not accommodate everybody who wants to use the car. Due her generosity and love for her friends and people around her, she says. The car he has is too small to accommodate all these. She desires to buy another one but her salary, which is subdivided, is not enough for the car (Kerbo, 2012).This teaches all the people who are successful in education and carees that even after getting jobs, they need to live with people and see themselves being in the same class with those people around. Angela treats her children as anybody else. She does not see them as special. Angela is portrayed as hard workwoman. She works in the hospital for three months without vacation. Out of the meager salary that she gets, she tries as much as possible to meet all her needs, family needs and her children’s needs. Although she passes through many sufferings in her life, she struggles to achieve her goals in life.
The article uses Angela to represent middle level class in the society. She represents people who go through hard life and finally succeed. After succeeding in life, they do not change and they see themselves as still people of the same level with the common people in the society. The article uses Angela as a good lesson to teach the educated and successful people in the society that other people need assistance and respect.
Angela passed through many problems in life and in school before becoming the respected nurse in her family and village. While undergoing her education she got children and thus her suffering increased. Before she went to do the nursing example, the author reflects her. It said that Angela was not good in tests. This may have been due to her suffering and the burden of bringing her children that she had. The author says Angela agonized her night through nursing. She could over study the graphs and charts, her ceiling in which termites drop onto her physiology books, mice that crawled on her feet (Wilkerson, 2005). She could also think of her children who were always near her looking for what to eat from her mother. The author focuses on Angela story in nursing college to show to the readers how female students suffer in school. The suffering is brought to compare the life the students get after passing and becoming successful in life.
Although Angela became successful later in her after graduating from college and getting a job, she continued showing respect and love to her parents, relatives, friends and parents. The author focuses on this as a lesson to readers that after passing the exams and becoming successful in life, students should respect and assist the needy people to whom they come across. The author narrates to the reader the life she passed through in college. At times, her classmates could look down upon her but she worked hard to show them that she could make. She finally made and became a respected nurse. Through focusing on Angela’s life and her success, this encourages female and other students that they can make in life if they persevere and work hard. The media passes the message to students especially the female students that nothing is impossible in life, that they can make in their lives.
References
Kerbo, H. R. (2012). Social stratification and inequality. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Wilkerson, I. (2005). Angela Whitiker's climb. Class Matters, 202-233.
