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Culture influences our ways of living
Family diversity and trends
Essay on diversity of families
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In my family we are of African-American and Indian decent on my mothers side of the family. On my fathers side of the family we are of African-American, Caucasian, Indian, Puerto Rican, German and Portugese decent as far as I know because everyone does not know all of the facts and probably will not know all of them. On my mothers side of the family which is the one I have spent the most time around I would consider us a typical family. Typical around the area that we live at, there are a lot of single parent households. My mother made it to the twelth grade in her education and is now taking GED classes to finish her schooling, my older sister finished high school and went to a trade school and now has a job in the dental field, my oldest brother finished high school but did not pursue school further than that and has a job he has had for a long time now, last my older brother made it to the eleventh grade and is trying to get his diploma through night school. Our social class I would have to say leans toward the low income side of things. Religion does not play as big a part in my ...
My grandmother, Rokeya Sultana, grew up in the urban parts of Bangladesh, with 2 sisters and 3 brothers. Her father, my great grandfather, was the chief officer of the district. She would go to school or to places by a motorcycle, car, or helicopter. She was living the life of her dreams. But then, my great grandfather had diabetes, and it was discovered one month before he died. It was a great shock for my great grandmother’s family because they had to move from the urban city to a rural neighborhood. My grandmother went to elementary, middle, and high school as a child. She also received a Bachelor’s degree in teaching. She was a good student and a very honest and respectful person. Once she reached the age of 20 to 21, she married Jonab Ali, my grandfather, and moved to Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh.
Overall if it wasn't for my ethnicity, religion, and income I would not be the person I am today with the same values and morals. It is apparent social classes are revolved around income and power and people are born into social class but that does not mean a person has to stay in that social class. As for myself being raised a catholic Latina, with working middle class parents my destiny does not have to be the same. Sociologically, social structure affects almost everything in our life from our ambitions to our social life and the way we interact with others. sociological imagination helps us to understand the effects of social forces on our lives.
For as long as I can remember, I have always thought of myself and my family as ordinary, and pretty much average. My family is made up of five people, my mom, dad, and my two younger sisters. We also have a dog. We live in a one story, ranch style house, with a garage and 3 cars. Our house is in a blue collar neighborhood in the city of Warren. We've lived there since my parents were married, nineteen years ago. My dad is a firefighter for the city of Warren, and my mom is a part time registered nurse at Harper Hospital in downtown Detroit. We are all practicing Catholics, and we attend church every Sunday. My sisters and I have attended private, catholic schools...
Before I analyze how my social location has influenced my experiences, I need to talk about my family’s demographic characteristics in comparison to our community and the larger U.S. society: In my hometown, Asians make up the third largest racial group (23%). Whites make up 51.3% and H...
American families have changed tremendously over the past years. Families did not only face the change in their status or social behavior; but also faced a change in their lifestyle. Now there are different types of families with different types of norms and values. Families are socially, ethnically and very expressively diverse than ever before (Angier).
Family is a basic unit in every society. However, the makeup of a family is more complex to define. There are so many types of families that it is impossible to have one distinct definition in trying to explain how a true family is defined. For example, there are married couples with or without children, single-parent families, and even families headed by gay men or lesbians. These may not have been considered families not too long ago, but now must be recognized because we live in such a diverse society. What I want to focus on is the African-American family, in terms of what they had to go through before, during, and after slavery. As well as, where they are now and where it’s going in the future.
Everyone in the world belongs to a subculture. Each subculture has its own sets of traditions, relics, and artifacts. Relics and artifacts are symbolic, material possessions important to one's subculture. Relics are from the past; artifacts are from the present. These traditions, relics, and artifacts help shape the personalities of individuals and how they relate with others. Individuals know about these items through storytelling in the subculture. Families are good examples of subcultures. My family, a middle-class suburban Detroit family of Eastern European heritage, has helped shape who I am through story telling about traditions, artifacts, and relics.
Determining family structure and dynamics as well as defining the family is a complex process. Personally, I come from a very traditional family. Much like the assumptions made by the students in the article Defining Family: Young Adults’ Perceptions of the Parent-Child Bond by Mellisa Holtzman (2008). This is what comes to mind when most people define family; a nuclear family, with married parents, and biological children. However, a family is a complex system and can take on many different forms.
To the outside world, I appear to belong to the Traditional White Nuclear Family culture, but my family included co-cultures and subcultures that were rare in the suburban south.
Throughout my life I have heard a wide range of stories from my parents. When putting this assignment together I have put these stories into account. Randall Bass, educator of English at Georgetown University, concurs that stories shape individuals ' personalities. Bass expresses that, "People infer their feeling of personality from their way of life, and societies are frameworks of conviction that decide how individuals experience their lives" (Bass 1). Social stories about family history, religion, nationality, and legacy impact individuals ' conduct and convictions. Personalities of diverse individuals originate from their societies. Narrating starts at home. Stories associate individuals to their frameworks of convictions. They shape individuals ' lives by giving them a model of how to live. Individuals get their most punctual learning from distinctive stories. (Bass)
In Alice Walker's "Everyday Use," the message about the preservation of heritage, specifically African-American heritage, is very clear. It is obvious that Walker believes that a person's heritage should be a living, dynamic part of the culture from which it arose and not a frozen timepiece only to be observed from a distance. There are two main approaches to heritage preservation depicted by the characters in this story. The narrator, a middle-aged African-American woman, and her youngest daughter Maggie, are in agreement with Walker. To them, their family heritage is everything around them that is involved in their everyday lives and everything that was involved in the lives of their ancestors. To Dee, the narrator's oldest daughter, heritage is the past - something to frame or hang on the wall, a mere artistic, aesthetic reminder of her family history. Walker depicts Dee's view of family heritage as being one of confusion and lack of understanding.
The families in Modern Family are a great example of how America is evolving. They have kept the American identity with their desires and drive to succeed and fix things, along with being of different races and backgrounds. Yet, they have morphed and evolved the so-called “perfect family” by Jay and Gloria’s obvious age difference and Mitchell and Cameron’s relationship. The gender roles within the families have somewhat stayed the same as in past ideal families, aside from Phil and Claire’s swap of power. Gloria’s race is a constant situation causer, whether it’s her thick accent or the stereotypical characteristics and actions. Class, on the other hand, is rarely brought up throughout the show. Modern Family shows just how much the idea of family is changing in present day America.
Family history is very important to an individual. By knowing where you come from, you can have a better perspective of your life. Having a clear understanding of your family background allows you to better appreciate the things that you would normally take for granted. The house, the car, and the average clothing may look better when one sees the sacrifices their family has made. They will see that their family has worked very hard just so their family can experience the better things in life. A persons roots and origin is one of the most important things to explore. It alone can bring you closer to self-discovery.
Above is my immediate family, which is graphed by simple facts into this genogram. All of the information that was included into this genogram was known information. Since all of these family members are still alive, it made it easier to compile this information. Each specific family has its own dynamic. With my parents and brother, we are not that tight-knit; I don’t share every inch of my life and haven’t for many years, but equally they do not ask. Whereas, my mother and her brother along with her parents are very tight knit. They share everything and do a lot of things together, while being more conservative with their actions and behavior. They are always on their best behavior. On the flip side, my father and his parents and
In this discussion, I will be explaining how I define family. I will also include my immediate and extended family. I will also describe what family means to me, how mine differs from other families in my neighborhood, and also how they are similar. I will also describe my family’s ethnicity and how it may affect any of my family’s health.