EN102
10-19-12

The society that I grew up in when I was young was a culturally diverse neighborhood has shaped knowledgeable individual and me to be a more accepting. Diversity in my neighborhood ranged me from different ethnic backgrounds, income levels, and family infrastructures. Down the street from me there were Hispanic family that lived right next door to us. Within my neighborhood there are low-income apartments as well as newly renovated town homes. Some of my neighbors were single parents, divorced parents or married couples. I was surrounded by peers who whom excelled in academics, athletics, arts, and then were always a couple of them who fell under the influence. As I witness my peer’s struggle to keep up with school because they had family issues and financial problems they tend to violent crimes such as stealing and robbing.

I became more appreciative of the life my parents have provided for me as I watched my confused peer’s walk away from life into the shadows and give into drugs; and choosing the wrong path of life. My motivation for success grew increasingly sometimes when I think about it I’m glad I wasn’t born with a golden spoon because now I am more culturally aware and have also gained knowledge of “streets” something that can’t be taught through school. Despite the cultural awareness; growing up around my family I have learned to embrace my own ethnic background, which I am an African-american, male and the morals I came along with it. I grew up in an extended family that lived no more than five minutes from me and I can truly say that has been one of the major influences that shaped me into the person I am today.

Growing up in a rough neighborhood I was exposed to the street life at an early age the quick lifestyle took a hold on me it made start thinking things differently and choosing to do the right thing. I know if I made the choices my friends made which was selling drugs stealing I could be in prison and that would affect me for the rest of my life with the promise of fast cash, street life continued to be a strong and constant temptation for me . Going to schools in poor neighborhoods can be a challenge because it can be unsafe to even get to school. I bet that most of the kids that go to school in the ghetto only go because the law requires them to, but some of them don’t even respect the law and do whatever they want.

The effects of things going wrong in your own life are magnified in when you live in one of those negative neighborhoods. "So it affects all of us to have a sick family member, or lose our job, or to be robbed. But when that happens to someone in these neighborhoods, it increases the probability that the person will be diagnosed with a major depressive disorder over the next two years. Yet if the same event happened and you were in a more benign neighborhood, your chances of becoming clinically depressed were less." Kids that grow up in unfortunate neighborhood would be having a hard time succeeding in life more especially going to an upper-class school. It is hard for many poor kids to go to college because of such high tuition costs. Scholarships are available; but, even though one shows financial need, one still has to have a high grade point average and test scores. Even if one has a good mind, trying to study in a gang-ridden neighborhood with constant gunfire isn't easy. With both parents working two jobs, there isn't any parental guidance. It takes a huge toll on a person to live under these conditions but we have to be strong-minded and know that there is a way out and we our in control of our future and what we want to become.

In society, the poor are regarded with contempt or completely ignored while the rich are seen as having the authority over everything. The poor are seen as undeserving, therefore, not receiving much of an education, if any. In any society, there are always the strong and the weak; and, in this case, the weak are portrayed as the poor by the rest of society. Some feel that the weak in our society should be eliminated because they are no more than mere pests, irritating the rest of society. In my opinion, there isn't much to be done to change the way society thinks. As long as the elite control businesses and schools, they will still have the authority over what the public thinks and does. The best thing to have is a positive outlook on all situations and never stops trying. If one never gives up, one can achieve his goal no matter how unreal it may seem at the time.

. Many of the bad neighborhoods, where the above-mentioned lower class lives, are uneducated because there is a shortage of teachers to give them guidance. If schools were cleaned up and rid of all the violence, then more teachers would be willing to teach there. All of these goals will be difficult to achieve and will take much time and patience to complete. In not too many years, the generation of tomorrow will be the generation of the present. If everyone is open minded, then perhaps the ideas of the past will change and the poor will be considered human beings. But until then, society remains the same and will be very difficult to change. In conclusion, I have a very optimistic opinion of the future and the way the poor are treated. It will take concerted effort and cooperation on behalf of everyone but I think it can be done if everyone puts their minds to it.