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Critical Literacy Essay
Critical Literacy Essay
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Critical Literacy Essay
Definition of the Selected Theories
Feminist or Gender Theory
Feminist theory analyses the gender inequality that society might exhibit. Majorly, society has discriminated against the female gender by granting more opportunities to the male gender. Examples of the opportunities that get shared on an unequal basis are social opportunities, political opportunities, and economic opportunities (Frueh, 2018). Notably, discrimination, oppression, stereotyping, aesthetics, and the objection themes explain the feminist theory.
Important of Analyzing the Text Thank You, Ma’am Using Feminist Theory
Feminist Theory examines comprehensive information in the text, Thank You, Ma’am, by Langstone Hughes, describing how the boy took advantage of a woman walking with a large purse at night. The boy wanted to snatch the purse and the pocketbook from the woman. Unfortunately, the mission failed, and the woman caught the boy unbalanced, which made him not take off. The boy expected beatings and jail. However, the woman took the boy to her house, prepared a coffee, and surprised the boy with ten-dollar to purchase the shoes (Hughes, 1958). The incident explains the importance of a woman by understanding the economic fate of a young boy. The teaching and the description of the boy as a son by the woman to the young boy created a sense of humor contrary to the expectation.
Importance of Analyzing the Text I want a Wife Using Feminist Theory
Analyzing the text, I want my Wife to use the feminist theory to expose the rot in a society where the husband overburdens the wife. Brady applies ethos, pathos, and logos for valid arguments throughout the text. The information from the text depicts the demands that the husband needs from the wives (Brady, 1971). As such, the gender role in marriage discriminates the females. Therefore, Brady is fed with the wife role and wants to become a man. Notably, Brady wants to change her gender role such that she becomes a man who needs a wife for sexual satisfaction, cares for the children, takes her husband to school, and becomes submissive.
Marxist Theory
The Marxist theory posits the struggle existing amongst the social classes. The struggles are majorly felt between the bourgeoisie or capitalism and the proletarian or the workers (Powell, 2018). It defines the economic relationship existing in the capitalistic economy, resulting in the emergence of revolutionary communism.
The impotence of Analyzing the Text Thank You, Ma’am, for using the Marxism theory.
The text Thank You, Ma’am, describes the nature of the society, which makes the boy attempt theft against the woman. The boy wanted to survive but through a wrong motive (Hughes, 1958). After the capture and the best treatment of the boy, the woman’s advice is significant due to the need of an individual to work smart for economic gain instead of the theft approach, which may lead to injury.
The messages the Authors are trying to convey
Messages in the Text Thank You, Ma’am
Lavington Hughes tries to convey the message of the importance of showing the direction to the young generation on the need to work smart for economic prosperity. The woman caught the boy in the process of stealing the purse but chose to take the boy to her home, prepared the coffee, gave the boy ten dollars to buy shoes, and finally provided a word of advice. The boy never expected the treatment but could only thank mum for the wonderful act (Hughes, 1958). Also, the author tried to convey the message of the discrimination which women face in society. The boy wanted to snatch the purse from the woman at night, knowing he would succeed due to the lack of strength that characterizes women.
Messages in the Text I want a Wife.
Judy Brady, the author of I want a wife, tries to explain the message of discrimination that women undergo in society. Women as wives get discriminated against by their husbands because they are granted more responsibilities than men could do. The author lists home chores granted to women by men in marriage. As such, Brady becomes fed with the tasks because men need women to cater to all their needs by pushing the feminine needs aside. Notably, the evidence supporting the message of discrimination against women is depicted through the demand the society wants from the wife that is unbearable to Brady (Brady, 1971). As such, the author wants the audience to take action by getting mad against the ongoing discrimination in the marriage. The listing of jobs creates an irony which makes the author want the wife despite being a female. Ending the text with the word, “My God, Who wouldn’t want a wife creates an emotion to the readers that wives are under stress and pressure to cater to society’s social and economic needs.
The Role of Gender Money Power and Class in the Texts
The Text Thank You, Ma’am
The text Thank You, Ma’am, describes the role of women gender in society. It depicts the caring characteristics of a woman who caught the boy that wanted to steal her purse at night. The woman surprised the boy with the best treatment by taking him to her home, preparing coffee, calling him son, giving him ten dollars to buy shoes, and finally providing the best advice on working hard to achieve the economic goal (Hughes, 1958). Class is also described in the text where the boy wanted to snatch the purse from the woman due to his lower social class that needs survival irrespective of morality. Consequently, as depicted by the text, money plays a vital role in survival. The boy went to steal a purse to get money for survival.
The Text I want a Wife.
The text I want a Wife describes the role of women in marriage. In marriage, the female gender is expected to perform a wide range of duties to satisfy men’s needs. Also, the text expects the wife to search for money to educate the husband (Brady, 1971). Consequently, the class exists where after a man finishes his education, the woman should resign from the job and remain home for the house chores.
Stereotypes, Societal Role, and Expectations correlating with the Chosen Theory
Gender stereotype in the text I want a Wife correlates with the chosen feminist theory. The feminist theory describes the discrimination wives undergo in marriage to favor the husband (Frueh, 2018). The societal role is exhibited in the text I want a wife where society has divided the gender roles in favor of men (Brady, 1971). The expectations are also exhibited where women in marriage are expected to serve husbands without complaints.
The text, Thank You, Ma’am, describes the societal role in shaping the lives of young people in society through advice (Hughes, 1958). The woman caught the boy in the process of stealing the purse but chose to give the best treatment and advice, which left the boy wondering. Most importantly, society expects young people to behave morally as per the woman’s advice to the boy.
Impact of Gender on my Life
Gender theme has impacted my life in several dimensions. It has enabled me to understand the importance of enhancing gender equality in society because what men can do, women can also perform. Also, learning about feminist theory’s depiction of gender has made me appreciate the value of women in society. Most importantly, there exist the connections which I can make in my life with a characters like Woman in the text Thank You Mum and the narrator in the text I want a Wife. The woman exhibited an exemplary character by advising the boy, despite the trial, to steal her purse. Furthermore, the narrator creates an emotional mood that enables me to comprehend the importance of eliminating the burden granted to wives in marriage.
References
Brady, J. (1971). I Want a Wife.
Hughes, J. (1958). Thank You, Ma’am
Frueh, J. (2018). Towards a feminist theory of art criticism. In Feminist Art Criticism (pp. 153-165). Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780429500497-9/towards-feminist-theory-art-criticism-joanna-fruehPowell, J. (2018). Towards a Marxist theory of financialised capitalism. http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/20331/
Deviance has to do with the
Deviant Behavior vs. Criminal Behavior
Student’s name
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Introduction
Deviance has to do with the act of breaking rules particularly if their behavior differs from the socially accepted norm. Crime on the other hand refers to an act considered illegal and worthy of punishment and social condemnation because it poses danger not only to the individual but also the society. Crime occurs when a given law is violated and the individual is punished by the state laws. For a crime to be committed, a well-documented law must be broken, unlike deviance where cultural principles and norms are broken. Norms are rules made by society to guide people about what is acceptable and what should be done in a given situation. The purpose of this paper is to identify the line that separates criminal from unusual behavior. Further, the text discusses how criminology can redefine what is criminal and develop solutions that prevent the reoccurrence of deviant behavior.
The Line that Separates Criminal from Deviant Behavior
A thin line exists between deviance and crime. Examples of crime are rape, murder, robbery, shoplifting, and prostitution while deviant behavior includes behavior such as underage marriage, walking naked in public, paying for prostitute services, and wearing red to a funeral. The main difference is that while crime has to do with the violation of laws, deviance is about the violation of social norms. While deviance is not very severe, the effects of crime can range from mild or severe. Further, the rules in deviance are not written down while for criminal offenses there exists criminal rules. When a person breaks a norm, there is nothing the society can do as they do not have the coercive power to inflict punishment or penalties on perpetrators while on the other hand if a crime is broken, the judiciary and the police have the mandate and power to penalize and punish perpetrators (Matza, 2017). Also notably, while deviance is unique and differs from society to society, crime is universal although the penalties and punishments can differ from country to country.
How Criminology Can Redefine What is Criminal to Create Public Policy
Defining what is criminal and what is not criminal is a good way of providing fairness when it comes to sentencing. There should be international norms and standards that provide a framework for the national sentencing policy that needs to be articulated and legislated if necessary. This is because the decision about if to go by non-custodial sanctions or imprisonment is informed by the penal law. Some of the sentencing policies only reaffirm the principle of equity and acknowledges the importance of considering the mitigation in the sentence (Osgood, Wilson, O’Malley, Bachman, & Johnston2017). Further, the rehabilitation of offenders does not state the objectives set to be achieved. As such, there is a need to individualize the sanctions to take into account not only the degree of culpability of the defendants but also the seriousness of the crime. Additionally, some instances in sentencing are silent in pointing exactly how non-custodial sentences such as house arrest will be employed to rehabilitate the offender.
Solutions that Prevent Reoccurrence
By coming up with reforms that will guarantee convicted individuals access to educational opportunities while in prisons, and jails can help reduce recidivism both for adults and juveniles. There is a need to incorporate educational opportunities in prisons. According to a meta-analysis conducted in 2013 for educational programs among adults, education was found to work rather well in reducing recidivism (Crank, 2018). Inmates who went through educational programs were 43% less likely to be incarcerated again. Noteworthy, even equipping inmates with basic skills and literacy education can reduce recidivism as inmates get a chance to complete their education, advance their high school diplomas, and learn a technical skill or a trade that will help them secure employment or start a business once they finish serving their term. This way, these individuals are capable of leading a decent life meaning that they are not likely to relapse to dubious ways of survival such as stealing or dealing drugs as such tendencies are likely to land them back in prison. Another solution that can help reduce re-occurrence is increasing the treatment of substance abuse. This has to do with the fact that drug offenses account for a majority of reasons for conviction in the United States. In Wyoming, 17% of total arrests made in 2017 were drug offenses (Goode, 2019). A notable number of detainees often suffer mental health problems. While education is an effective and popular approach to prevent reoccurrence, it is also important to avail treatment to offenders. This can be done with the help of substance abuse treatment programs. The treatment can be done using inpatient drug treatment or intensive treatment during incarceration. It can also take the form of a deferred sentence. Recent statistics show that recidivism rates for offenders that have gone through substance abuse treatment went down by double-digits as compared to the rest of the prison population.
Conclusion
Deviant behavior emanates from social norms and they do not have to be necessarily illegal. The two terms often overlap and are used interchangeably. Deviant crimes follow norms that do have to be written down while on the other hand criminal behavior follows rules that are written down and observed in a given state. Educational programs and inpatient drug treatment are some of the viable solutions that can be used to prevent the reoccurrence of deviant and criminal behavior.
References
Crank, B. R. (2018). Accepting deviant identities: the impact of self-labeling on intentions to desist from crime. Journal of Crime and Justice, 41(2), 155-172.
Goode, E. (2019). Deviant behavior. Routledge.
Matza, D. (2017). Becoming deviant. Routledge.
Osgood, D. W., Wilson, J. K., O’malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G., & Johnston, L. D. (2017). Routine activities and individual deviant behavior. In Crime Opportunity Theories (pp. 49-69). Routledge.
Deviance Behavior A Study on Prostitution
Deviance Behavior: A Study on Prostitution
Name
Institution Affiliation
Deviance Behavior: A Study on Prostitution
Introduction
Deviance is a behavior that goes against societal norms and formally enacted rules. Standards are expectations that society expects one’s behavior to conform. There are two major types of deviance; crime or formal deviance, which is the violation of rules that are formally enacted. As the name of this form of deviance suggests, they include but not limited to robbery, assault, theft, rape, and murder. Crime is a kind of deviance that depends on the rules that are violated. Informal deviance, on the other hand, is a description of actions or behaviors that violate certain informal values and includes formally enacted norms. One of the most controversial deviant behaviors is prostitution. Certain theories can be applied to explain the existence of prostitution. Differential association theory and social exchange theories from the constructivist perspective explain the aspect of commercial sex work. However, this paper will lean more towards the social exchange theory because it is more capable of explaining the rational aspect of prostitution. Looking at prostitution as something given out or traded for money or gifts, the social exchange theory allows going beyond the meaning of this singularity as a selling object but also as a dilemma. In other words, there are economic reasons that make women resort to this kind of business and neglect their birth pride in exchange for a few notes for sustenance. The existence of prostitution is not just attributed to the fact that people who engage in it are labeled deviant as it is implied by some theories such as the labeling theory. This paper will focus on women offering sexual services to men in return for money. It should not be mistaken as bias because this demographic is chosen not as a stereotype but based on evidence that women offering men sex for money is more common.
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice offering services of a sexual nature in return for money or some form of payment (Kempadoo & Doezema, 2018). Prostitution has been considered the earliest profession by various historians, although others have offered opinions to the contrary, some citing priesthood to be the earliest profession. Either way, prostitution is an early form of deviance. Deviance is a complex topic considering various societies have norms specific to themselves, and something that may be considered wrong in one society might be acceptable to another. However, in the majority of societies, prostitution is considered deviance, one of the earliest to be precise and takes varied forms. Because of this variation, the definition of prostitution is difficult, and the one provided is general. Most prostitutes are young adults, although there is also a significant number of children and youths in the “profession.” There are male and female prostitutes. Male sex workers who have male customers are fairly common, unlike female sex workers with female customers, although it does happen. The same happens for male sex workers with female customers being not as common as female sex workers with male customers are. Most sex workers work for an organization such as a disguised massage parlor or a whorehouse with full-time commitments while others operate alone with a significant number of working part-time.
Most prostitutes hold a low social status while a few hold a high rank. Those that hold a high status do not usually admit to being sex workers, and society appears to give them a pass, and they do not face as much stigma as those that work for basic items such as rent, food, clothing, or simple favors. Because some or most marriages appear to conform to the definition of prostitution where a man provides a woman with a house, money, clothing, and food among other things, it is important to define prostitution as an economic exchange of erotic relations for any form of payment without involving a permanent, close, or steady relationship between the parties involved.
In some countries prostitution is legalized and regulated by the government while in most it is considered illegal with severe punishment. For almost all religions, prostitution is considered a sin and engaging in it is a major act of defiance. It is also unacceptable for the social audience, and a negative attitude accompanies it as it is believed that sex is meant for procreation and frown upon when used for mere pleasure.
Medical practitioners condemn prostitution on the basis that it enables the spread of sexually transmitted infections. This said prostitution is deviance, as it does not conform to the standards of morality set by social perspectives, religion, and health principles. Prostitution is attributed to the increasing level of pervasiveness in society that has allowed people to engage in deviant behaviors without facing repercussions. Also, the demanding nature of the economy and the rising level of poverty has forced people to view sex as an economic activity. Another factor is the increasing rate of failed relationships and marriages, which has prompted affected individuals to seek prostitution to satisfy their sexual desires.
Differential Association Theory
The theory of differential association states that any form of deviant behavior is developed through learning. It is not an inherent trait of a person as it grows as the individual in question learns of the outlawed acts from the rest of society. The learning happens as people interact through communication, which allows for the exchange of ideas (Anderson & Taylor, 2012, p. 71). The theory can be reduced to the idea that people become defiant by interacting with those that are already defiant and absorb pro-defiant definitions. Differential association theory has drawn more attention for many years than all other theories that explain deviance. Scholars suggest that no single idea in contemporary criminology has had the impact differential association has had on how people perceive crime (Bruinsma, 2014).
Edwin Sutherland is celebrated for the differential association theory, which he developed back in 1947. In this theory, Sutherland advanced the most notable sociological justifications of deviance and crime. He built this theory on the suggestion that similar to conventionality, crime is learned as an individual interacts with others: many individuals come into contact with people that have the belief that laws can be broken. In simple terms, Sutherland believes that a deviant person develops this trait due to a stronger acquaintance to lawbreakers than those that conform to the societal norms and formal laws. It is more of a qualitative rather than a quantitative aspect.
Differential association theory predicts prostitution by looking at the differential access of an individual to criminal access or access to values that are considered bad by society through access to people practicing the same behavior. Prostitution is, in some instances, handed down from parent to child where a woman has grown old and is no longer desirable as it is typical of this profession introduces her daughter into the industry. This advances the theory’s idea that deviant behavior is learned in the same manner that law-abiding values are learned and that this education is accomplished, in the interactions with others. As in the case provided in this paragraph, the daughter is likely to be introduced to others in the business and will interact with them and the situational definitions of the profession instilled in her.
As mentioned earlier, the symbols and ideas with respect to deviance may either be favorable or otherwise. For this reason, an individual will adopt the ideas or symbols that are favorable to their situation, especially if they outweigh those that are unfavorable. A person will become deviant if the merits are greater than the demerits. Differential association is based in two main notes; Learning happens within intimate personal groups and techniques for being deviant or committing crimes encompasses the content that is learned. The content also motivates attitudes and rationalization.
In the context of prostitution, the conduct is learned as people exchange ideas on sexuality. Moreover, most people engage in commercial sex after becoming aware of the materials benefits that come with joining this industry. According to research by Clinard and Meier (2011), success in the sex industry is dependent on the level of expertise or skills of the practitioner. These skills are acquired as prostitutes interact and share ideas on the subject.
In trying to understand why people, especially women, engage in sex, it is important to look at the priority of these women and the financial responsibilities or the dependence on the proceeds from this activity as a mean of survival. Also, there is the duration spent with commercial sex business owners popularly known pimps and the process of socializing with women that are in the business. Besides, the level of influence on upcoming prostitutes by pimps, friends, and other more experienced and similarly desperate women is enough reason to lead women into commercial sex work (Antwi Bosiakoh, 2012). In a more general statement, people learn to engage in prostitution as a result of the intense interaction and duration of socialization and the importance they place on the industry and its profit.
Besides, technological advancement, most notably the introduction of the internet, has enabled the ease of exchanging information on the subject. As individuals learn more about the industry, they become encouraged to become a part of it. Considering these trends, it becomes evident that learning is a crucial aspect of prostitution. So using Edwin Sutherland’s idea, the popularity of prostitution grows as people become more aware of it from a person that has actual experience
Differential association theory requires that there be a preexisting condition or an opportunity for a woman to learn prostitution in an environment before they can completely become deviant in this manner. But given the opportunity to learn prostitution is almost always available to many women, and the number of those that become prostitutes not reflective of this number, it means that there are other factors that make women vulnerable to join the commercial sex industry. As a result, the applicability of this theory on this issue is further questioned.
Social Exchange Theory
According to the social exchange theory, each individual in a relation has something to offer and gets something in return (Cook, Cheshire, Rice, & Nakagawa, 2013). By examining the costs and benefits of various interactions, a basis for making predictions about how people will think, feel, and act is generated. The applicability of the social exchange theory to prostitution is dependent on the view of sex as a female resource. When men give women money of some form of payment to women in exchange for sex without enduring commitments, they are getting something of value from these women, and the value in the market determines how much to pay for these services. From this perspective, sex is part of the economic system where the prostitute and her client operate. If the commercial sex worker works under and organization or a pimp, then they become part of the hierarchical structure of prostitution. By looking at prostitution from this perspective, a lot of value is placed on the woman’s/prostitute’s worth, although the society would not view sex workers in the same regard. Richard Emerson defines social exchange theory as “the economic analysis of non-economical social situations” (Emerson, 1976, p. 336). He goes on to discuss the use of social operant behavior, which basically means that a behavior will endure if there is a steady incentive that is received from others.
Although Emerson did not have the idea of sex work when he discussed the theory or was addressing the topic in particular, it is very applicable to it. It supports the argument that if women did not require the service of prostitutes or had no desire for them, then the industry would not exist. The fact that prostitution has been there for ages is an indication that the interaction between a prostitute and her client is a crucial social process that creates value to the economy of a certain community (Kannampuzha, 2015). In his article, Richard Emerson highlights the construction of the social exchange theory and pinpoints specific ideas that can be related to this theory, such as rationality, reductionism, and tautology. The takeaway point is the exchange theory is more of a frame of reference than a theory, which happens through the social process. By doing so, a deeper understanding of how and why prostitution persists and continues to flourish in communities is afforded. However, removing the theoretical aspect of the exchange theory devalues it and its applicability to many social issues that are considered conforming, lawful, and legitimate and its value as a logical philosophy in general. However, for the sake of this paper, this view is perfect.
Social exchange theory can also be used to explain why prostitutes are not considered valuable in almost all societies. They are viewed as women who are readily available to provide erotic services as soon as these services are needed. By using this perspective, the idea that sex workers are quite sought after and are in considerably high demand is not implied. The men that seek these services have the impression that they are not getting something exclusive. This supports the idea of sex workers who are people to be disposable as there are many other women who are available to provide a similar service, maybe even at a lower rate. As mentioned, although social exchange theory was not intended to rationalize prostitution, it is very applicable to economic theory to aide in the understanding of the multifaceted socio-economic issues surrounding commercial sex work.
Conclusion
This discussion illustrates why prostitution is considered deviant behavior. The differential association theory explains that prostitution, just like any other form of deviance, is learned through association. It also explains the spread of the behavior as it is obvious that the availability of information on prostitution and free interaction is instrumental in popularizing the act in society. Social exchange theory, in its part, explains the persistence of the behavior and attributes this persistence to the economic importance of the industry, which is often downplayed. Prostitutes continue to operate in the industry because they know that gains are worth the costs. A good for instance that explains this phenomenon is that even in countries where the act is considered illegal, its popularity has grown instead of diminishing.
References
Andersen, M., & Taylor, H. (2012). Sociology: the essentials. Nelson Education.
Antwi Bosiakoh T. (2012) Differential Association Theory. In: Seel N.M. (eds) Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning. Springer, Boston, MA
Bruinsma, G. (2014). Differential association theory. Encyclopedia of criminology and criminal justice, 1065-1075.
Clinard, M. B., & Meier, R. F. (2011). Sociology of Deviant Behavior: –United States of America: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. Copyright, 2008, 608.
Cook, K. S., Cheshire, C., Rice, E. R., & Nakagawa, S. (2013). Social exchange theory. In Handbook of social psychology (pp. 61-88). Springer, Dordrecht.
Emerson, R. M. (1976). Social exchange theory. Annual review of sociology, 2(1), 335-362.
Kannampuzha, N. (2015). Sociology and Criminology of Prostitution. Paper Presented at the Research and Scholarly Achievement Symposium, Rockwell Academic Center 175.
Kempadoo, K., & Doezema, J. (2018). Forced to choose: Beyond the voluntary v. forced prostitution dichotomy. In Global sex workers (pp. 34-50). Routledge.