Author: thigpen.21

Text Review Assignment-Connor Thigpen

by

The novel I want to focus on is called Hillbilly Elegy, written by J.D. Vance. In the personal narrative, Vance was born in Jackson, Kentucky and moved to Middletown, Ohio, a poor town in America’s rust belt. Growing up in the Appalachia region, Vance suffered through a childhood plagued with high poverty rates, divorce, drug use, violence, and low social mobility. Unfortunately, most people living in these regions never broke these trends—Vance was exposed to them all. In his youth, his mother got divorced twice, attempted suicide, physically abused J.D, and became addicted to drugs after her father died. Needless to say, after his mother went to jail for various offenses, J.D. and his sister Lindsey were raised by their grandparents in hopes of a better life. Although they grew up with very low socioeconomic status and no access to quality education, Mamaw, Vance’s grandma, knew J.D. would one day break the cycle and become successful. She always believed in him, and without her full support, Vance may have never escaped his childhood life. After graduating high school, his work ethic and persistence led him to earn a B.A. in political science from The Ohio State University. Already defying the odds, Vance was accepted to Yale’s Law School. Clearly, when Vance went to college, he encountered individuals who came from different socioeconomic classes. Almost nobody who Vance grew up with attended higher education, so he hardly knew anyone who came to college with his same socioeconomic background. When he attended Yale, he experienced a big culture shock because many people came from very wealthy and successful families. In addition, Vance was not used to big cities like Columbus or New Haven. This example highlights how Vance encountered many people from different socioeconomic classes, and how he adjusted to the different lifestyle. After graduated from Yale, he became a lawyer and married Usha Chilukuri. They currently live in Columbus with their son and two dogs. In December of 2016, Vance started a nonprofit organization called Our Ohio Renewal to combat drug abuse in the Rust Belt. Recently, J.D. became the co-founder of a capital market company called Narya Capital, which invests long-term capital in people who use technology to solve important issues. Vance raised over 93 million dollars for the company.

Hillbilly Elegy - Wikipedia

Diary of Systemic Injustice Showcase-Connor Thigpen

by

I came across an article the other day about South African employment and job wages. In the reading, it compared the amount of jobs white people have over black people. It is very unsettling to know that the unemployment rate of white South Africans is only 8.3%, while the black South African population is over 39% (Writer). This is due to racial discrimination in the workplace. Although the “apartheid” has ended in South Africa (African word for “separateness” or “the state of being apart”) we still see forms of systemic racism that exist in the country (Apartheid). Additionally, a startling statistic was given in the reading: the black population in South Africa is about 85%, while the white population is only around 9% (Writer). It is important to note the entire population is about 58 million, so there are about 49 million blacks, as opposed to about five million whites. Thus, over 19 million black South Africans are unemployed, and less than one million white South Africans are jobless (Writer). Even though the white population is significantly smaller, the difference between these two statistics clearly shows how black people are discriminated against in everyday life. In addition, the article notes the composition of the lower classes remains predominantly black” (Writer). This reflects that the black population is at a disadvantage because they are either denied job access over whites, or simply because they are discriminated in the workplace, which results in lower wages. Obviously, there needs to be a change in our society, one where we can all come together to end these unfair practices that seem “okay” or “normal.” Nothing about discriminating against any race should be justified. People must realize that we are all created equal and should be treated as such. Laws need to be put in place to ensure the elimination of unfair and systemic racism practices in our world. In South Africa specifically, their government needs to create equal opportunities for all. Discrimination and unequal pay should not be justified, and people must realize this so we can unite and take a stand, to ensure a better future for all.

 

“Apartheid; Social Policy.” Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/apartheid Date accessed: September 22nd, 2020.

Writer, S. “White vs black unemployment in South Africa.” Business Tech, https://businesstech.co.za/news/trending/96887/white-vs-black-unemployment-in-south-africa/ Date accessed: September 22nd, 2020.

 

Context Research Presentation-Week 6-Connor Thigpen

by

For this week’s reading, we will be focusing on Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis. The book mainly centers around the different political regimes associated with Iran. For many years, Mohammad Reza Shah dictated the country of Iran but during the 1970’s, he provoked the White revolution, basically modernizing the country, allowing western imperialism and democratic-based ideas like human rights to take told (Afary). Because of Iran’s close ties with the United States at the time, the country was losing its monarchy values established in the early 1920’s. Many high-ranking officials did not like Shah’s reform programs because it took away their sense of normalcy in their government, so they decided to overthrow him, thus sparking the Iranian, or Islamic Revolution.

On April 1st, 1979, Ruhollah Khomeini declared Iran an Islamic Republic. Like a dictatorship, the new Islamic Revolution forced people like Marjane Satrapi to quickly adapt to this new lifestyle. On page four of the reading, the author states she went to a non-religious French school, but because of the new government authority, all bilingual schools shut down because “they are symbols of capitalism” and all girls must wear veils to mimic the Muslim religion. Additionally, the Family Protection Act of 1967, giving women marriage freedom, was voided to match the Muslim tradition (Afary). During this period, the country become very divided. Some people liked conforming to the Muslim religion, but others, like Satrapi and her family, protested the new regime because they felt a new dress code and restrictions on their everyday lives was unfair. This caused major violence, hatred, and death all throughout the country.

Just a year later, Iraq invaded Iran due to an alleged territorial dispute over the Shatt al-Arab, a waterway serving as a boundary line between the two countries (Hardy). Although, Saddam Hussein, Iraq’s leader, had a different motive. He wanted to overthrow Khomeini and his new regime because he felt threatened by the Islamic Revolution. Hussein simply did not want Iran to conquer Iraq, so he invaded first. This war lasted for nearly eight years, but neither country found true peace–only explosions, suffering, and casualties came from the war.

Works Cited Page