Narration Essay
Bryn Faulkner
English 101
“How We Believe” Essay
October 3, 2017
Disintegration of Differentiation
Michael Sandel, an esteemed professor of government at Harvard, says, “We live in a time when almost anything can be bought and sold” (42). This quote explains his thinking on an American societal issue; he believes society has intertwined with the market. In “Markets and Morals,” Sandel explains lower- and middle-class Americans are faced with inequality because they are unable to afford the prices set for higher-end necessities; he also states that the corrosive nature of a price tag and the lack of morals in political arguments devalue our society. Sandel believes that, as a result of the disintegration of differentiation between the American society and market, society buys and sell items that once were not allowed to be sold, including prison cell upgrades and doctor’s cell phone numbers (40-48). Because Americans can buy intangible ideas like education, time, and confidence, the market is becoming a lifestyle rather than an apparatus of productivity, which is disastrous for our society.
The American society has a public-education system in which students go to school for 14 years for free and then have to pay anywhere from $15,000 to $60,000 for four years of post-secondary schooling. In this system of education, middle-class Americans have the most difficulty paying for college. Lower-class citizens receive government aid to pay for their college, and upper-class citizens can pay the institutional fees. However, middle-class Americans receive little to no funding from the government but do not make enough money to pay for college. Such is the case with my family. Yesterday, my mother and I filled out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA decided my parent’s yearly contribution to my college will be $10,049; FAFSA expects the same contribution from my parents to my sister who is already in college. Also, because my parents make “too much money,” I receive no institutional grants. My college will cost $30,000 for a state school, and my parents are expected to pay 33 percent of that price out of their pockets. My family, like many other middle-class families, do not have $20,000 of expendable resources to pay for college for my sister and me. The only way I will be able to afford college is if I receive enough scholarships to cover nearly all the tuition. Our education system and the amount of money necessary to pay for a bachelor’s degree has put financial stress on my parents. It has also caused me to overextend myself in my school and community involvement in hopes of attracting scholarship committees to decide I am deserving of the money they are giving away. The middle-class must slave away to make money for college because education allows college graduates to obtain stable jobs.
The American society allows a the CEO to govern their employees who have to work hard to make a fraction the CEO does. Jobs allow people to afford goods and necessities, making them necessary in American society. Even at an early age, people are pressured to have jobs like babysitting and mowing. I remember being pressured to have a job at a young age. Mr. Jones came into my history class in seventh grade and showed a video about the annual Washington, D.C. trip. I knew as soon as I saw the video that I had to go; however, the trip cost $2,500. I had to convince my parents the money. I brought home the pamphlet given to each class member and gave it to my parents. After a long consideration, my parents concluded I could go on the trip if I paid for half. I was excited; however, I did not think of the fact that 12-year-olds are not able to have jobs beyond babysitting and housework. Willing myself to the mercy of other people’s schedules, I asked as many people as I could if they needed babysitting. I had a few sessions, but my hard work did not bring the necessary means I needed to make. I was anxious I would not be able to go on this trip until my parents took mercy on me. They decided they would pay for the whole trip as long as I paid for any souvenirs I wanted.I learned hard work did not necessarily pay off in terms of money. workers. Jobs show the hierarchy of the market society, but makeup shows the masculinity of society.
Feminine confidence has been altered in the market society to coincide with makeup; society, which has been dominated by men for most of American history, has conned women into believing they need to cover their face in product to attract men, and it worked. Most women feel bare without applying chemicals to their face to cover their natural beauty and, according to a study done by the Daily Mail UK, an online news source, women will spend an average of £9,000 (about $13,000) on makeup in their lifetime (Face Value” par. 1). Women think makeup allows them look pretty, and I understand their reasoning. When I was 12, my mother finally allowed me to wear makeup. She had bought me two little Mary Kay eyeshadow palettes to use, and I wore eyeshadow every day. Once I got into high school, I began to wear more makeup. My everyday look consisted of foundation, blush, bronzer, highlighter, eyeliner, mascara, and lipstick. One day I wondered why I spent time on doing my makeup because no one noticed my hard work anymore; my face had become synonymous to the makeup I put on top of it. That fact bothered me enough that I stopped wearing makeup. Eventually, I got over being self-conscience and realized that a woman’s confidence should on the inside, not defined by the products applied to her face.
Michael Sandel, the author of “Markets and Morals,” believes that the current American society allows people to buy and sell nearly anything imaginable. The market has become ingrained into our society. The lack of division affects Americans’ morals because they can buy time, learning, and self-confidence; due to these reasons, the market has become a disadvantage to society.
Works Cited
“Face Value: How the Average Woman Spends £9,000 on Make-up in Her Lifetime.” Daily Mail Online, Associated Newspapers, 17 Mar. 2010, www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1256595/Face-value-How-average-woman-spend-9-000-make-lifetime.html ITO=1490&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A%
2Bdailymail%2Fhome%2B%28Home%2B%7C%2BMail%2BOnline%29.
Sandel, Michael. “Markets and Morals.” Acting out Culture, 3rd ed., Bedford St. Martin's, 2015, p. 40–48.
English 101
“How We Believe” Essay
October 3, 2017
Disintegration of Differentiation
Michael Sandel, an esteemed professor of government at Harvard, says, “We live in a time when almost anything can be bought and sold” (42). This quote explains his thinking on an American societal issue; he believes society has intertwined with the market. In “Markets and Morals,” Sandel explains lower- and middle-class Americans are faced with inequality because they are unable to afford the prices set for higher-end necessities; he also states that the corrosive nature of a price tag and the lack of morals in political arguments devalue our society. Sandel believes that, as a result of the disintegration of differentiation between the American society and market, society buys and sell items that once were not allowed to be sold, including prison cell upgrades and doctor’s cell phone numbers (40-48). Because Americans can buy intangible ideas like education, time, and confidence, the market is becoming a lifestyle rather than an apparatus of productivity, which is disastrous for our society.
The American society has a public-education system in which students go to school for 14 years for free and then have to pay anywhere from $15,000 to $60,000 for four years of post-secondary schooling. In this system of education, middle-class Americans have the most difficulty paying for college. Lower-class citizens receive government aid to pay for their college, and upper-class citizens can pay the institutional fees. However, middle-class Americans receive little to no funding from the government but do not make enough money to pay for college. Such is the case with my family. Yesterday, my mother and I filled out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA decided my parent’s yearly contribution to my college will be $10,049; FAFSA expects the same contribution from my parents to my sister who is already in college. Also, because my parents make “too much money,” I receive no institutional grants. My college will cost $30,000 for a state school, and my parents are expected to pay 33 percent of that price out of their pockets. My family, like many other middle-class families, do not have $20,000 of expendable resources to pay for college for my sister and me. The only way I will be able to afford college is if I receive enough scholarships to cover nearly all the tuition. Our education system and the amount of money necessary to pay for a bachelor’s degree has put financial stress on my parents. It has also caused me to overextend myself in my school and community involvement in hopes of attracting scholarship committees to decide I am deserving of the money they are giving away. The middle-class must slave away to make money for college because education allows college graduates to obtain stable jobs.
The American society allows a the CEO to govern their employees who have to work hard to make a fraction the CEO does. Jobs allow people to afford goods and necessities, making them necessary in American society. Even at an early age, people are pressured to have jobs like babysitting and mowing. I remember being pressured to have a job at a young age. Mr. Jones came into my history class in seventh grade and showed a video about the annual Washington, D.C. trip. I knew as soon as I saw the video that I had to go; however, the trip cost $2,500. I had to convince my parents the money. I brought home the pamphlet given to each class member and gave it to my parents. After a long consideration, my parents concluded I could go on the trip if I paid for half. I was excited; however, I did not think of the fact that 12-year-olds are not able to have jobs beyond babysitting and housework. Willing myself to the mercy of other people’s schedules, I asked as many people as I could if they needed babysitting. I had a few sessions, but my hard work did not bring the necessary means I needed to make. I was anxious I would not be able to go on this trip until my parents took mercy on me. They decided they would pay for the whole trip as long as I paid for any souvenirs I wanted.I learned hard work did not necessarily pay off in terms of money. workers. Jobs show the hierarchy of the market society, but makeup shows the masculinity of society.
Feminine confidence has been altered in the market society to coincide with makeup; society, which has been dominated by men for most of American history, has conned women into believing they need to cover their face in product to attract men, and it worked. Most women feel bare without applying chemicals to their face to cover their natural beauty and, according to a study done by the Daily Mail UK, an online news source, women will spend an average of £9,000 (about $13,000) on makeup in their lifetime (Face Value” par. 1). Women think makeup allows them look pretty, and I understand their reasoning. When I was 12, my mother finally allowed me to wear makeup. She had bought me two little Mary Kay eyeshadow palettes to use, and I wore eyeshadow every day. Once I got into high school, I began to wear more makeup. My everyday look consisted of foundation, blush, bronzer, highlighter, eyeliner, mascara, and lipstick. One day I wondered why I spent time on doing my makeup because no one noticed my hard work anymore; my face had become synonymous to the makeup I put on top of it. That fact bothered me enough that I stopped wearing makeup. Eventually, I got over being self-conscience and realized that a woman’s confidence should on the inside, not defined by the products applied to her face.
Michael Sandel, the author of “Markets and Morals,” believes that the current American society allows people to buy and sell nearly anything imaginable. The market has become ingrained into our society. The lack of division affects Americans’ morals because they can buy time, learning, and self-confidence; due to these reasons, the market has become a disadvantage to society.
Works Cited
“Face Value: How the Average Woman Spends £9,000 on Make-up in Her Lifetime.” Daily Mail Online, Associated Newspapers, 17 Mar. 2010, www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1256595/Face-value-How-average-woman-spend-9-000-make-lifetime.html ITO=1490&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A%
2Bdailymail%2Fhome%2B%28Home%2B%7C%2BMail%2BOnline%29.
Sandel, Michael. “Markets and Morals.” Acting out Culture, 3rd ed., Bedford St. Martin's, 2015, p. 40–48.