Isaiah Nelson

Engw_1100

Jean Anyon

9/24/15

How relevant is Jean Anyon's essay in today's society

Jean Anyon talks about how wealth influences from early childhood affects one's career in the future. To an extent that might be true however I would like to give an exceptional case of my mother. My mother's name is Catherine Nelson and she was born and raised in the poorer parts of East Orange and now works for new pharmaceutical company Amerigen, all the while she is in the minority as a black woman. So ever since she was young she knew that living such a poor lifestyle was no life that she wanted to live. Often my mom would tell me "you have to go to college to make that money", and she would follow up jokingly with " look at me I worked hard because I like my money". Although that sounds a little harsh and superficial I now understand where she was coming from when she said it. It was not only until later that I understood what she meant, she grew up poor and did not want to raise a family in such conditions and she wants me to go to college so that I do not have to struggle the way she did and going to college would give me that chance.

So in the Jean Anyon's essay where she addresses economic standing being the primary contributor for career choices i believe that that was more effective in the past than now. This is because nowadays there are more resources and more opportunities for people in low economic households to rise in social classes. My mother contributes much of her success to Affirmative Action, that gave her a chance to go to school and get a job out of school. Affirmative action even helped my father because he is the only black detective in his department. That is why Jean Anyon's essay might not be as relevant in today's society.