english essay. because i would.
Social Class: The Ladder Of Success.
Social class is a concept that has had people debating for years. Is it really possible to get out of one’s social class? Or are they stuck there for the rest of their lives? Lil Wayne is a famous rapper. He has written countless songs, and won at least one Grammy Award. He once featured in a song where he said, “I came from the gutter, lookin’ like my mother, made it to the goal line, straight out the huddle... I used to dream about the life I’m living now, I know that there’s no doubt, I made it, I made it.” These lyrics do a great job of relating to the issue of social class. They are saying that Lil Wayne started out “in the gutter”, at the bottom, but now he’s made it to the life he’s always wanted to live. They state that really, if one tries their hardest, they can do whatever they want, including moving up the social ladder of success.
Lil Wayne came from New Orleans, and grew up in a very “ghetto” neighborhood. He says, “My mama always told me never to expect nothin’, because if you don’t get what you expect, then what? But now that it is, I’m very grateful,”(Personal Interview. 6 oct. 2008). What he is trying to say here, is that when he started out he didn’t have a great life. All he really had were a bunch of dreams, but his mother told him that he shouldn’t set his expectations too high. Long story short, he moved up from “the hood” to “world-famous rapper”. So here, it shows that it is indeed possible to move up the social ladder. Now, the question is how?
In one of Wayne’s number one hits, Right Above It, he states, “as the world spin and dance in my hand, life is a beach I’m just playin in the sand… I’m on a paper trail aint no tellin where it took me… you know you’re at the top when only heaven’s right above it.” The message here is that he worked hard and it brought him places he could never have imagined. This is the key to changing one’s social status. Often, there are stories of people who are at the bottom of the barrel. They have very little, and even though they wish they could have a better life, they don’t do anything about it. Often, it seems they just have more and more children, which in turn, puts them into an even worse situation. What they really need is some solid determination. Like Wayne, they have to have a passion and a drive that will help them never give up, and always believe that things will get better as long as they try. They have to understand that life will not improve unless they make it do so. Sitting around and doing nothing but complaining about one’s current situation will do anything but help them. Okay, so how to move up the ladder of social status is now known. One needs determination. But now, how does one get that determination?
Lil Wayne was born as Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. He was born to nineteen-year-old Jacida, who was in an abusive relationship with Wayne’s biological father. They lived in an inner-city part of New Orleans. Later on, they decided to move to East New Orleans, in search of a better life, and it was at that time that Wayne decided music would be his passion. Because of that passion, he was signed to Cash Money Records by the age of eleven. Even then, his life wasn’t perfect, however, for his mother soon forbade him to be in contact with the record company. He even had a child later, at the age of 16. He pushed through it all though and got a college degree, and later rejoined Cash Money Records. The point in this whole story is that Lil Wayne never gave up. He started out at the bottom of the bottom, and then decided that he had a passion and that passion would drive him all the way to the top. His love for music is what made him do what he had to do. Therefore, one can use a passion for something they love- their own personal dream- to give them the drive to have a better life. Whether the passion is music, sports, college, to be a doctor or a lawyer, it doesn’t matter, as long as it is there.
How though, is it possible to make a simple passion for something turn one’s life around? One thing that generally helps a lot, are the right connections. What if one doesn’t have those connections? That brings everything right back to determination. If one wants something enough, they will do whatever they can to get it. People have driven across countries, flown across borders, walked hundreds of miles- for freedom of speech, press, religion, etc. Imagine how much easier it would be to get something as simple as a pen and paper to write down songs? Or a new soccer ball to practice with? For some people, these new beginnings just consist of maybe moving to a place with more promise. Saving up all of their money and doing what they have to do. So quite honestly, everything always comes back to whether or not someone is determined enough to live better, or just too lazy and pessimistic to make a difference. It is completely understandable that one could be pessimistic if their living situation is horrible, but if what they need is optimism and courage, how do they go about getting the attitude they need? Getting out of things like depression can be extraordinarily difficult. So how is it done?
When someone’s life consists solely of getting up in the morning, scouring for food, being scared of being mugged on the way to store, living in a dirty neighborhood, then going to bed hungry and mad, it is completely understandable that depression could become a huge part of their life. It also becomes a huge roadblock in the path to social freedom- like the ladder to success is missing a rung so they can’t get any higher. The majority of the time, Lil Wayne raps about being at the top and living the “good life”. Sometimes, however, he writes things that show he really has been in that place of utter desperation. One can tell in the way he is speaking that he is truly angry and upset with the world. An example of this is Drop the World. In this song he says, “I seen nights full of pain, days of the same, I search but never find, hurt but never cry, I work and forever try, but I'm cursed so never mind, and it's worse but better times seem further and beyond, the top gets higher, the more that I climb.” The point here, is that life has not always been fun and games for Lil Wayne. He has been in that place of depression and pessimism, not knowing how there could possibly be a way out. One may wonder how he got out. It started with a reality-check. People must stop feeling sorry for themselves and accept that if they try their hardest to gain social freedom, then they can. It takes confidence. If one is confident, then they can get past their depression and insecurity and move on enough to move up.
Lil Wayne has gone through a crazy life, moving up through social class, higher and higher. He once said, “I know that my whole city is depending on me, and I forget a lot of crap, but I could never forget the streets… tell all of my people that the sky is the limit, and if you look high you see that I’m gonna be in it, the sky is the limit, yeah the sky is the limit.” This is the picture of Lil Wayne’s life and how one can move up in reference to social class. He started at the bottom, and is now at the top. If one really tries to dissect these lyrics, the message is very obvious. Wayne says, “The streets,” and “My people.” If one looks at these specifically, they know that he is talking about where he is from- his hometown. From there, it can be further thought out and decided that he is saying that he is trying to be a role-model for anyone in the same situation as he used to be. He is saying that no matter what, he doesn’t want people that lived the same way he did to give up. if they “look high” they’ll see how far he got and he wants them to know that they can get there too. People tend to think that they are stuck in whatever class they are born into. However, with the right attitude, one can do whatever they please and go wherever life wants to take them. All it takes is drive, determination, and an unmistakable understanding that “the sky is the limit”.
Social class is a concept that has had people debating for years. Is it really possible to get out of one’s social class? Or are they stuck there for the rest of their lives? Lil Wayne is a famous rapper. He has written countless songs, and won at least one Grammy Award. He once featured in a song where he said, “I came from the gutter, lookin’ like my mother, made it to the goal line, straight out the huddle... I used to dream about the life I’m living now, I know that there’s no doubt, I made it, I made it.” These lyrics do a great job of relating to the issue of social class. They are saying that Lil Wayne started out “in the gutter”, at the bottom, but now he’s made it to the life he’s always wanted to live. They state that really, if one tries their hardest, they can do whatever they want, including moving up the social ladder of success.
Lil Wayne came from New Orleans, and grew up in a very “ghetto” neighborhood. He says, “My mama always told me never to expect nothin’, because if you don’t get what you expect, then what? But now that it is, I’m very grateful,”(Personal Interview. 6 oct. 2008). What he is trying to say here, is that when he started out he didn’t have a great life. All he really had were a bunch of dreams, but his mother told him that he shouldn’t set his expectations too high. Long story short, he moved up from “the hood” to “world-famous rapper”. So here, it shows that it is indeed possible to move up the social ladder. Now, the question is how?
In one of Wayne’s number one hits, Right Above It, he states, “as the world spin and dance in my hand, life is a beach I’m just playin in the sand… I’m on a paper trail aint no tellin where it took me… you know you’re at the top when only heaven’s right above it.” The message here is that he worked hard and it brought him places he could never have imagined. This is the key to changing one’s social status. Often, there are stories of people who are at the bottom of the barrel. They have very little, and even though they wish they could have a better life, they don’t do anything about it. Often, it seems they just have more and more children, which in turn, puts them into an even worse situation. What they really need is some solid determination. Like Wayne, they have to have a passion and a drive that will help them never give up, and always believe that things will get better as long as they try. They have to understand that life will not improve unless they make it do so. Sitting around and doing nothing but complaining about one’s current situation will do anything but help them. Okay, so how to move up the ladder of social status is now known. One needs determination. But now, how does one get that determination?
Lil Wayne was born as Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. He was born to nineteen-year-old Jacida, who was in an abusive relationship with Wayne’s biological father. They lived in an inner-city part of New Orleans. Later on, they decided to move to East New Orleans, in search of a better life, and it was at that time that Wayne decided music would be his passion. Because of that passion, he was signed to Cash Money Records by the age of eleven. Even then, his life wasn’t perfect, however, for his mother soon forbade him to be in contact with the record company. He even had a child later, at the age of 16. He pushed through it all though and got a college degree, and later rejoined Cash Money Records. The point in this whole story is that Lil Wayne never gave up. He started out at the bottom of the bottom, and then decided that he had a passion and that passion would drive him all the way to the top. His love for music is what made him do what he had to do. Therefore, one can use a passion for something they love- their own personal dream- to give them the drive to have a better life. Whether the passion is music, sports, college, to be a doctor or a lawyer, it doesn’t matter, as long as it is there.
How though, is it possible to make a simple passion for something turn one’s life around? One thing that generally helps a lot, are the right connections. What if one doesn’t have those connections? That brings everything right back to determination. If one wants something enough, they will do whatever they can to get it. People have driven across countries, flown across borders, walked hundreds of miles- for freedom of speech, press, religion, etc. Imagine how much easier it would be to get something as simple as a pen and paper to write down songs? Or a new soccer ball to practice with? For some people, these new beginnings just consist of maybe moving to a place with more promise. Saving up all of their money and doing what they have to do. So quite honestly, everything always comes back to whether or not someone is determined enough to live better, or just too lazy and pessimistic to make a difference. It is completely understandable that one could be pessimistic if their living situation is horrible, but if what they need is optimism and courage, how do they go about getting the attitude they need? Getting out of things like depression can be extraordinarily difficult. So how is it done?
When someone’s life consists solely of getting up in the morning, scouring for food, being scared of being mugged on the way to store, living in a dirty neighborhood, then going to bed hungry and mad, it is completely understandable that depression could become a huge part of their life. It also becomes a huge roadblock in the path to social freedom- like the ladder to success is missing a rung so they can’t get any higher. The majority of the time, Lil Wayne raps about being at the top and living the “good life”. Sometimes, however, he writes things that show he really has been in that place of utter desperation. One can tell in the way he is speaking that he is truly angry and upset with the world. An example of this is Drop the World. In this song he says, “I seen nights full of pain, days of the same, I search but never find, hurt but never cry, I work and forever try, but I'm cursed so never mind, and it's worse but better times seem further and beyond, the top gets higher, the more that I climb.” The point here, is that life has not always been fun and games for Lil Wayne. He has been in that place of depression and pessimism, not knowing how there could possibly be a way out. One may wonder how he got out. It started with a reality-check. People must stop feeling sorry for themselves and accept that if they try their hardest to gain social freedom, then they can. It takes confidence. If one is confident, then they can get past their depression and insecurity and move on enough to move up.
Lil Wayne has gone through a crazy life, moving up through social class, higher and higher. He once said, “I know that my whole city is depending on me, and I forget a lot of crap, but I could never forget the streets… tell all of my people that the sky is the limit, and if you look high you see that I’m gonna be in it, the sky is the limit, yeah the sky is the limit.” This is the picture of Lil Wayne’s life and how one can move up in reference to social class. He started at the bottom, and is now at the top. If one really tries to dissect these lyrics, the message is very obvious. Wayne says, “The streets,” and “My people.” If one looks at these specifically, they know that he is talking about where he is from- his hometown. From there, it can be further thought out and decided that he is saying that he is trying to be a role-model for anyone in the same situation as he used to be. He is saying that no matter what, he doesn’t want people that lived the same way he did to give up. if they “look high” they’ll see how far he got and he wants them to know that they can get there too. People tend to think that they are stuck in whatever class they are born into. However, with the right attitude, one can do whatever they please and go wherever life wants to take them. All it takes is drive, determination, and an unmistakable understanding that “the sky is the limit”.
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