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Daniel James Brown's Social Class

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How does a person’s social class affect their successes? Daniel James Brown answers this question in his book The Boys in the Boat. People in lower classes tend to be more humble and hardworking than those in higher classes. Success means more to lower class citizens because they have to work for every piece of it. People of higher classes can, to some extent, ‘buy’ success with money. Society doesn’t usually expect citizens of lower classes to achieve as many successes as those in upper classes. This is a reasonable expectation, considering lower class citizens have numerous disadvantages. Money is often the biggest problem. When the boys qualified for the Olympics, but couldn’t afford to go on their own, Ulbrickson was frustrated. “Ulbrickson knew full well that …show more content…

The truth we learn from Brown’s novel is that while money can carry you a long way to success, money cannot buy you the sweet feeling that comes with succeeding. The Washington crew couldn’t be helped by money when they were working to win the Olympics. Other crews from different schools had an easier time coming up with funds to get them closer to success. This can be seen in everyday life. People use money to get closer to their goals. They can buy advantages, such as better equipment, better trainers, etc. When someone with less money to spare tries to reach the same goals, it is increasingly harder because they cannot buy the same advantages. When these two types of people reach their goals, however, it is more satisfying and meaningful to the person of a lower class, because they pushed through more disadvantages than the higher class citizen. Success and the awarding feeling that comes with it, often will be more treasured and enjoyed by the lower class citizen, who has to give more to get

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