Street Corner Society Essay

635 Words3 Pages

A group 's rankings within an activity can sometimes determine how those members rank amongst each other in a social setting. Whether individuals realize it or not, little things such as winning a game play a role in how people view each other. These norms within society shape the way individuals are viewed. Throughout the novel Street Corner Society: The Social Structure of an Italian Slum, Whyte utilizes the activity of bowling to create competition between the boys in the social clubs whereas in my personal life, I employ such an activity in a social, stress-free aspect. By bowling, the boys within the various Italian social groups establish their groups hierarchy; when I bowl, the rankings in the game between my friends and I have no correlation …show more content…

Personally, my friends and I have only been bowling a couple of times whereas the members of the Italian Community Club participate in this activity on a week-to-week basis. Due to our lack of time spent bowling, the results of the game are often forgotten and irrelevant to our groups standings. Because it plays such a huge part within the characters of the novel, the high-ranking members know exactly what actions to take in order to maintain their positions. They admit that “verbal attack was very important in keeping the member in their places” when a low-ranking member threatened to better his position (Whyte, 24). Every group or area has a specific activity that somehow influences their ranking within a group. In Corneville in the early 1900s, this activity was bowling. In today’s society, this can relate to the position of a team captain for example. When an individual is named a captain of a certain group, they are subconsciously seen as a higher-ranking member. It is a norm for a person who holds a position within a certain group to be seen at a higher level once that position is established. People get so used to the individual always being on top that they subconsciously expect the individual to win all the time. Therefore, Whyte, Danny, and Doc appeared at the

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