Trading Places
Sarah Miller
Mrs. Seawright
Sociology 101
Assignment “Trading Places”
1. Poverty
Racism
Suicide
Violence
Drug Abuse
Unemployment
Homelessness
Stress
Prostitution
Public Transportation
2. The main characters Billy Ray Valentine, Louis Winthorpe and the Duke Brothers all have very distinct language and ways of presenting themselves. Valentine speaks in ways that would suggest he is not well educated and does not carry himself in a way that he wants people to respect and look up to him. He would say things like “I wish my bitches would get here. I ain't got time to be sitting in this cell with you.” Using improper grammar, words like ain’t and ‘cause and cursing quite often. Winthrope is very professional and proper. He uses very suitable and appropriate words which make people believe he is educated and a very high class man. The same goes for the Duke Brothers, they speak with very high intelligence and seem like sophisticated elder men.
3. An ascribed status is involuntary, something we cannot choose. Race, ethnicity, and the social class of our parents are examples of ascribed statuses. Valentine is given an ascribed status because of his race and the fact that he is very poor and practically homeless. People look down on him and unfortunately think of him as a thief or a bad man. An achieved status is something we accomplish in the course of our lives and to some extent, achieved status reflects our work and effort. Valentine had to work to prove that he too, as well as Winthorpe, could lead a successful life and work for such a prestigious brokerage firm.
4. Some different social roles in the movie are shown by Billy Ray Valentine, who is a poor, homeless man who is accused of stealing Winthorpes bag and is arrested. He is accused because of his race but is bailed out by the Duke Brothers to see if he can be changed into a successful gentleman. Another is the high class man, Louis Winthorpe who thinks very high of himself and has a lovely and demanding
Mrs. Seawright
Sociology 101
Assignment “Trading Places”
1. Poverty
Racism
Suicide
Violence
Drug Abuse
Unemployment
Homelessness
Stress
Prostitution
Public Transportation
2. The main characters Billy Ray Valentine, Louis Winthorpe and the Duke Brothers all have very distinct language and ways of presenting themselves. Valentine speaks in ways that would suggest he is not well educated and does not carry himself in a way that he wants people to respect and look up to him. He would say things like “I wish my bitches would get here. I ain't got time to be sitting in this cell with you.” Using improper grammar, words like ain’t and ‘cause and cursing quite often. Winthrope is very professional and proper. He uses very suitable and appropriate words which make people believe he is educated and a very high class man. The same goes for the Duke Brothers, they speak with very high intelligence and seem like sophisticated elder men.
3. An ascribed status is involuntary, something we cannot choose. Race, ethnicity, and the social class of our parents are examples of ascribed statuses. Valentine is given an ascribed status because of his race and the fact that he is very poor and practically homeless. People look down on him and unfortunately think of him as a thief or a bad man. An achieved status is something we accomplish in the course of our lives and to some extent, achieved status reflects our work and effort. Valentine had to work to prove that he too, as well as Winthorpe, could lead a successful life and work for such a prestigious brokerage firm.
4. Some different social roles in the movie are shown by Billy Ray Valentine, who is a poor, homeless man who is accused of stealing Winthorpes bag and is arrested. He is accused because of his race but is bailed out by the Duke Brothers to see if he can be changed into a successful gentleman. Another is the high class man, Louis Winthorpe who thinks very high of himself and has a lovely and demanding