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Sample Reading Response Paper
Ace Student
Note MLA format!
Professor Quay
WS 102
4 December 2007
“Tired of Playing Monopoly?” title is centered
Donna Langston’s article, “Tired of Playing Monopoly?” offers an extensive look at
classism in America. Piece to which student is responding is clearly stated. Langston writes this
article from the perspective of a working-class woman who has successfully maneuvered the
hidden class system in the U.S. This article focuses on the definition of social class, how class is
reinforced in American society, and examples of classism. Langston asserts that class is more
than an income. Americans “experience class at every level of [their] lives” (97), whether it is
culturally, linguistically, educationally, or in terms of one’s outward appearance. Article is
summarized.
I found Langston’s article very informative. Although I consider myself somewhat
educated on the reality of classism in America, Langston revealed a number of new ways
classism exists and succeeds with little resistance. For example, I hadn’t thought about the
friction that exists among member of the working –class based on race, union affiliation, or the
ability to perform skilled labor. Similarly, I didn’t think about he advantages middle-class
individuals have in terms of appearance and behavior. Langston makes an important point
regarding social mobility: even if a middle-class person is down on his luck, he can still count on
educational level, language, behavior, etc. to offer advantages. Student’s personal response.
In reading “Tired,” I remembered a novella by Sandra Cisneros, The House of Mango
Street, about Hispanic women living in a community in Chicago. Cisneros’ work, although
fictional, addresses many of the themes found in Langston’s article. The women in Mango
Street face discrimination based on class, gender, and race. Thus, Langston’s claims that the
experiences of non-white working-class individuals differs substantially from those of the white
working-lass proves true. Comparison to another reading or work [Note: Poetry students should
articulate Theme here instead of a comparison.]
From its founding, America presented itself as the land where anyone, from any country
or background can begin anew life. The American dream is so entrenched in the mythology of
the United States that our country is still seen as the land of opportunity to many. The S.S. was
founded on values that encourage the continuation of such a myth: individuality, self-sufficiency,
etc. Hints of the manner in which classism has developed in this country can be seen in old
stories about the frontier. Men like Davy Crockett went out into the wilderness and prospered.
The myth of the American dream is so engrained in our future that classism remains another
unspoken form of discrimination in the United States. Conclusion.
Work Cited
Langston, Donna. “Tired of Monopoly?” Women’s Voices, Feminist Visions. Ed. Susan
Shaw and Janet Lee. New Your: McGraw-Hill, 2004. 96-100.
Documentation of article presented is correct. 