Reading synopsis essay sample

Section A

The fifth chapter of this book focuses on the relationship between races, gender, class and people’s sexuality in today’s world. The author suggests that the above mentioned aspects are all interpreted and viewed differently by society (macro) and individuals (micro). The aspects of gender, class, sexuality and race are affected by ideologies, politics, education and economic conditions. The author describes how society treats and views individuals basing on their race, sexuality, class and gender. The society segregates people like women, homosexuals, heterosexual women, color races, the poor and the people with physical disabilities. The author also describes how people’s mentalities affect their economic and social standards of living. Women and the color races people are the most adversely affected people.

Segregation based on gender, sexuality, class and race have led to people being mistreated. Others have lost jobs during recession, especially the color races and women. However, the author gives an idea of how people can redeem themselves from society stereotyping and their own suffering to lead a fulfilling life both economically and politically. This information from this chapter is very important since it gives any individual who is going through such circumstances to know what to do so as to redeem them.

The author puts the arguments systematically, from how the segregation starts, the levels of segregation, the effects of segregation and finally how these problems can be tackled. The author clearly gives real life examples and statistics to help convince readers about the facts on segregation based on race, class, sexuality and gender. The credibility of this chapter lies within its practicality.

The author however makes the assumption that people are very sensitive about their own status as well as that of other people. This is because of the emphasis put on society and individual perceptions concerning race, social class, sexuality and gender. The other assumption is that victims of these kinds of segregation are always mistreated and go through suffering, which is not the case.

Section B

1. How do political, economic and ideological factors affect our society?
2. How can the people affected by segregation based on their class, sexuality, gender and race redeem themselves from this adversity?
3. What is the relationship between class, gender, sexuality and race and factors like ideology, politics and the economy?

Key concepts

1. Ideological domain- Means the kind of opinions from individuals and the society as a whole.
2. Simultaneous expression- Means the opinions from an individual about themselves and that of the public.
3. Macro-processes- Means the actions and opinions of the public or society.
4. Micro-processes- Means the activities and thoughts of an individual about something.

Works Cited

Weber, Lynn. Understanding Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality: A Conceptual Framework. 2, illustrated. London: Oxford University Press, 2009.