Exercise- Revising: Concrete and specific words

Make the following paragraph vivid by expanding the sentences with appropriate details of your own choosing. Substitute concrete and specific words for the abstract and general ones that are underlined.

I remember clearly how awful I felt the first time I attended Mrs. Murphy's second-grade class. L had recently moved from a small town in Missouri to a crowded suburb of Chicago. My new school looked big from the outside and seemed dark inside as I walked down the long corridor toward the classroom. The class was noisy as I neared the door; but when I entered, everyone became quiet and looked at me. I felt uncomfortable and wanted a place to hide. However On a loud voice Mrs. Murphy directed me to the front of the room to introduce-myself.

READING THE TEXT

1. Explain country in your own words Price's definitions of "white trash" and, 'good country folk."

2. What is the logic behind Price's analogies between white trash and the id and between good country folk and the superego?

3. Summarize in your own words the evolution of cinematic depictions of Poor whites from the 1970s to more recent years.

4. What does Price mean by "a battle against your own heritage is difficult at best and usually impossible"?

READING THE SIGNS

1. Watch a recent movie that has working-class white characters, and analyze it according to the stereotypes that Price describes. Do you find depictions of "white trash" or "good country folk," or do the characters have traits that Price does not discuss?

2. At your school's media library, watch an episode of one of the TV shows Price mentions, such as The Dukes of Hazzard or The Beverly Hillbillies, or watch one of the films she describes. Then write your own analysis of its portrayal of the characters. Is the portrayal hostile or affectionate toward working-class white characters?

3. Write a reflective essay responding to Price's assertion: "The hatred and condescension of the poor seems to be the last available method of prejudice in our society". Support your essay with reference to current popular entertainment.

4. In class, discuss why the "white trash" stereotype persists, even in an age of heightened sensitivity about racial stereotyping. Use the class discussion as a springboard for an essay proposing your own explanation for this phenomenon.

5. Compare and contrast Price's argument about how class is depicted in the media with that of Michael Parenti in "Class and Virtue". How do you account for any differences you discern?