blog assignment 3

I am very lucky to have the opportunity to be a full time student and not work because my parents are supporting me. Not many people have the chance to focus all their energy on school without worrying about putting in hours at work. Although I cannot relate work, class and language, the fact that I don’t have a job says a lot about my social/economic class. It means that my family has the means to support an adult child who isn’t working.
One moment in my life that has showed me the difference in my family’s class and the class of other family’s was when my family was eating dinner with my boyfriend’s family. The difference in language use was so strikingly obvious! My boyfriend and his dad used lots of slang words and I could tell they were holding back swear words. My mom, dad and I don’t usually use slang words and we tend to use bigger or more sophisticated words. It’s not that we are trying to be snobby or superior, it’s just how we both grew up and what we are used to. Lots of people on both sides of my family went to college, while I’m not sure if anyone on my boyfriend’s side has been to college.
I noticed that in the story, the language used was simple and short. It reminded me a little bit of my boyfriend’s language, but his wasn’t that extreme. When I was reading the story, I felt for little Monica because I have been in a similar situation. When I was younger, my mom used to go away on business trips, and my dad wasn’t used to doing all the things she usually does around the house, so that responsibility fell on to me. As the years went on and my mom and dad both got different jobs, things changed. My dad now works from home and my mom is gone all day, so my dad has taken on all the responsibilities she and I used to take care of. So I can relate to young Monica, but as my life went on, my family is actually very different from hers.