Analysis of My Sociological Imagination

Culture, religion, and gender in my opinion play a big role in who we are as people. They shape our morals and why we act and do the things we do. If any of these three things were different it could drastically change someone’s life. Understanding the sociological imagination creates my thoughts of looking at life in a different perspective. While Argentina and Columbia sit 3035 miles away from each other, I am mixed with both. My mother is Columbian and my father is Argentinian. After telling you this, it is obvious that English was not my first language in my household. My father and mother’s first language is Spanish. Although, the cultures between these two are similar, the way my parents were brought up was different. My father comes from poverty and grew up poor so he always taught me to appreciate everything that I have and not take it for granted. While my mother never had to worry about money. That being said, my mom taught me to be responsible with my money and the difference between “needing” something and “wanting” something.

Obviously, my culture has a big impact on why I am the way I am today. However, if things were different, for example, if both of my parents were from the United States and English was their first language. Something as simple as writing this paper could be easier for me. Your culture has such a big impact on how you view things. Growing up religion was a big part of my family’s everyday life. For example, whenever we sat down for a meal, before anyone would think about taking a bite of their food my parents would lead us in prayer. I believe that since my religion is Christianity it plays a big role in why my morals and beliefs are so strong. For example, my parents taught me never to judge a person, respect everyone, and learn to forgive even when it is hard to. But most importantly put God first. Now if things were different, and my parents weren’t Christians I may not have the same morals. I possibly would be lost in the world such as getting drunk all the time, disrespecting others, holding grudges, and putting other things before God. If my parents didn’t teach me to put God first, I know I would be living a miserable life. The average height of a female today is around 5”4. Unfortunately, I got my dad’s jeans making me only 4’10. Being a young petite female has taught me life lessons, such as being independent, strong, confident, and determined. For example, many people don’t expect much from me when they first see me. And I was tired of asking someone to reach something for me or carry something heavy.

So I take the gym very seriously, so that I don’t have to depend on other people. Also, people like to take advantage of me, for instance, I only wanted one part of my car fixed but the dealership told me I needed to get another part fixed making the bill ridiculously high. They said I wouldn’t be able to drive back home without breaking down which I found out later on from another dealership that it wasn’t true. The moral of the story is that they wanted me to pay more money then I really needed to. I also have learned to be confident in the way I look, helping me be more determined in life as a petite female. Now, if I was 5”4 people would perhaps expect more from me and people wouldn’t take advantage of me.

Also, I wouldn’t be as confident and determined as I am today. To sum up, my culture, religion, and gender shaped me the way I am today. I looked at my life in a whole different perspective which has brought me to conclusion that my life could be immensely different. According to Mills, C, Wright, “The sociological imagination is the most fruitful form of self-consciousness” (Wright 7).