The second part of the sociology chapter describes Angela’s two sons. Angela’s two sons turn out very differently because each of them lived an opposite family experiences. The oldest, Nicholas, grew up very quick. Nicholas was “a street-wise man who lived too much too soon” (218). Since he was the son of a single mother, he had to take the role of a father. At a young age, he had many man’s obligations and learned to take care of his younger siblings. In addition, he lived in a dangerous neighborhood where drugs were easy to obtain. He also dropped out of high school. At the young age of 22, he was a father of two children. Nicholas was also in jail for stealing. On the other hand, Angela’s youngest son, Christopher, had a different life experience. By this time, his she had a college degree, earned $83,000 annually, and was married. Her attitudes and expectations towards her children’s education were higher because she now belonged to the middle-class rather than the working-class. She was a more mature woman and taught her kids, including Christopher, values and discipline. She spent time with him and helped him with his science projects (something that she did not do with Nicholas).
The story of Angela’s two sons shows that, sometimes, SES determines how a person might end up in life, for example, as a professional or with out a degree. The higher SES a person has the more and better opportunities the person would receive. Sometimes it opens the door to better jobs, higher salaries, maturity, and success.