(855) 4-ESSAYS

Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

The Road to the Middle Class

            The nightfall before Erin was leaving for America was a somber one for her family, though they hid it well during the preparations for her wake. There was much to be done - days had been spent baking and cooking and there was still cleaning to do, despite the minute size of the cottage. Erin spent the day before visiting friends and inviting them to the farewell celebration. The time had now arrived and one by one the guests drifted in for a gathering that promised to last until the wee hours of the morning. Her mother served tea and biscuits with a special jam brought over from England, only to be used for occasions like this. Erin watched her father bring out his fiddle for a gay night of jigs and Irish step-dancing in the kitchen, the largest and warmest room in the cottage. Morning brought some sadder ballads and the women began to break down into wails of grief as Erin made preparations for her departure. .
             This "American Wake" was common, even expected, among families of emigrants. It was a funeral for Erin, as chances were she would never return to Ireland again. Even if Erin had decided to emigrate to Australia she still would have had an "American Wake" - but it was to America she was headed and it was for the promise of a better future than Ireland could provide for her. As the breaking of dawn shone through the window her Mother broke down completely. A neighbor offered Erin a loaf of Frog Bread - a superstitious concoction made of roasted frog. The frog had been pulverized and the ashes mixed with oaten meal; it would supposedly protect her from fever during the voyage to New York. Her mother then carefully unwrapped her preserved "caul" which had been in storage for eighteen years. This membrane which had protected Erin in the womb would protect her against drowning, though Erin did know how to swim. .
             A convoy assembled to accompany Erin to the railway station; her parents and closest friends accompanied her on the long walk.


Essays Related to The Road to the Middle Class

1. The Meaning of Education

The connotation of education is diverse amongst all cultures, classes, and individuals. ... Living in the twentieth century as a middle class Caucasian male, Thurber has been exposed to a great deal more opportunity then Douglass. ... The road to opportunity and freedom lay full of danger and possible death. ... It is hard to ignore the blatant difference in class between Thurber and Douglass. ... Thurber is a middle class American, striving to achieve the same standards that he has grown up with. ...

  • Word Count: 1004
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

2. Short Story - A Natural Road

I looked around the new class full of talents, determined to make a statement on my first day at this top high school. ... Inferiority grew in me who still believed that luck had brought him from a low-tier middle school to this high school. I freaked out just by thinking about how to survive amidst this class of geniuses. ... A safe road, I believed. ... A natural road....

  • Word Count: 634
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Ancient Civilization - Sumer

They built and maintained walls, roads, and irrigation trenches for watering crops. ... Sometimes a farmer would temporarily leave his farm to help maintain the walls or roads. ... Roads were also made of bricks. The roads and canals made transport easy, and so the Sumerian public works helped to grow Sumer's trade. ... Sumerian society was separated into different social classes. ...

  • Word Count: 2356
  • Approx Pages: 9
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

4. The Impact of Family on Education

Obviously, my family has been good at steering me in the right direction; however, it was not always an easy road during their mentoring of me. ... Feters, would always have us walk into class, sit down, read the prompts, and start writing. ... " When I was eleven, my family and I moved to Benicia, CA and I started attending a public school named Benicia Middle School. ... My first day at Benicia Middle was a total shock. ... In eighth grade, I returned at Benicia Middle School. ...

  • Word Count: 1254
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

5. Road Blocks To The American Dream

Classism: the Road Block to the American Dream In the heart of the Compton there lived a boy named Rafael. ... The road to the American Dream might be possible but there are too many roadblocks and walls that stop the achievement of those goals. ... It is harder if not impossible for poor people living in bad neighborhoods to reach their goals than it is for an upper-middle class person living in a nice suburb. ... What bothers middle class students is that they are too rich to qualify for financial aid but they don't have the money to pay for college. That's when middle class stud...

  • Word Count: 2472
  • Approx Pages: 10
  • Grade Level: High School

6. Road Not Taken

This idea in Frost's poem is the fork in the road, the decision between the two paths, and the speaker's decision to select the road not taken. "The Road Not Taken" was written in a time when Frost himself had to make a choice in life, and his daring decision to take the road not taken. ... Robert began to go to school and sit in on his mother's classes. ... Both roads lead to the unknown and although he tries to see as far as the road stretches he cannot see where it is going to lead. ... Robert Frost reason for writing the poem is a debatable subject, but in a tape recordin...

  • Word Count: 2331
  • Approx Pages: 9
  • Grade Level: High School

7. Cars

A time when everyone could afford an automobile and the world was opened up for not only the aristocracy, but the most all of the middle class as well. ... After all, the automobile was an expensive machine that only the upper-class and upper middle-class could afford. ... With the increased comfort came an increased desire to travel, thus the road system developed. The government who created the road system also decided that it would be necessary to enforce laws restricting auto driving and travel. ... With the increased travel and roads came increased businesses along roads which...

  • Word Count: 794
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

8. Renaissance

In feudal cities, where there was a small middle-class population, life was a little easier and individuals had the freedom to pursue whatever trade or industry they liked. ... A new middle class began to emerge as bankers, merchants, and tradespeople once again had a market for their goods and services. Tools developed in the Middle Ages for exploration continued to be used during the Renaissance. ... (For traders, sailing proved to be a better option than traveling by land, as the network of roads that crisscrossed Europe was poor, and the few good roads that did exist were frequented by th...

  • Word Count: 2157
  • Approx Pages: 9

9. summary

The heart of the middle class has been hollowed out with 40 percent fewer workers achieving the earnings that defined America's middle class in the 1970's. ... In today's world it is not a automatic passport into the upper middle class, it's more of an absolute necessity for penetrating the lower middle class. ... A person coming into today's job market must be aware that they will have a tougher road than their parents. ...

  • Word Count: 360
  • Approx Pages: 1
  • Grade Level: High School

Got a writing question? Ask our professional writer!
Submit My Question