With this type of background Sanders was shocked when he went to college and heard the women complain that the men " were guilty of having kept all the joys and privileges of the earth for themselves" (182). What kind of joy comes from five days a week of slave labor work in the factory, only to have it kill you thirty years down the road? Sanders" cultural background had lead him blind to the role that women played in the world around him. He didn't or couldn't see " what a prison a house could be." (183). And if the women could escape the prison what was left for them? Nothing but "thankless roles as clerks and waitresses." (183). The women wanted nothing more than to share in the power of running the world. This helps reinforce Sanders drive to better himself and try to escape the slave labor. .
Social and cultural factors not only have influence on they way we view the opposite sex; it can also change the perspective on our own personal values. George Orwell's essay "Shooting an Elephant" demonstrates this when it comes down for the essayist to pull the trigger or not. In the first paragraph of the essay, George describes the Burman people has having "yellow faces" (1). This description separates the English Orwell from the rest of the native people, which he is to police, very clearly. One day George received word that "an elephant was ravaging the bazaar" (2). He grabbed his rife and headed out to where the report had come from. When he saw the corpse of the dead coolie, the elephant trampled, he knew he would need more protection than his rifle. So he sent someone to retrieve an elephant rifle, so he could hopefully stop the elephant if it decided to charge him. .
"As soon as I saw the elephant I know with perfect certainty that I ought not to shoot him" (4) were the words mumbled at his first glance. A healthy elephant was worth a lot of money maybe even more than the dead coolie that was still lying in the street.
