C. Wright Millss Sociological Imagination - 1301 Words

The sociological imagination, a concept coined by C. Wright Mills, is defined as, â€Å"the awareness of the relationship between personal experience and wider society.† The sociological imagination is not an innate way of thinking, therefore its inverse is commonly referred to as the ordinary way of thinking. People who think ordinarily, do not make connections between what is happening in their own milieu and what is happening in the larger society they live within. The memoir of Michael Patrick MacDonald, All Souls, recounts his experience growing up in South Boston and perfectly illustrates the ordinary way of thinking. He and his family faced countless hardships and struggles that were merely side effects of larger societal issues, yet†¦show more content†¦Even after this pertinent information came to light, the family was still in disbelief, â€Å"I still wasn’t going to believe Frankie was in that casket until I saw him†(MacDonald 186). No one in the family could fathom that someone as upright, and clean cut as Frankie would die like that. Their ordinary way of thinking obstructed the MacDonalds from seeing no matter how revered Frankie was, he was not immune to phenomenons which plagued Southie society, drugs and violence. This lack of understanding is particularly exemplified in the Ma’s futile effort to go, â€Å"after the whole criminal ring (MacDonald 191),† responsible for Frankie’s death. In actuality it was much more than the actions of a couple individuals that caused Frankie to die, but the indentured patterns of crime which defined their neighborhood. The death of another MacDonald son, Davey, once again reveals the ordinary thinking used by the family, but this time on the topic of suicide, rather than drugs and violence. On a hot August afternoon, Davey, the eldest of the MacDonald children, jumped from the top of the Old Colony building, landing on the pavement, resulting in severe injury, and eventually death. If it was not apparent enough from the jump, Michael found broken bottles that Davey had used to slit his wrists on the roof, proving that his death was not accidental but suicidal. There was something insanely taboo about committing suicide in an Irish Catholic community, yet it did not change the factShow MoreRelatedThe Sociological Imagination Essay examples1118 Words   |  5 PagesHaving written The Sociological Imagination in 1959, C. Wright Mills was brought up in a society far more different and archaic than the idea of contemporary society today. The ideals that were imparted to him during his lifetime provided a framework to the ideals that are imparted to people today; however, like all incarnations, processes and ideas adapted to situate themselves into the transitioning threads of society. Through his elaboration on the sociological imagination, C. Wright Mills portraysRead MoreResponse Paper : The Promise1008 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"sociologically right.† The sociological imagination was coined by C. Write Mills. His theory of sociological imagination is that we need to look at things in the big picture. Mills had grown concerned with sociological research. Mills felt that the researchers had gone away from theoretical understanding of society. Mills’s concept was that in order to get a full understanding on an individual we have to use our imaginations and think outside the box. He felt that sociological research need researchersRead MoreIn His Account of the Sociological Imagination, C. Wright Mills (1959) Distinguishes Between ‘Private Troubles’ and ‘Public Issues’. Discuss in Relation to Domestic Violence.746 Words   |  3 Pagesforces and structures (Furze, Savy, Brym, Lie, 2008). Ideologies and social norms about men and women such as patriarchy and gender inequalities contribute greatly to the occurrence of domestic violence in society. Hence C. Wright Mills’s concept of the sociologica l imagination, â€Å"the quality of mind to see what is going on in the world and what may be happening within themselves,† (1959, as cited by Furze et al, 2008, p8) can be applied to domestic violence for it can be distinguished as both a private