Article Analysis Essay on 'Saints and Roughnecks'

Introduction

In the article by William J. Chambliss, there are various sociological concepts that can be applied it to its examination. The author named the article Saints and Roughnecks. The article talks about two groups of students who involve in unaccepted conducts and they are not treated in the same manner as other students in the society. The students grouped as saints are those who have good behaviors and appear to come from rich families while Roughnecks are students from poor families and have bad behaviors. They are usually caused troubles by disturbing their teachers and also disobey the laws of the land. In this article, the author makes an attempts to discover the type of sociological forces that are working to make these students to have different behaviors. The authors also explained his observation on post-high school students where Saints were able to lead a successful life while Roughnecks lead a negative life and failed in life.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Labeling theory is one of the sociological theories that apply in the scenario. This theory is based on the principle that when someone is told that he is a failure, he will eventually become a failure in life. It is, therefore, a theory of deviance which relates to the consequences of labels on self-worth. The theory holds the assumptions that those who become antisocial are more likely to become casualties of undesirable labeling. Saints have the opportunities to have a good relationship with other members of the society. They have a very good image capable of earning them good in spite of showing bad behaviors. Due to the fact that the Saints come from rich families, they drive cars and wear decent clothes as compared to Roughnecks.

The Saints, therefore, have the opportunity to employ these privileges to improve their relationships with others hence keeping their labels as good as possible and also to nurture their behavior. They are advised to do good activities because they are in possession of good grades, not troublesome and have good relations with others. In most circumstances, it is not because they come from rich families, have high education performance because they come from financially stable families but because they know how to employ their opportunities.

Roughnecks are different from the Saints in many ways. They do not have fancy clothes and do not use cars as they are from poor families. They are labeled as people with bad behaviors and they are expected to perform poorly in schools. They are also expected to disobey the laws as a result expected by the police to be in jail. They are people seen as nothing in the society but to cause troubles.

There are also other sociological theories that are used to describe Saints and Roughnecks as two different groups of students. It is called Travis Hirsch's which brings out the association between the way different people in the social bond with one another and the way in which they have a high likelihood of committing antisocial behaviors. Students who could not create successful social bonds with other members in the society are likely to involve in antisocial behaviors. Roughnecks do not form good social networks and therefore have nothing to prevent them from participating in unacceptable activities.

Conclusion

In summary, Saints engage in activities that promote the growth of the society while those from Roughnecks participate in activities such as theft, murder, drinking alcohol and fighting with one another. This article, therefore, brings a distinction between two groups of people found in every society. On a personal perspective, it is necessary for young people to read this article to acquire knowledge on how to live with other members of the society.