The Social Class Structures Sociology Essay

The Social Class Structures Sociology EssayThe Sumerian civilization was peerless of the earliest in Mesopotamia. The Sumerians existed around 3500-1750 B.C. The Sumerian civilization was not discovered until the 19th century. The following manuscript lead cover three key topics the Sumerian Creation Story, the compared affable variant placement to the contemporary unite States, and how the hierarchical structure set forth by the Sumerian Empire compares with our current bend arbiter system. Lastly, the educational material will show the similarities and differences surrounded by the ancient Sumerian Empire and todays contemporary joined States. This research will help individuals actualize early civilizations and how they compare to todays society. The information discovered will also show how early civilizations built their societies.The Social Class Structures and felonious Justice Systems of Sumerian and the join StatesSumer was a collection of city states around the Lower Tigris and Euphrates rivers in what is now southern Iraq. It was a collection of farming villages. Each of these cities had individual rulers although the leader of the supreme city could have been considered the king of the region. The Sumerians formed the earliest written language. Their unearthly beliefs also are found to have some similarities with the Bible, especially the book of Genesis.This stress will compare and contrast the Sumerian Empire and the joined States. To compare and contrast the cardinal the Sumerian Creation, social illuminatees, and twist justice system will be assessed. First, I will evaluate the story of the Sumerian Creation. Next, I will compare the different social markes between the Sumerian civilization and the join States. Lastly, I will discuss the hierarchical structure set forth by the Sumerian Empire compared to our current criminal justice system.Literature polishThis literature review focuses on literature regarding Sumer and the SumerianCreation Story, particularly focusing on the Sumerian social class hierarchy.Additionally, this literature review examines the contemporary social structure in theUnited States and the current criminal justice system.DiscussionSumerian Creation StoryThe Sumerians Creation Story begins with the earth and the welkin being created in the sea. The Sumerian myths have been pieced together due to the age of the remains found. After the earth and the heavens were created the gods created cities and each city had its have god. The manly god, An, and the female god, Ki, gave birth to Enlil, the chief god of the pantheon. Enlil impregnated Ninlil, the goddess of wind, which created the moon. When the moon was created then it was time to create humans. The Sumerian gods created some humans out of silt or clay.From the paygrade of the Sumerians Creation Story similarities to the Bible can be found. As in Genesis, the Sumerians world is formed the heavens and earth are separated fro m one other by a solid dome. The second chapter of Genesis introduces the paradise Eden, a place which is similar to the Sumerian Dilmun. (Gen. 29-10) In the second version of the presentation of man The Lord God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being. The Sumerian gods apply a similar method in creating man (Kramer Maier p. 33).Sumerian and United States Social ClassThe Sumerian social class is split into three social groups. These social groups live of speed class, in-between class or middle class, and lowest class. At the top of the Sumerian f number class is the king and priests. The upper class also included lan plentyers, government officials, and merchants. Something that stood out in the Sumerian social class was that women had more rights in early Sumer than in later Mesopotamia. upper berth class women were priestesses. The Sumerian women were landowners, merchants, artisans, and most raised children. Slaves made up the lowest class along with prisoners, orphans, poor children, and debtors. The Sumerians used slaves as cheap labor. Sumerians allowed slaves the right to do business, borrow money, and buy freedom.In the United States the economists and sociologists have not devised exact guidelines for the social classes. Instead there are two set classes including the three-class model that consist of the rich, middle class, and the poor. In the three-class model the rich of course have the wealth, middle class consist of those who work white savvy jobs, and the poor are the macabre collar workers or those who are unemployed. The other model that is most commonly used is the five-class model including upper class, upper-middle, middle-middle, lower-middle, and lower class. In the five-class model it is broke down a little more. The upper class term is applied to the blue bloods who are the families who are multi-generational wealth. These families also have lea dership in high society. The balance of the upper class is followed by those who have made significant investment off of capital and stock options as well as the corporate elect who have high salary jobs such as being a Chief Executive Officers (CEO). The upper middle class consists of highly-educated salaried professional physicians, lawyers, scientists, and professors. The upper middle class tends to have a great influence over society. The middle class and the lower middle class seem to overlap. The middle class consists of semi-professionals, craftsmen, office staff, and sales employees. These people often have college degrees. The lower middle class often includes the same professions except for those in the lower middle class do not have a college degree. Those without the college degree are often on the entry level in those careers. The low class is the blue collar workers. These blue collar workers are considered the working poor. Most of the population in the United State s is considered the working class or the working poor.Sumerian and United States Criminal Justice SystemThe Sumerian legal system, one of the earliest known criminal justice systems,focused on a citizens compliance with the social norms and religious beliefs of the day.Regardless of social class, strict compliance with orders and instructions was rewarded,while failure to comply was punished (Sterba, 1976, p. 25). Such punishment wascommensurate with the injury (Sterba, 1976). The Sumerians established a system oflaws to deal with personal injuries, slave issues, sexual offences, marital problems, andagricultural disputes (Milosavljevic, 2007, p. 7). Regulating the behavior of its citizenshelped keep the social order.From its earliest days, the criminal justice system in America has served to protectthe interests of the rich, property-owning classes. Crime is often associated with theworking poor and the underclass (Jargowsky Park, 2009). Because of this, crime isoften a problem i n urban areas with low income levels. Elevated crime levels have beenattributed to neighborhood social disorganization stemming from urban structuralchanges, residential instability, and racial/ethnic transitions (Jargowsky Park, 2009,p.30). The contemporary criminal justice system has been viewed as a means ofregulating class interests by insuring that enforcement efforts are directed toward theregulation of the poor. (Weiner, 1975, p. 436).ConclusionThere are several differences between Sumer and contemporary American society.For instance, the position of women is markedly different in the two social structures.Additionally, slavery no longer exists in the United States, eliminating this lowest ofsocial classes. The communal lifestyle of Sumer stands in sharp contrast to the capitalistsociety of the United States. Finally, the criminal justice systems of these two societieshave different goals and objectives.Among the differences between Sumer and the United States is the positio n ofwomen in society. In Sumer, it was the male citizens who comprised the assembly ofelders and who controlled the power and wealth of the community. Unlike in Sumer, theUnited States is no longer controlled exclusively by men. In the United States, theproclamation that all men are created equal has been interpreted to include women aswell as people from all social classes. The ordinal Amendments Equal Protectionclause guarantees that no state shall deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws (U.S. Const. Amend. XIV). Thus, people of all classes, as well as women, are protected equally by the laws of the United States. Another difference between Sumer and the United States is slavery. Until 1863, slavery was legal in the United States (Harr Hess, 2002).The Emancipation Proclamation officially freed the slaves and outlawed slavery (Harr Hess, 2002). Those in the slave states did not immediately comply with the EmancipationProclamation (Harr Hess, 2002). The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States physical composition abolished slavery in America (U.S. Const. Amend. XIII). In contrast, slavesmade up the lowest social class in Sumer. Unlike in the United States, the people of Sumer had a communal lifestyle. People did not work for money, nor did they compete to get rich at the expense of other individuals. The great majority safely depended on the head word of their estate to fill their needs, and he, in turn, depended on them to increase and protect his wealth and position (Ellison, 1964, p. 22). Further, each city was conceived to be the special concern of oneof the gods in Mesopotamia, and in a sense the equalitarianism of government placedeach man in the position of being a guardian of that gods interests (Ellison, 1964, p. 24).In contrast, the United States has both urban and rural communities in which people workfor money and attempt to better their social situation. Additionally, under capitalismpeople work for thei r own self-interests and have an opportunity to change their socialclass by getting an education and accumulating greater wealth.The objective of the criminal justice system in these two societies differed as well.In Sumer, punishment for crime attempted to make the victim whole again or wasretribution commensurate with the type of harm inflicted. The Sumerian code of Ur-Nammu focused on restitution as the primary approach to criminal justice (Van Ness, 1991). In the United States, crime is defined as an offense against the State instead of against a specific individual (Van Ness, 1991). Because of this, the offender is not held personally responsible for restoring the victim. However, restitution is sometimes made part of sentencing and victims rights are suitable more important within the criminal justice system.The cultures, social class hierarchies, and legal systems of Sumer and the UnitedStates are significantly different yet, the class structure and criminal justice system o fSumer offers unique insights into our own society. The similarities and differenceshighlight the importance of understanding where civilization began and where we intendto go from here. Because of the complexity of the relationship between social class andcrime, it is vital to remain aware of the goals of the criminal justice system.