Crime and deviance
Part 2
– Structural Theory Concepts] In a detailed structured paragraph, respond to the following questions by referring to the life of the rapper Nas and a clip from the documentary, Life is Illmatic.
Link to DOCUMENTARY – https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x68o654
This is an important point; I need you to see a section of this film from 15:00 – 35:00 minutes. You can watch the whole film is you like. Life is Illmatic folks!!
1. What are the three signs of disorganization in a poor community like Brooklyn? How is the community shaped/structured and how does this contribute to the level of deviance and crime found there, and therefore, Nas’ exposure to it?
2. What is anomie? Who came up with this idea? How does anomie seem to be experienced by the young people from Brooklyn like Nas and his brother?
3. How does anomie lead to strain? How is strain connected to status frustration? Can we find examples of this link in the clip?
4. How does the “gang” alleviate the strain experienced by poor youth? How does music do this for Nas? How did Nas gain access to a learning structure and performance environment that would allow him to become a world renowned rapper, rather than a local criminal?
5. Why is being a rapper an example of innovation in Merton’s strain theory?
