1. Both readings look at how social class affects people’s lives, but they do it in different ways. Reading 4.1 is about how people use their income, education, and job to figure out what class they belong to. It shows that a lot of people think of themselves as “middle class,” even when their finances don’t match that label. Reading 4.2, on the other hand, uses geography, specifically subway stations, to show how class differences are spread out across New York City. It shows how neighborhoods that are only a few stops apart can have very different levels of wealth and opportunity. So, while 4.1 talks about how people see things, 4.2 shows how inequality really is in terms of space and time.

2) The closest station to me is 125th Street on the A/C/B/D lines in Harlem. Reading 4.1 makes me think that most of the people in the area are working class, with a few middle-class pockets. There are both older apartment buildings and new developments, as well as public housing. A lot of people in the area work in healthcare, education, or service jobs. Even though there is a strong sense of community, you can see that the economy is having problems. This classification doesn’t surprise me; it seems right. The neighborhood has a long history of culture and strength, but it is also under pressure from gentrification and rising costs.

3) If you pay attention to subway stops, you can easily see how NYC is divided by class, as shown in Reading 4.2. The Upper East Side, Tribeca, and some parts of Brooklyn are wealthy neighborhoods with high median incomes and access to top-notch schools, services, and housing. At the same time, most of the working-class and immigrant communities live in the Bronx, Queens, and parts of Brooklyn, which are on the outside of the city. The subway system itself is a map of inequality; where you get on and off can tell a lot about your social class. It’s a reminder that class isn’t just about how much money you have; it’s also about where you live, how easy it is to get to things, and what chances you have.