“The Promise,” C. Wright Mills

In “The Promise,” C. Wright Mills described one’s sociological imagination as being the ability to examine “the
intersection between biography and history.” Select a famous figure from contemporary society (actor,
musician, athlete, author, politician, etc.) and, using your own sociological imagination, imagine how different
his or her life would have been if he or she were living 50 or 100 years earlier. Briefly discuss the person and
the time-period you’re imagining them in. Describe what those differences might be, paying particular attention
to societal expectations (e.g., would a female primarily do domestic work in the home, or would she work in an
office?) and characteristics that might be relevant (e.g., race, gender, class, occupation, marital status, etc.).