Table of ContentsIntroductionThe Issue of Sexual ViolencePerspectives of Functionalism and Conflict TheoryApplication of Functionalism and Conflict TheoryConclusionWorks CitedIntroductionThe article “Know My Name,” a Sexual Assault Survivor Tells the World” by Jennifer Weiner was found on the New York Times page. In this essay on functionalism and conflict theory, Jennifer writes an article interviewing Chanel Miller, a twenty-year-old college graduate. Chanel recounts her experience of going to a party and becoming extremely drunk. After going out to relieve herself, she began to faint. Miller later wakes up in a hospital, to find that his underwear is missing. Subsequently, she witnesses media coverage of "Stanford athlete raping unconscious woman" and recognizes her rapist. The author, Brock Turner, was a Stanford swimmer. In response to her traumatic experience, Miller wrote a story called “Know My Name,” aimed at amplifying her voice and advocating for women facing sexual objectification. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The Issue of Sexual Violence In this article, Chanel Miller wakes up drunk in the hospital with her underwear missing. She woke up realizing she had been raped. In the article she mentions “He stated that he kissed the VICTIM while he was on the ground. He removed the VICTIM's underwear and touched her vagina. He also touched the VICTIM’s chest. (Weiner 1). Rape is something that happens to so many women all over the world and many feel the need to keep quiet. Women are exploited daily rather than being touched or pushed down to have sex without their consent. Many women feel embarrassed or afraid to speak out. Men think it is normal to view women as sexual objects and feel the need to address sexual violence such as rape. Men constantly look women up and down; look at them with discomfort. Women have to experience this every day rather than if they go to the store, parking lot, school, party or wherever, they constantly feel uncomfortable. Miller pulled herself out of a dark place, got back on her feet and wrote the story “Know My Name.” She was done with being seen as an object.Functionalism Perspectives and Conflict TheoryIn sociology, there are many ways to view a situation. There are three theoretical perspectives in sociology: symbolic interactionist, functionalism, and conflict theory. The symbolic interactionist is individual interaction or individual communication. It is a micro-level study in which sociologists study all levels and aspects of society (Openstax 1.1). The sociologist examines which rules are accepted in conversations with groups of different levels due to their personal experiences. In symbolic interactionist, people look for symbols and meaning attached to them. Then people act towards these symbols because of how they have interpreted them. This perspective leads others to think about how they act when faced with certain symbols, which leads to taking control of their own and others' actions. Another theoretical perspective used by sociologists is functionalism. Functionalism is “a theoretical approach which considers society as a structure composed ofinterdependent parts designed to meet the biological and social needs of the individuals who make up society” (Openstax 2016). Functionalism is a way in which every society works together to contribute to something greater. It is essentially the relationship between society and its aspects that is adaptive. From this perspective, it is applied as a macro-level analysis that examines changes that occur between societies and larger groups (Openstax). In functionalism, there are manifest and latent functions that are both dysfunctions. Manifest functions are the consequences of a desired and expected social process such as going to church while its latent functions Functionalists see that it is a society that is articulated and that its members work together to achieve what is best for the society in which they live. Conflict theory is the third perspective in sociology. Conflict theory is interpreted as a society competing for power. They contribute to the stability and negativity of society. Conflict theory also encourages social change and conflict among all groups. They see it as unequal groups competing against each other. Conflict theory is also a macro-level analysis. They like to see how inequality contributes to social differences and perpetuates differences toward power. They compete over limited resources such as land, poverty, non-renewable sources, etc. Application of Functionalism and Conflict Theory The story of Chanel Miller can be viewed from many different perspectives. The symbolic interactionist perspective is a perspective to consult this article. Her story can be a symbol to express that women are strong and have a voice to be heard. Rape is symbolized as a violation of a norm, which is a bad thing to commit because it impacts how women view themselves, which can lead to being considered a sex offender and being placed on probation . Another thing it symbolizes is our generation. Our generation is getting worse and worse for women. Women can't even go out in public without worrying about what will happen. Men of this generation are more perverted and rarely respect women. Women can't even go out to have fun since men are constantly watching and touching them. She mentions how men grow up viewing women as property and thinking that having sex is acceptable. If people come together and realize that rape is wrong, then it can bring about change and be taken more seriously, which can reduce the number of rape victims. Another way to view this article is functionalism. This article can be viewed through functionalism as it calls for society to adapt and work together against rape. An example of this is doctors working together to see what happened and how they can help. Women can come together to be stronger together in the face of rape and more supportive of each other. Even though rape is bad, the government has already set certain rules and consequences for rape, but if people decide not to listen, that's their choice. If Turner were more law-abiding, he wouldn't have been jailed for six months. Society must adapt together to prevent this from happening again until it has new energy in favor of rape. Conflict theory is another way of looking at Miller's story. They see how.