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Inequality and social class
Social inequality and social class
Inequality and social class
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The amount of money different people make has always been a contentious subject between people. There is always a higher income level that people wish to get to, and often even after reaching that specific class, after an initial moment of happiness, people become antsy and wish to continue to move up the social ladder. Someone's social class can be a very prominent part of one's identity and can shape the way someone views themselves. Thus, a person wishing to improve their social class can indicate them wanting to improve their own perceptions of themselves, and also the way they wish to be viewed in other's eyes. Miss Julie written by August Strindberg and The Weavers written by Gerhart Hauptman highlight the differences in social classes, …show more content…
Although the relationship between the two classes is not entirely smooth, there is never any confrontation between the two classes. It seems as though the upper classes are largely unaware of the plight of how unhappy the people who serve them are. While Miss Julie is with Jean on midsummer's night she says "I know the people, and I love them, just as they love me. Let them come, and you'll see," (Strindberg, 14). Miss Julie believes that the people who worked for her family have always felt fond of her. While it is possible that there are a few servants who did like her, according to Jean, the majority of servants did not like her at all. Jean fears that the servants dislike her so much, that if they were to find Miss Julie they would harm her. It is Jean's testimony on the servant's hatred in addition to hearing the insulting song they sing that prompt Miss Julie to take Jean's warning seriously and hide. In the entirety of this play, the only person who seems to respect Miss Julie and her class is Christine. While talking to Jean towards the end of the play she says: "For if they're [the upper class] no better, then it's no use trying to get up to them," (Strindberg, 27). This implies that Christine does think they are better because she does admire them and does see them as an example on how people should behave. "Miss Julie" shows that not all class differences have to be violent to be valid and that just because one class is unaware that there is loathing eminent in the lower class, does not mean that it does not
People often feel as though their lives are not what they expect them to be so they make the decision of going out and getting an education. This education often changes the way people look at others who were in their previous situations meaning social class. The education sometimes makes people forget who they truly are because they feel bigger than the people they came up with. In the two texts, “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker and “Good Country People” by Flannery O’Connor the main characters Dee and Joy try to manipulate people even though they lack something in their lives.
Social class was slightly more significant than racism and sexism, because the amount of money an immigrant had determined the way they lived, the food they ate, and what work they had to do. Sinclair explained how there were two different social classes, one was “the capitalist class, with its enormous fortunes,” and the other was “proletariat, bound into slavery by unseen chains.” The overall objective of the novel was to convince the reader into becoming a Socialist, where one could fix the terrible conditions of that time
Social class has always been a controversial issue in America. This idea, that individuals are defined by their wealth, is explored by Jeannette Walls in her memoir, The Glass Castle. Walls shows, through a manifold of personal anecdotes, how growing up in a dysfunctional household with financially inept parents affected her and her siblings. Growing up in this environment, Jeannette was exposed to a very different perception of the world around her than those of higher social status. However, despite the constant hardships she faced, Walls makes it clear that a lower social status does not define an individual as inferior to those in a higher class.
Social Class and having a choice which society you choose to live in. Miss. Moore who
One of her argument is that people like to wear jeans and sweatshirt no matter the social class. But it does not mean the social class is disappeared. The price of a simple pair of jean can be low as few dollar from the thrift store up to thousands in boutique shop. Good and services are two good measurements for social station. The richest people is spending their money on personal services or exclusive experiences and isolating themselves from the masses. According to the poll by The New York Times, about 81 percent of Americans said they had felt social pressure to but high priced goods (Steinhauer). Professor Juliet B. Schor at Boston College suggests that “ the actual social competition used to played out largely at the neighbors level, among people in roughly the same class” (Steinhauer), but people have become increasingly isolated from their neighbors in the past 30 years. Magazines and televisions filled with advertisements and celebrities has become the new level of desire across all classes. Similar to the case from the film, Lillian is affected by her boss’s wife/friend Helen. The film represents marital and familial institutions. Lillian looks up to Helen’s high standard of life, which made her suffer in the
In the novel wealth plays vital impact on the lives of the characters, money defines social stature, in my perspective middle class was practically nonexistent, established wealthy individuals
Margaret is an intelligent, articulate, and ambitious woman who desires to rise up in social status by marrying a man of higher social rank. She attends to those above her, in hopes of elevating her status as she becomes closer to the upper-class. As a minor character, she plays a small yet crucial role in advancing Don John’s plot to slander Hero and spoil her wedding. As a lower-class character, Margaret serves as a foil to the rich girls, particularly Hero, who embodies every attitude and mindset Margaret does not. But she also offers an alternative perspective on the upper-class characters in the play. Because Margaret is victimized because of her social ambitions, punished for wanting to rise above her ...
Society today is split in many different ways: the smart and the dumb, the pretty and the ugly, the popular and the awkward, and of course the rich and the poor. This key difference has led to many areas of conflict among the population. The rich and the poor often have different views on issues, and have different problems within their lives. Moral decay and materialism are two issues prevalent among the wealthy, while things such as socio-economic class conflict and the American dream may be more important to those without money. Ethics and responsibilities are an area of thought for both classes, with noblesse oblige leaning more towards the wealthy.
From dreams deferred to identity affirmed Lorraine Hansberry’s, “A Raisin in the Sun,” presents readers with many differing themes. The most prevalent and reoccurring theme is the effect money plays on society’s views of manhood and happiness. Readers are shown multiple characters with a diverse view on manhood. From Walter Lee with his matching societal views that a man should be able to provide whatever his family needs or wants to Lena whose views are a biased compilation of her late husband’s behavior and her own ideals, that a man should maintain his honor and protect his children’s dreams.
Social class, as defined by the film, is something that affects who you are as a person. In the film, the people saw class as the defining factor of a person. They saw class as a barrier between people. If one person is in a different class than another person, then obviously, they are not supposed to associate. They allowed their social class to dictate their action each day. It was amazing to me just how much the people in the film allowed their class to truly define them and really serve as a boundary in their life. The people in the film lived their daily life with their social class as the most influential factor. Their worth and value as individuals was not determined by anything else except the amount of money they had. It was really interesting to see how the amount of money a person had somehow equated with their worth in society. The same is true within our society today, but in the film, this aspect was especially evident. The film really shed a light on just how impactful social class is and just how much we allow it to
... their positions and their stand in society. Material privileges and money distinguish the upper class people from the harder working lower class, and with this we can see how morals play an important role in their life. Arrogance and vanity control the lives of those with all the money, and modesty and inner happiness is what lower class people strive for. In Rebecca, Daphne Du Maurier is able to glorify a phenomenon that takes the main character life from the bottom of the sea to a cruise ship sailing the seven seas. The narrator goes through the different social classes but keeps her own mind and morals; she is not over taken by all the riches and material privileges that come with such a life, but on the contrary, she remains true to her self and makes sure that the only thing that matters is the she and Maxim De Winter share and carry on with their lives.
Social class is an underlying factor to which all characters run their lives. It is always a priority and influenced most, if not every part of their lives. Most of the characters in the novel respect the rules of class and are always trying to climb the social ladder. Or if they are atop this ladder, they make it a mission that they remain there. Mrs. Bennet tried very hard to have her daughters marry the most socially advanced men and in the end the daughters chose socially respectable men. Elizabeth at first preached against marriage for money, but strangely mocked herself by marrying the richest of them all.
middle of paper ... ... ‘I’m asleep, in a trance.so warm, so good.so bright, so peaceful.’ substantiates that Miss Julie becomes subordinate to Jean, and the battle of sexes provides Jean with a more dominant characteristic. Finally, throughout the play, gender inequality and the battle of sexes are explored to the degree that these were the responsible factors for Miss Julie’s naturalistic fate, even though the battle of classes is a recurring theme throughout the play.
People with more money don’t have to worry about saving since they don’t have to ration their expenses. They also can afford nicer things and go out and travel more than others who have less money. According to , people in the upper class live in high end neighborhoods, send their kids to private schools, take part in big name clubs, and drive nice cars. There are two ways that these people obtain this level of wealth. One way, is by being born into a family that has always had money. And the other way is through hard work and
Class distinction is one of Jane Austen’s themes in the novel, and the differentiation related to it is evidently depicted. Reading the novel from the first chapter, I realize that the author clearly illustrates that class is what matters most in many of the incidences displayed by the characters. Unless an individual is of a given class, the idea that he or she has money is not valued, since only birth in a certain background is what is of value. When a person openly values money over class, such a person is frowned upon. In general terms, the Novel shows a social world extremely stratified and full of pretension and class struggle.