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Essay on social class and money inequality
Money social class essay
Money social class essay
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Have you ever been obsessed with money? In the story Seize the Day by Saul Bellow money basically runs everything. The main character, Tommy Wilhelm, invests his money with a friend of his father and loses everything. This story falls into the critical perspective of Economic Determinist and Marxism. The critical perspective of Economic Determinist and Marxist evaluates literature from the perspective of economic and social class inequality and oppression. This essay will explore how the story Seize the Day by Saul Bellow shows this critical perspective of Economic Determinist and Marxist. In the story Tommy, the main character, speaks to his fathers friend, Dr. Tamkin, about money and how people make it. In their conversation Dr. Tamkin say “You have to act fast--buy it sell it; sell it and buy it again” (pg. 3). This quote describes a strategy that people were using to make money back then. Dr. Tamkin felt like it was a good method so he mentioned it to Tommy. This quote proves that this book is a form of Economic Determinist and Marxist because it talks about a strategy of making money. That is how this quote shows Economic Determinist and Marxist in the story. Tommy and Dr. Tamkin continue having this conversation and Tommy begins to believe Dr. Tamkin knows what he is talking about because he makes it sound very simple. Dr. Tamkin says “Have you ever stopped to think how much dough people are making in this market?” (pg. 3). When he says this he is asking Tommy if he has thought about the money in the world and stock market. Obviously Dr. Tamkin has been thinking about the stock market and is really obsessed with money. This quote proves the book is a form of Economic Determinist and Marxist because it speaks on the stock m... ... middle of paper ... ...s to himself “Uch! How they love money, thought Wilhelm. They adore money! Holy money! Beautiful money! It was getting so that people were feeble-minded about everything except money” (pg. 15). Tommy thinks about how obsessed they are with money. This quote proves the book is a form of Economic Determinist and Marxist because it also speaks on the obsession of money in older age people. That is how this quote shows Economic Determinist and Marxist in the story. In conclusion, the story Seize the Day by Saul Bellow is a form of Economic Determinist and Marxist. This is show throughout the story in multiple quotes. The story talks about the stock market, money investment, how people make money, a new style of government, and people’s obsession of money. This text is important because it helps provide a vision of what people thought of money in the 1920’s and 1930’s.
Coming from an “unconventional” background, George Saunders is readily able to relate to the circumstances the everyday working laborer goes through (Wylie). However, Saunders has an advantage to spread out his ideas and concerns about life in the U.S. via his short stories and novellas. Because of neoliberalism and capitalism and its correlation to the huge wealth gap in the U.S. Saunders focuses his protagonists’ view from a proletariat standpoint, allowing the reader to see the life of consumerism has impacted our society. Saunders does not use conventional methods to portray this reality. Instead, Saunders emphasizes on the “absence” of certain moral human characteristics in order to take the reader away from viewing into a hero’s looking glass— to set a foundation of a world where our morals become lost to our materialistic and inherent need of money (Wylie).
...o conclude with, the worst fate is waiting for rich people in Marx’s “Communist manifesto”, and is explained by 2 factors: mismanagement of given resources and negative result in the class struggle between the poor and the rich. Reich, on the contrary, argues that the wealthiest people, these are the symbolic analysts, will thrive due to the higher demand for their services and better technologies. Both authors see the capital factor in different lights and predict the rich to either succeed with the help of it, or lose because of its mismanagement. Meanwhile Reich does not mention any tension among different classes Marx sees the doom of the rich in its defeat to proletariat. Nevertheless, considering that Reich describes modern times and having witnessed the fall of USSR, a model of Marxist regime, should we incline more to Reich’s predictions on the rich’s fate?
Fredrick Engels takes an historical materialist approach regarding the capitalist mode of production in a passage entitled Theoretical. Engels discusses the drastic separation between the bourgeoisie and proletarians as the feudal system shatters, allowing the notorious bourgeoisie to rein freely (Engels 292). This essay will begin by examining what historical materialism means and its connection to production and exchange, outlining the basic contradiction in capitalism according to Engels, as well as, analyzing the two contradictions that arise from the fundamental contradiction. Finally, the paper will conclude by demonstrating what Engels conceptualizes as the outcome of the historical development of capitalism, emphasizing how society can achieve this and what consequences will emerge if
Jain, Ajit, and Alexander Matejko, eds. A Critique of Marxist and Non-Marxist Thought. New York: Praeger, 1986.
Marx, Karl, Friedrich Engels, and Robert C. Tucker. The Marx-Engels reader . 2d ed. New York: Norton, 1978. Print.
The pursuit of money and the corruption of those who aim wealth, are the main subjects of critique in books like: “The Great Gatsby” and “Motorcycle Diaries”. These books present different visions of the effects the use of money have, and the social condition of “wanting more than needed”. This condition has the power of turn one simple and non-important object, into something important that could even seem vital for us. In our society, and the societies presented in Fitzgerald and Guevara’s books, money means more than a piece of paper or metal that it is supposed to make easier the exchange of things. People do not control the money, is money the one who control us. Hard cash and capitalism work by the usage of our vanity to sell us different products. It works by telling us that, what we have is not, and may never be, enough. This ideas implant a need of establishing a perpetuation of our sense of superiority. In the books “The Great Gatsby” and “Motorcycle Diaries” the reader is able to realize the repercussions the...
statues tried to lengthen it by compulsion” ( Section 5 SFNWO ). Marx argued that capitalism withhold the economy and create a recession and collapse of the economy. Industrial and factory working class has to work and be dependent on their employers because they don’t own land and capital (10/16).
Marx, Karl, Friedrich Engels, and Robert C. Tucker. The Marx-Engels reader. 2nd ed. New York: Norton, 1978. Print.
Much of Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto discusses the relationship between how a capitalist society produces its’ goods and how this affects the social structure of the society. Throughout the manifesto, Marx used the term mode of production to refer to how a given society structures its’ economic production, it also refers to how a society produces and with what capital the society produces. Human capital plays a large part in Marx’s communist manifesto, concerning himself with the relations of production, which refers to the relationship between those who own the means of production (bourgeoisie) and those who do not own the fruit of their labor (proletariat). This is where Marx believes that one can find the causes of conflict, asserting history evolves through the mode of production. The constant evolution of the mode of production toward a realization of its’ full potential productivity capacity, creates dissensions between the classes of people, which in capitalism, are defined by the modes of production (owners and workers). Marx believes that one such dissension is that since Capitalism is a mode of production based on private ownership of the means of production, and entities within a capitalistic economy produce property to be exchanged to stay competitive, these entities are forced to drive the wage level for its’ labor as low as possible so as to stay competitive. In turn, the proletariat must create means with which they can keep the interests of the bourgeoisie in check, trying to avoid being exploited to the point of extirpation. Marx holds that this example shows the inherent conflicting nature of the social infrastructure of production, which will in turn give rise to a class struggle culminating in the overthrow ...
Polanyi, Karl. "Societies and Economic Systems," "The Self Regulating Market and Fictitious Commodities: Labour, Land, and Money." "The Great Transformation. Boston: Beacon Press, 1957. pp. 43-55, 68-75
Capitalism has flourished in most of the developed countries throughout the world. Almost all developed countries have formed their economic system based on Capitalism; however, it has created some dissatisfaction among people who believe that the system is absolute and those who believe that there are flaws in the system. There is no doubt that Capitalism has helped some people flourish, but along the way, the sheer destruction it has created has affected people of all levels. It has changed the social perspective of people, and to adapt to that social aspect, they have created a mask to hide from the destruction they have caused and they have also created a different persona to satisfy themselves. In the short story Bartleby, the Scrivener, by Herman Melville argues, similar questions by portraying characters that have gone through ideal situation. First, the story takes place on Wall Street, which is the economic capital of America, where the narrator works for the rich and wealthy. “ I am one of those unambitious lawyers who never addresses a jury, or in any way draws down public applause; but in the cool tranquillity of a snug retreat, do a snug business among rich men’s bonds and mortgages and title-deeds.”(3) He also emphasizes a lot on late John Jacob Astor, who was an American Capitalist and achieved his “American Dream”. In the story, the narrator can be noted as Capitalist and Nippers, Turkey, Ginger Nut and Bartleby as workers. Through the essay Melville shows characters going through similar situations.
In proving this old proverb, Karl Marx explained some key features of capitalism that remain relevant today. Towards the end of the first chapter of Das Kapital, after having established the validity of the labour theory of value, Marx presents a section on the Fetishism of Commodities.
British political economy was brought about by the social analysis of early capitalism by writers such as Adam Smith and David Ricardo. (Bilton, Bonnett, Jones, 2002, p.476) Using these concepts as a base to his theories, Marx further argued against the capitalist regime and was a firm believer of the revolution of the workers which would one day bring about the destruction of capitalism. Marx was also influenced by the philosophical ideas of Georg W.F. Hegel. However, unlike Hegel who was an idealist Marx was a materialist as he believed that the processes of reality as real, concrete existences in the social world. Hegel believed that although these processes were dynamic, they were an expression of development rather than being solid.
“Greed is the root of all evil.” A quote from the Bible that describes many plays and stories. The Marxist theory uses a similar outlook on that saying, but it does not convey the message that the quote does. Using the Marxist theory, good can still be done though it typically isn’t. “A Doll’s House” is the perfect example of this theory, and the quote. Its narrative is almost wholly centered on economic status and money. The characters like Nora, Ms. Linde, and Krogstad are primarily main characters because of the money issues they have got themselves stuck into. It leads their actions till the very end of the play up until some of the characters realized that money was controlling their thoughts and actions.
Neo-Marxists were starting to apply Marxism to the classic monopolistic economy. But there are two reason of the methodological change of Marxist economics.