Evaluate the Marxist perspective of religion Marxists are a group of sociologists that believe “religion is the opium of the people”, therefore it acts as a drug to dull the pain of oppression for the working class and makes life seem more bearable. However, sociologists have long been divided on the function of religion, so Marxists can be criticised in a number of ways. Marxists argue that religion benefits the ruling class in a number of ways. Firstly, it promises life after death which makes our suffering in this life more acceptable. Secondly, it makes social inequality seem fair and just, justifying social hierarchy.
Oscar Wilde is credited for being a provocateur for change in nineteenth century England. Wilde provides his audience with the opportunity to witness the inner-workings of Victorian society and their rebellion against following the social norms. Oscar Wilde uses the fabricated identities of Jack and Algernon, the main characters of the play, to show the rebellious nature of the aristocracy. Wilde portrays the Victorian upper-class as rigid and the secret lives are necessary to provide the freedom to express who they really are. While the middle-class of England looks up to the upper-class Victorians with respect and envy, both Jack and Algernon dislike the propriety of it all.
In fact, the rich ones have all the power and thus exploit the workers and ignore their existence. In order to expose this discrimination, Ondaatje uses images of darkness and light as passage from isolation and ignorance through empowerment and knowledge. As Sarris said in his article, “The imagery of darkness also plays a central role within the novel's theme of isolation” (2001). In this essay, I will firstly focus on how Patrick’s knowledge shaped him throughout his life and helped him pass through loneliness to empowerment. I will, in the second part, analyze the connection between him and the workers and how he liberated them from ignorance and darkness, and brought them to feel acknowledged.
At the time Brave new world was authored there were substantial issues worldwide. The economic depression in capitalist societies, fascism emerging in Europe and the high rate of unemployment meant people longed for the kind of security that Huxley provided the citizens of his fictional world. This affected Huxley, his writing and ultimately his vision of the future which inevitably seeped into Brave new world. He exaggerates all the present worrying trends of his time so that they produce awful consequences. The movement towards socialism in the 1920’s for example becomes the totalitarian state, the growth in materialism transforms into a form of religion- where humans are mass produced and henry ford is god- and depicts the end of the traditional and familiar life which becomes a strange and sterile modern state.
He believes that it was the role of the government that would keep these instincts in line. If these instincts were not controlled it would lead to war. Hobbes views were shaped by his life experiences during the English Civil War. He believed people were evil and selfish. Hobbes idea that “people orbiting their ruler” leads me to the idea of socialism/communism (Sayre, 2012).
In the novel the wave, Morton Rhue demonstrates how the characters come to comprehend that social pressure is abhorrent and its threatening force not only in the German Nazi but in an average day life. Robert is one of the characters with an optimistic attitude towards the experiment thinking that it was positive and that it was authorized for everyone to feel equal. David also felt what Robert was feeling from the beginning of the trial until he recognized the negativity and the unconstructiveness of research. David has come to thought that the experiment has made him force and brainwash others to become a member of The Wave, how he peer pressured those who didn’t want to be in group or when he nearly hurt his girlfriend Laurie Saunders. This is evident when David held her tightly and whispered “God, I’m sorry”.
The revisionist would argue the war was at fault as it displayed the inadequacies of the past and present with the turmoil of World War One worsening the economic and social position of the lower classes. However, I believe the change was inevitable and the fault of the incompetency of the Tsar and his minister, only to be triggered by the dire situation the populace was placed in as a direct result of participating in a capitalistic war while still a feudal state. To begin with the actions of political opposition however minute it may have been would have been a trigger for revolution. The only significant political identity to speak against the war seemed to be Lenin; otherwise most (even other social revolutionaries) were swept up by the wave of jingoism/patriotism. Only until they recognised the war was not to be won and the Tsar refused to give them more powers, ultimately dissolving them amidst crisis, did they without permission (but with great reluctance) produce a government.
"The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins portrays a futuristic society set in a post-apocalyptic world; the novel exemplifies the perversion of Karl Marx's theory known as Marxism and the struggles between social classses. Collins shows the various ways in which a communistic society can be corrupted. It is human nature, to be greedy, selfish, lazy, and decietful; this is what ultimately forces Marxism to be an impossibility. A communistic based society would have no need for government simply because each individual would be more than willing to live their life according to the laws and ideas of Marxism. There would be a much greater chance of success for communism, if the location/environment was smaller and consisted solely of those in complete non-forceful compliance.
Penalties like these ultimately lead to a deteriorating quality of life for all. Performances in dancing, music, and news reporting are adversely affected. Those people with the fewest imposed handicaps share the pain equally in this well-monitored society. Through “Harrison Bergeron”, Mr. Vonnegut offers an interpretation of his vision of a growing American socialist movement which creates an oppressive environment and promotes mediocrity. The handicap apparatus that some people carry is a metaphor for the disproportionate tax code, welfare, or set-aside programs found in the U.S. today.
Priestley presents ideas about responsibility in an 'An Inspector Calls' by portraying the inspector as a conscience ,using him to represent a good example of responsibility in society. He uses the sound of the doorbell to interrupt Birling's rant on his views on society. Priestley uses the shocking announcement of Eva Smith's death to highlight the consequences of a lack of responsibility. The clarity of Eric and Sheila's realisation of the consequences of their actions sends a strong message to the audience about responsibility. The character of the inspector is written by Priestley as a representation of morality in the play.