Marxism and Hegemony
Marxism & hegemony: blog tasks
Task 1: Mail Online review of Capital
1) Re-read the Mail Online review of Capital. Why does it suggest that Capital features a left-wing ideology?
The hardest worker on the street was an illegal immigrant, determined to pay her way and not touch a penny of benefits. She was deported, though she did find time to teach English to some of her fellow saints at the detention centre.
2) Choose three quotes from the review that are particularly critical of Capital and paste them into your blogpost. Do you agree with the criticisms? Why?
concept went nowhere
The last 20 minutes contained no plot.
Honestly, you’ll get rid of your family after Christmas faster than this feeble drama departed.
3) What scenes or characters from Capital could be read as promoting left-wing ideology?
There’s a distinct inequality seen where the asian family are presented as working class whereas roger and arabella are perhaps presented as privileged white middle class. It’s seen as left wing as roger is a white middle class man who is presented as ungrateful and being handed things whereas the asian family and quentina are seen as hardworking and underprivileged due to their race.
4) What about the other side of the argument - are there any aspects of Capital that reinforce right-wing or capitalist viewpoints?
2) Why is The Apprentice a good example of the media reinforcing capitalist values and ideologies?
Lord sugar has power as he has used the system to create wealth and he is shown using this power to provide a livelihood for the winner of the competition.
3) Come up with two examples of media texts (e.g. TV programmes, newspapers etc.) that either fetishise working class life (e.g. EastEnders presents quite a harmonious East End community which probably doesn't accurately reflect East London life) or demonise working class life or poor people (e.g. The Daily Mail and The Sun newspapers regularly demonise people living on benefits with headlines referring to 'scroungers'.) Explain what meanings these texts communicate to their audiences.
3) What scenes or characters from Capital could be read as promoting left-wing ideology?
There’s a distinct inequality seen where the asian family are presented as working class whereas roger and arabella are perhaps presented as privileged white middle class. It’s seen as left wing as roger is a white middle class man who is presented as ungrateful and being handed things whereas the asian family and quentina are seen as hardworking and underprivileged due to their race.
4) What about the other side of the argument - are there any aspects of Capital that reinforce right-wing or capitalist viewpoints?
Roger the rich banker may be presented as hardworking and achieving success through hardwork and dedication, promoting a right wing ideology.
Task 2: Media Factsheet - Applying Marxism
Go to our Media Factsheet archive on the Media Shared drive and open Factsheet #66: Applying Marxism. Our Media Factsheet archive is on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level or online here (you'll need your Greenford Google login to access). Read the factsheet and answer the following questions:
1) What does Marxism suggest regarding power in society?
Task 2: Media Factsheet - Applying Marxism
Go to our Media Factsheet archive on the Media Shared drive and open Factsheet #66: Applying Marxism. Our Media Factsheet archive is on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level or online here (you'll need your Greenford Google login to access). Read the factsheet and answer the following questions:
1) What does Marxism suggest regarding power in society?
- Society is run by the richest and they hold all the power whilst the poor people only have their labour to survive with.
2) Why is The Apprentice a good example of the media reinforcing capitalist values and ideologies?
Lord sugar has power as he has used the system to create wealth and he is shown using this power to provide a livelihood for the winner of the competition.
3) Come up with two examples of media texts (e.g. TV programmes, newspapers etc.) that either fetishise working class life (e.g. EastEnders presents quite a harmonious East End community which probably doesn't accurately reflect East London life) or demonise working class life or poor people (e.g. The Daily Mail and The Sun newspapers regularly demonise people living on benefits with headlines referring to 'scroungers'.) Explain what meanings these texts communicate to their audiences.
Shameless US fetishises working class life.
Jeremy Kyle demonises working class life.
4) Look at the bullet points on page 4 of the factsheet:
When making a Marxist reading of a text, look out for representations that:
4) Look at the bullet points on page 4 of the factsheet:
When making a Marxist reading of a text, look out for representations that:
- show the values of the power elite as beneficial to the mass
- show queries or challenges to the base as meaningless, foolish or anti-social via ‘failed revolt’
- show the subdominant position of the masses as a naturalised idea
- show the values of the power elite as ‘natural’ or ‘right’
- show that being a member of the mass is a good thing
- show the masses accepting the values of the power elite
- show the values of the power elite as being ‘for the good of the masses’ (even when unpleasant)
Now try applying those bullet points to Capital. Think about the setting, characters and narrative strands - how many of the bullet points apply to Capital? Does Capital reinforce or challenge the values of capitalism? Give examples from episode 1 to support your points.
Roger is elite and powerful in status as a middle class white male and abused his power by getting quentina a working class black woman fired .
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