Social class
by Sinister Soire
The upper man has all
the money
He can eat his bread
and honey
His only job is to
command
Yet not to use a
single hand
The middle man has
little power
Yet can afford his
bread and flour
He works where he can
get a job
But may take time to
go and sob
The lower man is last
in line
He often lacks the
food to dine
He doesn’t work ‘cause
its too hard
And there isn’t any
type of yard
The upper man seems to
be best
But having everything
on request
What’s there to enjoy
in life
If you’ve never faced a strife
Wow.
I was blown away by chapter 4 in Critical
Encounters. As I said last week, I found myself enjoying Deeper Reading way more, but this week
has got me thinking. The whole framework around Hamlet in relation to social
class made me realize how much I missed out in my high school career.
I
really enjoyed the part of the lesson where the teacher has the students relate
themselves to characters in the play. I was surprised at how willing they all
were in sharing their opinions about how they see themselves. This made me
wonder if this is one aspect of why we love reading certain books. Is it that
we relate to the characters so much that we actually feel like we are in their
shoes? I can honestly say that I see this in reading The Legend of Drizzt series and the 35 novels included in this set.
I fell in love with the main character Drizzt; a dark elf defying all odds
against his people and race. However, I never had to go against my family or
culture ever in my life, at least not to the extent that he did.
There
were also a couple references in this chapter that I found to be extremely
beneficial for teachers. Bonnycastle wrote: “Theory is subversive because it
puts authority into question … it means that no authority can impose a ‘truth’
on you in a dogmatic way – and if some authority does try, you can challenge
that truth in a powerful way, by asking what ideology it is based on” (pg. 34,
taken from Appleman, pg. 56). I found this passage to be extremely uplifting –
like a motivational seminar packed into one sentence. If we as teachers can
show students this technique, they will be able to find agency in everything
they read.
The
other passage I found intriguing was from Graff: “I concluded in my Harper’s essay that the best way to
rescue poems like ‘Dover Beach’ was not to try to protect them from the
critical controversies about their value, but to use those controversies to give
them new life” (Graff in Slevin and Young, 1996, 9. 133, taken from Appleman,
pg. 57). How many novels were banned from not only schools, but from entire
countries? I also wonder to myself: what is the difference between banning
books and burning them? We can use these texts, as stated above, to study why
they were banned in the first place. I
looked up the poem online and apparently the poem was banned because it was too
hard to critique. Wow. That’s all I have to say.
I smiled at your poem, Ash, as I applied the Social class lens to it. The third stanza is particularly interesting from this viewpoint, especially the line "He doesn't work 'cause it's too hard." That one line embodies class stereotypes and biases in only seven words! I was also amused by the "relate to a Hamlet character" assignment and I wondered who my modified English class would relate to? I doubt many of them would choose Hamlet, Horatio or Laertes. I myself have always wondered about Yorick. He takes up the briefest of spaces but plays such a pivotal role in the play; to influence events long after you have died, that is a powerful thought. But then again, this could be my morbid side shining through again!
ReplyDeleteI have to admit, I did not immediately consider the quote from Stephen Bonnycastle to be "uplifting." I found it challenging. But after some pondering I've decided that I agree with you.
ReplyDeleteIt is certainly true that "theory is subversive"; however, is it really the case that "NO authority can impose a truth"? I believe the key qualification here is that no theory can impose a truth "in a dogmatic way." Theory provides the reader with the scientific tools to challenge dogmatism. Class Theory in particular provides the tools to expose the ideologies which drive what we read, thereby empowering the reader with his or her democratic right to dissent. Theory is not subversive because it challenges truth. It is subversive because it challenges authority, requiring the authority in question to align itself with the truth rather than receiving some dogmatic version of reality. Authority is received from submission to the truth, rather than truth received from authority. Thus, theory is both empowering and, as you say, uplifting, providing the reader with the tools to challenge authority without undermining the ability to submit to truth itself.
Eric, you have the mind of a philosopher.
ReplyDeleteYou also seem to have an agenda, which is good. Between you posts and your comments I gather you are advocating for dissension from traditional or conventional readings, but structured, rigorous dissension. If I'm reading your intent correctly, you espouse the idea of exhaustive readings in search of a Truth that does exist. It can be debated or defended, but there is a Truth to be had somewhere.
Perhaps I am misreading you, but I think this is an interesting stance. Most champions of capital "T" Truth would resort to dogmatic defence of their particular view of the Truth. I think admitting that a Truth can be greater than the self is the first step towards approaching literature and life with humility and curiosity. If I had to pick two -and only two- virtues that I would like to teach future students, it would certainly be these.
P.S.
I think you might like Aquinas. Although, knowing what I know, I would guess you have probably read him. If not, consider it a recommendation.