Sociology theory 1

Sociological Theory

Student’s Name

Institution Affiliation

Course

Date

Part I

Marxian Concepts of Alienation

Spirited Away is a Japanese anime film directed by Hayao Miyazaki. The film follows the story of a 10-year-old girl named Chihiro, who is trapped in a magical world filled with spirits and supernatural creatures (Osmond, 2020). In analyzing the film’s portrayal of class relationships using themes, ideas, and concepts from the Communist Manifesto, the following four Marxian concepts of alienation can be applied:

Alienation from the product of labor: In the film, Chihiro’s parents are transformed into pigs after eating food meant for the spirits. This transformation highlights the exploitation of human labor in the capitalist system, where workers are reduced to mere producers of commodities. The transformation of the parents into pigs symbolizes the dehumanizing effects of the capitalist system, where people become nothing more than consumers.

Alienation from the process of labor: The movie Spirited Away portrays the character of Chihiro who is compelled to work in a bathhouse. In this place, she encounters Yubaba, a capitalist spirit who is selfish and dishonest, and who exploits Chihiro’s labor. Chihiro’s lack of control over her working conditions—which include being forced to labor for lengthy periods of time and putting up with bad treatment—emphasizes her separation from her employment.

Alienation from other workers: The fact that Chihiro is separated from her parents, who have been turned into pigs, emphasizes her disconnection from the other employees. The transformation of the parents into pigs symbolizes the dehumanization of workers, where people are reduced to mere objects. The film shows that the capitalist system creates a society of isolated individuals, where workers compete against each other instead of working together.

Alienation from human nature: The capitalist system, as depicted in Spirited Away, is shown to alienate individuals from their human nature, which includes creativity, socialization, and self-expression. The capitalist system reduces people to mere commodities, where their worth is determined by their ability to produce and consume. The film shows that the capitalist system robs people of their humanity and leads to the destruction of nature.

Part II

Marx’s Theory of History

According to Hegel’s dialectical process, history is generated by the conflict and clash of opposing forces, which results in a resolution or synthesis (Maybee, 2016). This process gives rise to new conflicts and contradictions. Marx was greatly impacted by this phenomenon, but he held that the primary force guiding history was the material elements of society, particularly the method of production. According to Marx’s theory of history, the mode of production – the way goods and services are created and distributed in society – determines social relations, politics, and culture (Perry, 2021). Marx developed the base and superstructure model to illustrate how the mode of production shapes society. The base of society includes the means of production and the social relationships that exist around them. The superstructure of society is composed of institutions and practices such as law, family, media, and religion.

For example, the structure of the institution of law reflects the mode of production by serving as a tool for the ruling class to maintain their power and control over the means of production. The laws that are created are based on the interests of the ruling class and are enforced to protect their property and suppress the working class. The relational aspect of law reflects the relationship between the ruling class and the working class, where the former is in a position of power and control over the latter. In conclusion, Hegel’s dialectical process was significant in Marx’s theory of history because it helped him to understand the contradictions and conflicts that arise in society as a result of the material conditions of the mode of production.

Surplus Value

Surplus value is the extra value generated by workers beyond what they are paid by the capitalist class. Marx’s formula for capital, M-C-M’, describes the process in which money (M) is used to produce goods (C) that will yield more money (M’) through the realization of surplus value (Marx, 2020). The value of the produced goods exceeds the wages paid to workers, resulting in surplus value, which is realized as profit when the goods are sold. Marx identifies two types of surplus value: absolute surplus value and relative surplus value.

Absolute surplus value is obtained by lengthening the workday so that employees may produce more in the same amount of time (Marx, 2020). This can be achieved by mandating that employees put in more hours or by giving them more work to do. Relative surplus value, on the other hand, is gained through reducing the cost of labor, which can be accomplished through technological advancements that allow capitalists to produce more items with fewer employees and at a cheaper cost (Marx, 2020). The drive for surplus value is the underlying force behind the undoing of capitalism because it leads to the exploitation of workers, who eventually become conscious of their exploitation and organize to resist it.

A good example of the forces at play in the undoing of capitalism can be seen in the rise of labor unions and socialist movements. These movements are driven by the recognition of the exploitation of workers and the demand for better wages and working conditions. However, as technology continued to advance and overproduction became more prevalent, the contradictions of capitalism continued to mount, leading to further crises and struggles between labor and capital.

References

Marx, K. (2020). 
Theories of Surplus Value: Volume 1 (Vol. 20). Pattern Books.

https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Q8syEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR10&dq=marx+surplus+value&ots=hFvW7TD-7v&sig=OZXLw528NNYKY0X8T18rLZvVih4

Maybee, J. E. (2016). Hegel’s dialectics.

https://plato.stanford.edu/ENTRIES/hegel-dialectics/

Osmond, A. (2020). 
Spirited away. British Film Institute.

Perry, M. (2021). 
Marxism and history. Springer Nature.

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-3-030-69511-8

Sociological Theory

Spring 2023

 

For this exam you are writing 3 essay
—Choose 1 from Part I and choose 2 from Part II.

 

CLASS RELATIONS

 

Part I.  
Choose  1

 of the following essay questions and explain and apply at least 

four

 
relevant concepts
 from Marxian theory in your answer.

 

1.  Watch 

one
 of the following films: Spirited Away OR Princess Mononoke.  These Japanese anime films are noted as having Marxist tones (and people have written a lot about these very popular animated films). I would like for you to analyze the film’s portrayal of class relationships using themes, ideas, and concepts from the Communist Manifesto.

    

2. The following are song lyrics from famous country song writers Coe and Parton. Read them and listen to versions on YouTube even if you think that would be fun. Use Marx’s ideas about class relationships to explain the worker’s experiences being talked about in these song lyrics. How do these song lyrics correspond with things Marx said about class and class relations in capitalism. Find a song on your own that reflects class relations and explain the class elements and relations in at least one stanze/verse. Also, just to emphasize, some songs you might choose could be both a critique of capitalism’s relations of production and demonstrate ironies in the artist/performer’s actions that perpetuate capitalism and its underlying nature and power to coopt.

 

Take This Job And Shove  by David Allan Coe

 

Take this job and shove it I ain’t workin’ here no more

My woman done left and took all the reason I was working for

Ya, better not try and stand in my way

Cause I’m walkin’, out the door

Take this job and shove it I ain’t working here no more

 

Well, I been working in this factory for now on fifteen years

All this time, I watched my woman drownin’ in a pool of tears

And I’ve seen a lot of good folks die who had a lot of bills to pay

I’d give the shirt right off of my back if I had the guts to say…

 

The foreman, he’s a regular dog the line boss, he’s a fool

Got a brand new flat top haircut Lord, he thinks he’s cool

One of these days I’m gonna blow my top and that sucker, he’s gonna pay

I can’t wait to see their faces when I get the nerve to say…Take this job and shove it

 

“9 To 5” by Dolly Parton

 

Tumble outta bed and I stumble to the kitchen

Pour myself a cup of ambition

And yawn and stretch and try to come to life

Jump in the shower and the blood starts pumpin’

Out on the street, The traffic starts jumpin’

The folks like me on the job from 9 to 5

 

Workin’ 9 to 5, What a way to make a livin’

Barely gettin’ by, It’s all takin’ and no givin’

They just use your mind, and they never give you credit

It’s enough to drive you crazy, If you let it

9 to 5, for service and devotion, You would think that I

Would deserve a fat promotion, Want to move ahead

But the boss won’t seem to let me, I swear sometimes that man is out to get me

 

They let you dream, Just to watch ’em shatter,

You’re just a step, On the boss-man’s ladder, But you got dreams

He’ll never take away, You’re in the same boat, With a lotta your friends

Waitin’ for the day your ship’ll come in, ‘N’ the tide’s gonna turn

And it’s all gonna roll your way….

 

 

THE NATURE OF CAPITALISM- ITS DYNAMICS & FAULTLINES

 

Part II.  Choose  2

 of the following essay questions. Give full answers—using Marxian terminology in your answers. With these questions, you are integrating and applying what you know .

 

1. Kermit the Frog from Sesame Street once said, “It’s not easy being green.”  The philosophy of being green or making sustainable choices means consuming more consciously and making choices on a day-to-day basis that make sense for the environment and us as humans. That is giving thought to the consequences of our individual and collective actions. By the nature of the way we live we have a distinct effect on the environment through the 
consumption of resources and the 
disposal of wastes. The green lifestyle asks you to: REDUCE consumption and waste, RE-USE whatever you can, RECYCLE those things that can be and REJECT products that are over packaged, non-biodegradable, and that are disposable.

 

What would Marx think about the sustainability movement (also known as the Green Revolution), and its impact on capitalism? Where would the impacts of the sustainability movement be most felt and who would most feel them? How do the goals of sustainability fit with or conflict with the goals of capitalism? Who do you think opposes sustainability efforts and why? What do capitalists always do (according to Marx) and what are they doing in the sustainability movement?

 

2. Define Hegel’s dialectical process. Explain its significance in relation to Marx’s theory of history and his elaboration of the base and superstructure as the causal model of society. Select a particular social institution (e.g., law, family, media, religion, etc…) and explain how that social institution reflects the mode of production: structurally, relationally, and ideologically.

 

3. “Capitalist production is not merely the production of commodities; it is essentially the production of surplus-value.” What is surplus value? Explain what is meant by this and Marx’s general formula for capital, M—C—M’. Discuss how this theory of capital is connected to the production of absolute and relative surplus value and ultimately how the drive for surplus value is the underlying force behind the undoing of capitalism. In your answer be sure you define absolute and relative surplus value and give examples of both and give a good example of the forces at play in the undoing of capitalism.