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Assess the Marxist theory of culture
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Recommended: Assess the Marxist theory of culture
The Accumulation of Slack
I want to begin with an apology. This paper may be little more than a tissue of puns punctuated by obscure cultural texts. It was composed quickly: after a late cancellation from this panel, I volunteered to pick up the slack. (Yes, that was the first pun.)
Now, in proper Freudian fashion, I will follow that apology with an accusation: in 2003, the topic of "slacker culture" sounds dangerously close to out of date, or at least out of fashion. We critics must have become slackers ourselves, content to re-analyze stale fads when we ought to be braving untrammeled new ground with the gender politics of Eminem, or the fetish scene of "American Idol."
But fortunately things are not so simple. There is an advantage to a certain historical distance taken from one's subject, as it is especially easy for cultural criticism to get caught up in fad-chasing. Rather than striving for a tauter, tighter connection to the current moment, then, let's enjoy the historical slack that has already accumulated between "slacker culture" and ourselves. If we wish to create "more a description of men than manners" (35), then for us as newly outdated slacker scholars the same doctrine applies that Sir Walter Scott famously gave about the setting of his Waverley: "Considering the disadvantages inseparable from this part of my subject, I must be understood to have resolved to avoid them as much as possible" (35). Unlike Scott we may not do this "by throwing the force of my narrative upon the characters and passions of the actors" (35) as Scott did.
Instead, let's fix for a moment on a question. What is "slack"? What is this substance that those devilishly ironic slackers so earnestly want to accumulate? What are the structural characteristics of slack, considered as a substance circulated in a metaphorical or real economy? Should we seek slack, or avoid it? It seems to me that this set of questions is the best way to approach a political and economic evaluation of the slacker phenomenon.
I want to suggest a few answers by reading different representations of the economy of slack, along with some familiar Marxist cultural criticism. The question of the political economy of slack is an excellent example of a broader dynamic in cultural studies, in that the initially tempting, apparently orthodox cultural-studies reading of slack (which I am about to construct) will turn out to be precisely wrong in its zeal to construe slack as a form of liberation.
Both the novel and the movie take place during the Victorian Era. A time when society’s expectations were high. The way a person was perceived by another, and a person’s reputation was very important. A Victorian gentlemen did anything possible to maintain a good reputation. Honor was something worth fighting, killing, and dying for.
The Greek army’s greatest warrior during the Trojan War, Achilles was born of the goddess Thetis and the mortal Peleus. (Murnaghan, 1997, p.xxv)“Strong, swift and godlike” as Lombardo translating Homer puts it (1997, p.5), his presence on the battlefield reverberated fear through his enemies. Being a general in the Achaean army, his original rationale as to engage...
...l human character. Writers of American literature have many different opinions on the society. In order for readers to understand an author’s view on the society, they must look at many different aspects including the writer’s life and the time period in which the work was written. Though writers have different theories about the society, they express their philosophies into their work. The town who seem horribly uncivilized, where a son stones his mother, yet they can easily be compared to today's society.
Most religions of the world address moral issues that arise from people's sexuality within the human interactions. “Sex and religion- two of the most powerful, passionate, and poetic aspects of human existence”( “Manning and Zuckerman pg. 1“). There are many distinct religious beliefs about the complexion of sexuality and the appropriateness of various sexual behaviors. “Some religious (or aspects within them) can be described as comparatively “sex positive”. By “sex positive“, we mean that sensual, erotic activity involving the consensual pursuit and / or actualization of gratifying bodily pleasure is understood as natural and acceptable , even holy. Conversely, some religions (or aspects within them) can be described as “sex negative”, that is, sensual, erotic activity involving the consensual pursuit and / or actualization of gratifying bodily pleasure is understood as unnatural and unacceptable, even sinful” ( “Manning and Zuckerman pg. 2“).
...ly progressed from a way to tell stories about kings and gods to a way to tell stories about ordinary human beings. By moving our focus off of nobility, the language of plays became the language of every individual, and eventually, due to America’s “melting pot” culture, the language itself became individual. The unique language of American dramatic characters represents not only the diversity of the American people, but also the diversity of all human beings. These dramatically dissimilar differences were not typical of older plays when they were written, but now, they are what make American drama so valuable. Our acceptance and love for characters with different values than ours is representative of the love we can develop for those who are different from us. It represents the worldview that our current culture idealizes and strives to achieve: acceptance for all.
Weeks, K. (2011). The Problem with work: Feminism, marxism, antiwork politics and postwork imaginaries. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
In conclusion, there are different opinions on the issue of the use of nuclear energy. Nuclear energy is only one of many energy options. Nuclear power can decrease pollution to the environment because it does not produce harming gases like other plants do. However, there are also drawbacks that can influences human health by emitting radioactive substances. Thus, all parties should make a deeper research and analysis based on the argument to decide the use of nuclear energy as a safe and cost effective source of energy.
Guerin, Wilfred L., Earle Labor, Lee Morgan, Jeanne C. Reesman, and John R. Willingham. A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. 125-156.
Nuclear power is the generation of electricity from an atomic reaction. (World Statistics: Nuclear Energy Around the World n.d.) Though it produces zero carbon emissions there has been a decline in support for nuclear power and increased its support for alternative energies in the pursuit for a fossil free energy sector. Factors that have resulted in the reduction of support for nuclear energy include nuclear accidents and waste and the positives of renewable energy which include clean energy, sustainable and reduced health and environmental risks.
It is a great example of how persevering through life’s obstacles can make life even better than before. Being different creates many challenges for Forrest, however, he shows inner strength as he fights through these challenges. Along with this, Forrest Gump shows how having support while trying to escape a dark path will make success easier. Therefore, the movie reveals that life will not always be perfect, but it is important to persevere through the adversity that it is filled with. Ultimately, no matter the circumstances, any obstacle can be
Forrest Gump is categorized in drama and there are so many established elements as the reasons of it being a drama. According to The Script Lab (2011), drama film relies on the emotional and relational development of realistic characters. The plot of a drama film always relies on the dramatic themes and this kind of relational development. These dramatic themes include intense relationships and real life issues. Drama film aims to tell a story of human struggles honestly no matter the protagonist is facing internal or external issues.
In the late nineteenth century many European, and especially British, authors, play writes and poets wrote about the inadequacies of the upper class. Often times the author will not blatantly express his feelings, but rather he will hide them behind the plot or characters in his story. In Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde mocks the values of the upper class. By fully exaggerating the flaws of the upper class, Wilde succeeds in expressing his beliefs that men and women of the upper class are shallow, foolish, and have no respectable values.
In conclusion, Charles Dickens, a social critic of humble origins himself, has conveyed his conception of a true gentleman, which is such a good conception that it is commonly used in our society today. He shows that you can only be a true gentleman at heart and if you are not it will be revealed. Matthew Pocket’s metaphor that ‘No varnish can hide the grain of the wood; and that the more varnish you put on, the more the grain will express itself’ very successfully delivers and summarises Dickens’ message, that no matter how much you try to, your true identity will always be revealed. It also effectively reinforces Dickens’ treatment of the Victorian preconception of a gentleman as misconstrued and mistakenly engrossed with social status, wealth, birth, and apparel.
Portraying the characters rejection to conformity, American literature illustrates the distinctive following of one's own standards. From what has been analyzed previously, the authors are trying to display a message of change through the characters words and actions. Many times it is apparent that the characters are in there times of most comfort when they are acting in such that makes them their own being, stepping aside from the standards of the rest of society. Writers try to express the importance of stepping outside of that comfort zone in order to grow and develop as a human being. How will one ever know who they are if they conform to be what everyone is told to be? The biggest advocate of rejecting the norms of America is Chris McCandless.
Perelman, M. (2011). The invisible handcuffs of capitalism: how market tyranny stifles the economy by stunting workers. New York: Monthly Review Press.