MARXIST CRITICISM

JFS

• Has the longest history being a 20th century phenomenon • Argues that literature is a product of real, social and

economic existence• Views literature to be ideologically determined ,usually of

dominant social class• Insist that literature must be used to challenge class

oppression.• Uses Moa Tse Tung’s ideas that literature must answer• Whom to serve: The working people, the masses.• How to serve: Awaken and arouse the masses and impel them

to unite and struggle to change their environment• Weakness: Opens up the possibility of prioritizing content

over form, ideological criterion over artistic.

In a place once known as North America, now known as Panem, is a very rich City surrounded by twelve Districts. Every year because this very rich City, known as The Capitol, is so rich and likes to think they control all the Districts - which they do - there is something known as The Hunger Games! This is where two children, one boy and one girl from each district from the ages of twelve to eighteen, have to leave their families and compete in The Hunger Games, a live event that is aired on TV's all over Panem. When Katniss Everdeen, aged sixteen from District 12, has to volunteer to take the place of her twelve-year-old sister Prim after Prim's name is called forth to become the 23rd member to compete in The 74th Hunger Games, she promises to Prim that she will win!

Because District 12 is so poor, Katniss has been close to death many times from starvation but she's made it through it. But this is a different kind of close to death; this Katniss doesn't know if she can survive.

She doesn't want to hurt, or kill anyone but when it comes down to it Katniss' instinct is to survive. But when she starts to have confusing feelings about the boy from her district who is also her fellow contender, things get worse, and then she teams up with the girl from District 11 and only one person can survive. But who will it be? Will her feelings get the better of her? Will she let someone else win so they don't have to die? If Katniss is going to win she's going to have to be brutal. She's going to have to kill!

 A

An activist, Nacha Kong-udom, flashed the three-finger salute from the "The Hunger Games" as plainclothes police officers led her away from a cinema in Bangkok on Thursday. CreditRungroj Yongrit/European Pressphoto Agency

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/21/world/asia/thailand-protesters-hunger-games-salute.html?_r=0

“BANGKOK — A Thai theater chain has withdrawn the latest “Hunger Games” movie after several student protesters were detained for using a gesture taken from the films, a three-finger salute of resistance to authoritarian government.The salute, which in the movies is a daring act of silent rebellion, began to appear here in the weeks after the May 22 coup. The authorities warned that anyone raising it in public could be subject to arrest.The military government in Thailand has clamped down on all forms of protest, censored the country’s news media, limited the right to public assembly and arrested critics and opponents. Hundreds of academics, journalists and activists have been detained for up to a month….”

Marxist Concept Found in the Hunger Games:

The "Bourgeoisie" in the book are represented by the Capitol. The Capitol has an overabundance of food and technology, with a small population and size when compared to the districts. This shows an inequality between the two societies.

In the book, the proletariat is represented by the various Districts surrounding the Capitol. The districts are starved, oppressed, must give all goods to the Capitol, and are treated as if they were serfs. The societies also are closer to nature, and have less of an access to technology than the Capitol.

he two opposing forces, the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, both go against one another, and over time, Katniss realizes that for there to be a better life for those around her, she must work towards a revolution to overthrow the Capitol, which coincides with Marxist thinking.

Oliver Twist is a novel teeming with many closely interrelated ideas. There is preoccupation with the miseries of poverty and the spread of its degrading effects through society. With poverty comes hunger, another theme that is raised throughout the book, along with Dickens's notion that a misguided approach to the issues of poverty and homelessness brings many evils in its wake.

One of the worse consequences of poverty and being deprived of life's essentials is crime, with all of its corrosive effects on human nature. Dickens gives a great deal of attention to the painful alienation from society suffered by the criminal, who may come to feel completely isolated as the fragile foundations of his own hostile world snap. Crime is bad enough in itself, Dickens seems to be saying. When crime is the result of poverty, it completely dehumanizes society.

On the positive side, Dickens places heavy value on the elevating influence of a wholesome environment. He emphasizes the power of benevolence to overcome depravity. And goodness — like criminal intent — may expect to earn its own suitable reward. Sound familiar? The Dickensian theme of virtue being its own reward has its roots in the novels and poems of chivalry and redemption, where the good prosper and the "wicked" are sent packing.

PLOTAmor Deliria Nervosa (or just deliria) is a disease in

theDelirium Trilogy. It literally translates into Love Delirium Nervous. In our world, we would simply refer to this as "love" and consider it a good thing. However, in the world ofD elirium it is considered the most deadly disease of all.The main safeguard against the deliria is known as the Cure, a mandatory procedure done to a person's brain which leaves them unable to experience strong desires or emotions. As the Cure only works on those over eighteen, younger people are subjected to segregation and curfews. Those over eighteen who have been cured are known as cureds and those under eighteen who have not received the procedure are known as the Uncureds.

Lena's government has probably banned the use of the word dystopia, but until they get ahold of us, we have the definition. In short, dystopian lit is literature that paints a super scary, freaky portrait of life in the future. And by doing so, it serves as a commentary on what's wrong with our contemporary, real-life cultures and governments.

So what is Oliver criticizing in Delirium? Well, a few things. For example, Lena's mom's storyline seems to be a critique of the American health care system.

But the bulk of the book focuses on the fact that people today seem to want to be safe above all else—even at the expense of their most precious freedoms. Like the freedom to love (whomever we choose).

The government is controlling the people ,and Lena tries to Awaken and arouse the masses and impel them to unite and struggle to change their environment.

PLOTFor thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a

lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself—and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined. 

The Caste System

The First CasteRoyalty; Prince Maxon and his family are Ones. They have the power and they gain full respect.

The Second Caste Celebrities; Athletes, singers, actors, musicians, models, politician, police officers, firefighters, guards, and military members. Celeste is a model so she's a Two. Aspen is a Six but also a Two because he is a guard at the palace.

The Third CasteInventors, teachers, philosophers, scientist, doctors, dentist, architects, film directors, music producers, lawyers, and writers. The girls that were part of The selection are Threes, unless they were a natural Two or already a Three. Kriss was already a Three. America became a Three when she entered The Selection.

The Fourth Caste Businessmen; Jewelers, real estate agents, insurance brokers, head chefs, construction managers, business workers, and farmers. America's old sister Kenna and her husband James are factory worker. Anna and Emmica are both from a family of farmers. They are all Fours (James, Anna, and Emmica). Kenna was originally a Five but she became a Four when she married James. Marlee was also a Four before being chosen for The Selection.

The Fifth Caste Artist; Stage actors/singers, dancers, circus performers. America's family are Fives (Shalom, Magda, Kota, May, Gerad). America's sister Kenna became a Four by marrying a Four. America was a Five before entering The Selection and becoming a Three.

The Sixth Caste Workers; Secretaries, waiters, housekeepers, cooks, and drivers. Anne, Lucy, Mary, and Mitsy are Sixes. It's a possibility Silvia and Sylvan Santos are Sixes. The Seventh Caste Manual Laborers; Gardeners, construction workers, farm hands, pool cleaners, and trash collectors/ditch diggers. Sevens are very similar to Sixes, but they have outdoor jobs instead.

The Eighth Caste The Untouchables; Addicts, runaways, mentally/physically unwell people, and the Homeless.

Not much is known of how the caste system in Illéa started. Although it was hinted that peoples castes were based on the amount of money their family donated to the government during the first war with New Asia. When a character is first mentioned, there is generally a note made of what caste they are in. Eight is the lowest caste and One is the highest in The Selection Series .When the caste system first started, America's ancestors were sent a letter stating they were now Fives and that their last names had been changed from "Cohen" to "Singer."