Marxism in Downton Abbey

Downton Abbey is a show set in the 1910's at a made up estate with the same name.  From what I have seen, the show has a very interesting dynamic to it, due to the two different classes living at Downton Abbey.  There exists the upperclass Crawley family, consisting of Robert, Cora, Josephine, Edith, Sybil, Violet, Matthew, and Isobel.  Then, there is the entire staff.  While both classes live in the estate, they lead vastly different lives, and hardly interact with each other without the King-Servent dynamic present.

From a Marxist perspective when examining Downton Abbey, it is best to look at the show and how the society presented has a very clear "mode of production."   The "mod of production produces: (i) specific ways of obtaining the necessaries of life; (ii) specific social relationships between workers and those who control the mode of production, and (iii) specific social institutions (including cultural ones)" (59).  Further, from a Marxist view, this show presents a very clear "base" and "superstructure"

"The 'base' consists of a combination of the 'forces of production' and the 'relations of production'. The forces of production refer to the raw materials, the tools, the technology, and the workers and their skills, etc" (60).  In the case of Downton Abbey, this would be the servants, the vallet, and everyone who works for the Crawley family.  

There is a clear division between the "base" and the "superstructure".  The superstructure "consists of institutions (political, legal, educational, cultural, etc)" (ibid.).  In this scenario the Crawley family represents the "superstructure," because they own all of the land, the home, and posses all the wealth.  Because of this, they control the mode of production and make all of the major decisions.

Literary Devices in "Niteclub" by The Old 97's

Rhyme:
"Eighteen-hundred miles from this old nightclub 
A girl is turning 22 today. 
How am I supposed to entertain you? 
My fingertips are worthless when my mind's so far away. "

Here, we see an ABCB rhyme scheme, that rhymes 'today' and 'away'

Personification:
"The nightclub yawns and opens up it's doors." 
The nightclub is being personified, giving it the human trait, being able to yawn.


"Yeah this old nightclub stole my youth,
This old nightclub stole my true love,
It follows me around from town to town. "
Again, the nightclub is being personified, now possessing the abilities to steal and follow someone around.


Hyperbole:
"My fingertips are worthless when my mind's so far away. "
The word "worthless" is used here to exaggerate the singer's current state.


Pun:
"Well my angel of the morning is in mourning."
Here, both spellings of morning/mourning are used, both possessing different meanings.


Juxtaposition:
"Telephones make strangers out of lovers,
Whiskey makes the strangers all look good. "
Here juxtaposition is used to create a parallel between the effects of telephones and whiskey. (This is one of my favorite lines in all of music)

Is Tupac a feminist?

Tupac had spent much of his career building up his gangster image.  With 'Thug Life' tattooed on his chest, he wears a du rag, sags his pants, and can often be seen in pictures wielding a gun.  Despite this images, an argument can be made that if you only examine his song "Dear Mama" that Tupac Shakur is a feminist.  More specifically, Tupac's lyrics contain radical feminist ideas. 

Radical feminists believe that "women's oppression is the result of a system of patriarchy, a system of domination in which men as a group have power over women as a group" (135).  Throughout the song "Dear Mama," Tupac portrays father figures in a very negative light and does his best to paint a wonderful image of his mother.  For example, when explaining his regret for the struggles that his mother endured, Tupac says, "And even though we had different daddy's, the same drama
When things went wrong we'd blame mama."  Here Tupac implies that the absence of a father figure, produced the same result even though the fathers in question were different, implying that it was his mother's influence that had a real effect.  Another instance of this occurs at the beginning of the second verse.


"Now ain't nobody tell us it was fair
No love from my daddy cause the coward wasn't there
He passed away and I didn't cry, cause my anger
wouldn't let me feel for a stranger
They say I'm wrong and I'm heartless, but all along
I was lookin for a father he was gone"

Here Tupac expresses both his gratification for all his mother has done, but also his dislike of the patriarchy that let him down.  He expresses his anger that he was abandoned by his father and never had the opportunity to meet the man.  Here, Tupac rejects the patriarchy, stating that he feels no sorrow for the loss of his father, because his father was never there for him and was a stranger.  By rejecting the value of the patriarchy, Tupac indirectly builds up the image of his own mother.  He goes on to say that even though he experienced so much strife early on in life that "my plan is to show you that I understand, you are appreciated."