People are no equal Essay Example For Students

People are no equal Essay There are no equal opportunities because people are not equal from birth. Some are born with a silver spoon in their mouth, others need to make great effort in order to achieve success. In order to succeed in life , one must be either very tough and enterprising , even without regard for moral principles. Some from birth belonged to the upper class, and wealth and social status were their natural enviroment. They already lived the American Dream. Others belonged to the working class and in order to reach wealth they had to hard work and sometimes use illegal means, but it is impossible to change their birth history and class affiliation. Fitzgerald in his novel The Great Gatsby pointed at class inequality, respectively upper class already live the american dream, other try to reach it, even if wealth can be earned then the lineage can not be procured because it is beyond one\s control. If all men are born equal, there can be no top level to strive for, so that no such equality, neither in position nor in opportunity , exists and that a person’s opportunities is very much dependent on family background. The novel includes characters from several different socioeconomic classes . In Critical Theory Today (2006) ,Lois Tyson explains the differences in socioeconomic class by dividing people into the â€Å"haves† and the â€Å"have – not†: From a Marxist perspective, differences in socioeconomic class divide people in ways that are much more significant than differences in religion, race, ethnicity, or gender . For the real battle lines are drawn, to put the matter simply, between the â€Å"haves† and the â€Å"have -not(54). In a Marxist perspective it is the control over the natural, economic and human resources of the world that divides people, the division is made between those who have and those who do not have. The â€Å"haves† are those with the control over these things, the natural, economic and human resources, while the â€Å"have -nots† are everybody else. Max Weber’s theory on social class. Much like Marx, Weber believed that class was related to wealth. However, Weber separated status and class in his theory, and status was not necessarily dependent on wealth. Regarding social class, Weber points out four social classes and they are: â€Å"a) the working class as a whole b) the petty bourgeoisie c) the property less intelligentsia and specialists d) the classes privileged through property and education† (Weber 305). Weber also writes : In the generational sequence, the rise of groups a) and b) into c) (technicians, white -collar workers) is relatively the easiest In banks and corporations as well as in the higher ranks of the civil service, class c) members have a chance to move up into class d ) (Weber 305). This means that, according to Weber, a person does not, necessarily, remain in the same social class forever as it is dependent on factors such as work, wealth and property. With Weber’s class definitions, the characters in the novel belong to different classes. The Buchanans and Jay Gatsby belong to the class privileged through property and education, Nick Carraway could be considered to be a member of the propertyless intelligentsia and the Wilsons are members of the working class. On the subject of status , Weber claims: â€Å"Status may rest on a class position of a distinct or ambiguous kind. However, it is not solely determined by it: Money and entrepreneurial position are not in themselves status qualifications, although they may lead to them † (Weber 306). In comparison with social class, money does not guarantee a certain status. The lack of something is not an automatic disqualification of a status (Weber 306). Jordan Baker, from the novel,could be seen as an example of this as her economic situation is unknown but she still has a status that is comparable with the Buchanans. Weber continues on the matter : â€Å"The class position of an officer, a civil servant or a student may vary greatly according to their wealth and yet not lead to a different status since upbringing and education create a common style of life† (306). This exemplifies the fact that there are other factors involved in determining status compared with social class . Upbringing and education can contribute to a common style of life and values that brings people together. Means To Tragic Ends (oedipus EssayFitzgerald acknowledges the difference with Gatsby’s final revelation of Daisy: â€Å"Her voice is full of money, † he said suddenly. That was it. I’d never understood before. It was full of money –that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell on it, the jingle of it, the cymbal’s song of it High in a white palace the king’s daughter, the golden girl (113) According to Aldridge, this quality in Daisy is important, as it is what commits her to Tom. It is not only about money and Aldridge describes it as a philosophy: â€Å" it is a whole philosophy and tradition of life belonging to those who have always had money and marking them as a separate breed superior to those who have not† (Aldridge 55). That also explains what Daisy is not willing to give up for Gatsby ; if she would choose him she would lose her belonging to that superior breed and she is unwilling to sacrifice that, perhaps since that is all she has ever known. When Daisy finds out about Gatsby’s involvement in illegal business, she distances herself from him , and no matter what he says he cannot change it. The fact that Fitzgerald separates Gatsby and Daisy stresses the importance of social status, as Daisy is unable to accept the negative impact of her social status that staying with Gatsby would mean. Tom demonstrates his superior status by reducing the importance of Gatsby’s relationship with Daisy: â€Å"Go on, he won’t annoy you. I think he realizes that his presumptuous little flirtation is over † (Fitzgerald 127). Since Tom and Daisy have similar backgrounds, he also knows that she would not be interested in giving up her superior status. That makes Gatsby harmless. Tom and Daisy’s indifference to other people can be connected to social status. Neither Gatsby nor Tom’s mistress Myrtle has the same high social status as Tom and Daisy. Gatsby is deserted by Daisy when he is no longer useful to her. Tom shows his indifference by directing the anger of Wilson, after his loss of his wife, towards Gatsby (Dyson 65). As Tom and Daisy’s status is considered, by their society, to be superior, it also implies that they have different rights than those of lower status . According to Aldridge the â€Å"secret society† wins over the romantic illusion (55). That could mean that the importance of social status wins over romance.