The Weak vs. The Powerful

In English, we are reading the very well-known, well-loved play Hamlet by William Shakespeare and learning to view the play from different approaches, such as psychoanalytic, feminist, Marxist, and new historic. Since my blog is about class and the effects of class on our society today, I felt it would be appropriate to connect to Marxism and just take a look at some things happening in both Hamlet and our world today that have to do with class.



Both King Claudius (right) and rulers in the Middle East have a few things in common. One, they are both "above" and "superior" to the other people. There are class divisions and conflicts both within the castle in Hamlet between Claudius and his courtiers and soldiers, as well as between Hosni Mubarak and the citizens of Egypt.

Currently in the Middle East, there has been much unrest and uprising by the people against the government (below: former president of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak). These governments, some monarchies and royal families and others "elected" officials who have been in office for 20+ years, have faced criticisms of corruption and denying the lower classes some of their rights. Mubarak is not the only Middle Eastern leader who has been facing conflict, but also Gaddafi of Libya and Khalifa of Bahrain.

While there may not be as evident, full conflicts created by class division in Hamlet as there are in the Middle East, the class division is still very evident between the ruling family and the commoners or the people working in the castle.

Is it inevitable that the two classes, the royalty and the commoners, will always come into conflict? It seems as though in most books and plays they do, and it seems that in all countries the poor always want to revolt against the rich, the weak against the strong, the commoners against the royalty. Is there any way to avoid it? If it IS inevitable, leaders must learn how to deal with the uprisings and their position on conflict. In some of the Middle Eastern leaders' policies, their positions include firing on the protestors and releasing tear gas into the crowds. In the United States, our leaders have adopted the policy of letting the lower classes protest peacefully. (Right: Current King Khalifa of Bahrain)

This picture below is a picture of a protest in which many Egyptians flooded one of main streets/squares. This picture shows you just how strongly the people were fighting against the government/royalty for basic rights like freedom of speech, free elections and release of political prisoners:

Hamlet has been praised for being a play that is relatable to people of all classes because of its portrayal of conflicts which are relevant to all societies. This conflict is particularly relevant today because of all the class conflict and uprisings happening in the Middle East, especially as shown in Egypt. Class conflict is inevitable for society and it is important to maintain a Marxist lens and critical approach as one reads a work of fiction to understand underlying motives and conflicts that exist between characters which are not always clear.

Fork Over $100 (at least!)

It is February 14 (Happy Valentine's Day!) and that means we are just about halfway through the three month waiting period between applying to college (deadline January 1) and the most common notification date (April 1). While some colleges have earlier notification dates and some students' plans for next year are beginning to take shape, many students are still anxiously awaiting April 1. After going through the college application process, a process which took about three months for me (October-December), I have had time to reflect back on the process. While reflecting, I realized just how much my process had been affected by my class and ecoomic status.

For those of you who haven't applied to college yet or had children who have applied to college, the high cost of just applying in itself will shock you. Fees quickly add up, from the cost of sending a transcript (about $5- Docufide transcript service) to sending ACT or SAT scores (either $10 or $30 dependent on the date which you send them- read more about the ACT here) to the actual application fees themself (about $50, but can even reach $90 for Stanford). The cost of applying to college alone can frighten students (and parents off) from applying to college, which puts the students at a disadvantage. Some students qualify for waivers, but the students who are at the in-between, the class of students who don't qualify for the waiver but who can't afford to apply to colleges they want to, suffer. The students who can pay to apply (and attend) for higher education receive the diplomas, and can then pay for their kids when it is their turn to apply (and attend) college. It's the beginning of a vicious cycle of the rich get richer and smarter.

Another component of this cycle is the AP tests. Students who complete Advanced Placement classes (read about Advanced Placement tests here through the College Board), or feel prepared to sit for an Advanced Placement test on a certain subject, can take about a 2.5 hour test and if they receive a score their intended university recognizes (usually a 4 or a 5), they have the opportunity to earn credits towards their college graduation requirements, thus getting college credit without paying for that class or making room in their schedule to ensure graduating in 8 semesters. The catch, however, is each AP test is about $87 (again, waivers are offered if a student qualifies). Therefore, students who can afford the tests will take them and earn credits, thus saving money, but students who can't afford them or don't qualify for waivers will have to pay full price at college. Thus, the cycle continues.

Finally, the last aspect of this cycle is the private college counselor. This is the most extreme aspect, but definitely still present. A college counselor is only for the richest of classes, with some counselors charging $40,000/year of counseling, enough for a whole year of tuition and fees at some schools! Counselors assist students with essay writing, resumes, applications, interview prep and making the final decision (read a great article about it here). However, who can really afford this kind of prep? Are the students who do everything themselves, have their parents read their essays, and go into interviews based on their own knowledge at a disadvantage? The wealthiest of wealthy are the ones receiving all the preparation, guidance and assistance, and can therefore help their children receive all that as well when it comes to be that time. What do you think about this cycle? Are students at different, unfair advantages with one another?

4 Essential Things to Know About Class in February 2011 (Quick and Easy to Understand!)

With President Obama halfway through his first term as president, the recession officially finished and unemployment rates dropping to 9%, many Americans are claiming the sun is shining on America again. However, there are still people struggling. Families are still facing foreclosure. Parents are still unemployed. Children are still hungry. Below is a list of things you need to know to be a well-informed American citizen in 2011.

1. "More than 50 million Americans are still without health care insurance, including more than 7 million children" (http://www.covertheuninsured.org/). Although Obama's health care plan was passed in March 2010 (almost a YEAR ago), with more Republicans in office now and a call for health care reform, health care insurance and coverage is still shaky for many Americans. It was a great victory for the Democrats, but with much controversy and approximately "58% of likely voters at least somewhat favor repeal of the health care law, 44% strongly favor it, 37% are opposed to repeal and 26% strongly oppose health care repeal" (according to Rasmussen Reports) America will have to revisit the issue once again. Look here for a map of America and to view the range of uninsured workers in the state!


2. There are still people going to bed with their stomachs growling. Although the recession is technically over and the future is brightening, food pantries are still hard work. According to a 2010 CNN study, "4 out of 10 visitors to a food pantry are under 18 years old and 50% of food pantry visitors say they often have to choose between food and home utilities" (Why Are Americans Going Hungry?) According to the Hunger Report 2010 by the organization Feeding America, there was a 46% increase in 2010 from 2006 in the number of people who needed Feeding America for food supply (25 million people in 2006, 37 million people in 2010). Out of these 37 million people, 36% of the households had at least one family member working. It's not only the homeless or the unemployed that are hungry, it can be anybody. Finally, the number of children Feeding America is providing food to has grown by 50% from 2006-2010. Hunger is everywhere and affects everyone.

3. The jobs still aren't there for some people. Yes, unemployment has gone down since its spike at 10.1% in October 2009. However, at the end of January 2011, unemployment was still reported at 9.0% (according to tradingeconomics.com) , a pretty high statistic. Jobs and unemployment continue to rock our country and our economy even post-recession. Although a job isn't the key to everything, employment plays a key factor in many of the other topics discussed here, including health care and battling hunger. See the graph below for the fluctuation of unemployment rates:

4. Fourth, and finally, people are still losing their homes. Foreclosures peaked during April 2009, there were still approximately 36,500 mortgage modifications during December 2010 and foreclosures are expected to increase due to "major financial institutions' poor record with modifying home mortgage loans", according to a report released today and the Los Angeles Times. According to Diane Pendley, a co-author of the report, Obama's plan of attack on foreclosures "has made little more than a dent in the large volume of of outstanding distressed loans." According to the Los Angeles Times report, the Fitch Company predicts 4 years of market growth and fluctuation to overcome this real estate crisis.

There are still many problems our country is facing post-recession and inequality is still high. Americans must be aware of these 4 issues to be well-informed and knowledgable regarding our country's status. When these issues are addressed and corrected, our country can be in a better place, and equality and prosperity can (hopefully) return for the majority.