Pygmalion, by George Bernard Shaw, describes Shaw’s viewpoint on social class distinctions in the 1900s by describing characters of the upper, middle, and lower classes in the play. Through the characters’ descriptions, language, and actions, the distinction between classes becomes very prominent. Similarly, Galileo, by Bertolt Brecht, describes Brecht’s take on the social class structure during Galileo’s time and how the differences between classes affected Galileo’s opportunity to do scientific research. Both plays depict a society ruled by the upper-class and a lack of coherence among the upper, middle, and lower classes that leads to eventual conflict. In both Pygmalion and Galileo, the authors highlight the advantages and disadvantages of the different social classes in order to critique how the relationships between people from different classes affect their interactions with each other. The different classes in both plays had their advantages and disadvantages; however, some classes had more benefits than others. In Pygmalion, the upper-class was the most privileged money-wise. Henry Higgins was an upper-class educated man who had quite a reputation and enough money to take on the challenge of transforming Eliza, a lower-class woman, into an upper-class citizen. As a member of the upper-class, Higgins had access to “chocolates, and taxis, and gold, and diamonds” that members of the lower-class didn’t necessarily have (Shaw 19). These objects are associated with
HIGGINS [with the look of confusion on his face]: Fine thank you, Eliza we need to…
The events of the play reveal that most people in the upper-middle class (Mr and Mrs Birling and Gerald) look down on the lower class with derision (‘girls of that class’) and the only middle class person in the play (the Inspector) seems to detest the upper-middle class because he believes in socialism.
‘’We are different from you, we were born different, it’s in our blood.’’ (Luhrmann 2013). The Great Gatsby’ a hit novel by F.Scott Fitzgerald, was later adapted to a film, directed by Baz Luhrmann in 2013. The film is narrated by Nick Carraway, tells his story but also Jay Gatsby’s and how they both become intertwined with love, scandal and sadness. This essay will discuss the statement ‘’In The Great Gatsby, the only element not restricted to one class is unhappiness. All members of all classes are equally unhappy. Discuss whether you agree or disagree with this statement.’’ I personally disagree with statement because in the film happiness is also not restricted to one class, and it is also evident that the unhappiness varies from person to person no two people are equally unhappy. Unhappiness in the classes is displayed through: Myrtle Wilson (lower class), Nick Carraway (middle class) and Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan (upper class). Myrtle, Nick, Jay and Daisy all are unhappy for a variety of reasons and some are evidently unhappier than another.
Desdemona from Othello by William Shakespeare (1969) and Eliza Doolittle from Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw (2003) are characters who struggle with the repercussions of prejudice created by society and who defy social norms. Prejudice is an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought, or reason. Although both theater pieces are based on different eras, both characters have similar characteristics and ideologies on how to behave within society. In this essay, I will argue social prejudice is the antecedent of the negative outcomes which impact Desdemona and Eliza’s rebellious actions and through the use of meter, diction, and punctuation; the authors reveal the extremism of the claim. Though I agree that their rebellious attitudes played roles in their misfortunes, I still support that their misfortunes
Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw is a play that shows a great change in the character Eliza Doolittle. As Eliza lives in poverty, she sells flowers to earn her living. Eliza does not have an education. This shows through the way that she does not have the most proper way of speaking. This happens through when Eliza is speaking to the other characters when she meets then when she is still at a low level of poverty in her life. To understand the reasons Eliza is able to change and be changed into an almost Cinderella like character. With Eliza going from and growing and changing through the hardship she faces. In the play Eliza begins with no confidence and works towards having a way to reach trough from learning during her life
Social Misconceptions Society misleads people to believe in social hierarchy: a wealthy man is perceived as better or more worthy than a bus driver. The poem, "Singapore," by Mary Oliver attempts to expose the problem of this misconception. The narrator is a traveler at an airport who encounters a woman cleaning the restrooms, and is repulsed by the woman's work. An incomplete analysis of the poem might lead readers to believe the main focus is the janitor and her work; however, in reality the message of the poem lies in the speaker's revelation of her need for humility because of the insignificance of social hierarchy. The image of social class division arises almost immediately in the poem.
One’s class would be one the greatest stereotypical perceptions pertaining to language and groups. In Shaw’s Pygmalion, the storyline starts with a horrible storm. This storm forces classes of all types to crowd together out to seek shelter. Ideally, the higher class would not be caught associating with the lower class. However, a mother sees Eliza talking with her son, Freddy, and immediately goes to investigate. As a mother of that time, it is believed that Freddy should not associate himself with someone like Eliza. Eliza Doolitttle is roughly eighteen years of age, speaks what is called ‘gutter language’, and she sells flowers illegally. Appearance and actions “…reveal speakers’ memberships in particular speech communities, social classes, ethnic and national groups” (Edwards, 21). Due to her obvious state of being lower class, a stereotype is immediately placed on her.
This sudden change in character shows that an upgrade in social class not only changes the way that people look at you but that it can also have many benefits as well. Going against the thesis, there is one character, Colonial Pickering. Colonial Pickering is a friend and a safe haven to Miss Doolittle. She trusts him, and with good reason, from the beginning to the end of the play, he treats her the same, like a lady. ?Colonial Pickering is a compete contrast to the character of Henry Higgins in terms of manners and behaviour. Colonial Pickering is Shaw?s evidence that wealth and poverty can mix.? (Galens and Scampinato, 245). Most characters in Pygmalion expect the rich and poor to stay separate except for the open hearted and minded, Colonial Pickering.
The novel The Great Gatsby was written in a time and place in which the separation between classes based on money was a great factor. The two rich classes were the old money and the new money. The two classes were also physically separated. East Egg is for the great “old money” and West Egg is for the “new money”. This segregation based on class is a problem discussed by the Marxists. They understood the huge differences and were the people who believed that there should be no class separation. The Marxist idea of class separation is well depicted in the character Jay Gatsby and his passionate fighting against the class system, in Tom Buchanan’s arrogance and power, typical for the rich people, and in the way George Wilson’s life is negatively influenced by his interactions with the higher class.
“I am still a little afraid of missing something if I forget that, as my father snobbishly suggested, and I snobbishly repeat, a sense of the fundamental decencies is parceled out unequally at birth” (2). So speaks Nick in the beginning of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. This exemplifies how people born into different social classes are not born with the same character and ethics. Since people from different classes think so differently, this may cause conflicts between them and might prevent them from having substantial relationships with each other.
However, readers of the play may argue that Eliza and Higgins stop working together and conflict later on so that supports the theory of class struggle by Marxism. But when the two characters conflict with each other it’s not because of class struggle or anything related to hierarchy, it’s because of Eliza not accepting Higgins as a teacher as Higgins starts mistreating her so rather Eliza gives the credit for her transformation to Colonel Pickering and have constant arguments with Higgins now that she have learned the dialect of a higher class. “Mrs Higgins. I’m afraid you’ve spoiled that girl, Henry.” Eliza can also be seen as spoiled because of all those higher class ways and lifestyle she just adapted to. This type of conflict can be related to a house dispute and doesn’t show a behavior of lower class revolting against higher class to gain rights. “Liza. That’s not true. He treats a flower girl as if she was a duchess. Higgins. And I treat a duchess as if she was a flower girl.” “Higgins. The question is not whether I treat you rudely, but whether you ever heard me treat anyone else better.” As for Higgins’s personality, he always treats people with rudeness so
The play Pygmalion and My Fair Lady, the musical, are the same story. The only major difference between the two, is that My Fair Lady has songs added to the dialogue. I believe the musical version is more enjoyable because the music adds more feeling to the story.
Pygmalion, written by George Bernard Shaw, is well known for its portrayal of the rich and the poor. At the time of its publication, it was common belief that the poor were morally inferior to the rich. Pygmalion argues the opposite. Bernard Shaw used both static and dynamic characters to demonstrate the equality between the social classes regarding morals and intelligence. In the case of Eliza Doolittle, the differences are seen as she transitions from poverty to the middle class. In Pygmalion, she is shown to be a dynamic character, undergoing many changes of personal strength, articulation, and freedom.
“Pygmalion was written to challenge the class system, traditional stereotypes and the audience’s own views.”
Throughout the Industrial Revolution, the lower class’s population continued to increase as more and more people became poor and fell into poverty. Although the upper class was prosperous and wealthy, they failed to assist the struggling population; this only made the problem worse. As the issue of poverty became more critical, it became a topic that authors commonly wrote about. George Orwell, Charles Dickens, and Jonathan Swift were authors who presented the problem of a poor community and a neglectful upper class to the people through the use of allegory and satire. This helped to easily convince and influence their readers. Through the use of satire and allegory, George Orwell, Charles Dickens, and Jonathan Swift effectively address the pressing issue of the upper class’s ignorance and mistreatment towards the lower, struggling class.