Marxist Criticism In 'The Lesson'

[She] worked her first six years when there was work, or [she] sent her home and to his relatives” (Olsen 28). The narrator did the best she could to raise her daughter. All she wants for Emily is to “only help her to believe-- help make it so there is cause for her to believe that she is more than this dress on the ironing board, helpless before the iron” (Olsen 29). Emily didn’t have the same advantages as the other children, which is why “she compares Emily 's good behavior to the stubborn demands of the younger children in the family” (Werlock 1). The less advantaged past of Emily while she was growing up held her to not be greedy and constantly beg for everything like the other children who have a more privileged childhood.

In “The Sanctuary of School” Lynda applies her personal life to the fact that some people think cutting down budgets for public schools will benefit when times get tough. Also that art, music and the creative ideas will be the first to go when budgets are cut. Lynda had a rough childhood where her parents had money issues and family members that needed temporarily to stay at her home (Barry, 721). The lack of attention from her parents made her look for attention elsewhere in this case the school. Lynda saw her teacher Mrs. LeSane as a mother figure.

Toni Morrison´s The Bluest Eye (1970) conveys the Marxist idealism that social and economic realities are the factors that determine the culture and consciousness of a particular group. The struggle within the context of the Civil Rights Movement, as well as the rejection of African American people is displayed in Morrison´s work, showing the author´s consciousness. Thus, in this paper I will try to show the author´s belief that human self-realisation is determined and delimited by the dominant class at every level. For this purpose I will focus on the relation between wealth and social class, on how the dominant class, in this case the white one, imposes its values over the black community, reducing its personality and leading its members to lose their identity. I will also try to show how the victims of the capitalist system see themselves trapped in an order from which it is very difficult to escape, and find themselves forced to give up and accept their current condition.

Marxist theory also helps us further our understanding of the achievement gap. We will interpret the achievement gap through the concepts of ALIENATION, SPECIES-BEING, and CLASS CONFLICT. Although these concepts pertain to critiques on capitalism, they remain useful and revealing to the U.S. education system, as this system itself was heavily influenced by capitalism. For example, there are bells to conduct the school day, grades to track student performance, incentives to outperform your peers, and many other aspects influenced by capitalism. Marxist theory allows us to examine how the organization of the school system either promotes or hinders the achievement gap.

There are several theories underlying this dissertation such as the activation theory, path dependency, variety of capitalism, and the theory of welfare chauvinism. In this regard, institutions cover three major facets of institutionalization processes and the administrative machineries experience path dependencies (Thoenig, 2011). They are organizations that handle public affairs (Brunsson and Olsen, 1997: 20), serve as political devices and action-oriented systems (Thoenig, 2011) depending on the dissimilar models of national capitalism. Furthermore, institutions intervene in public affairs (Thoenig, 2011) through regulative activation policies to steer young third country immigrant transition to work. A suitable theory of this study

They realize they are born into the poor part of society but still have the desire to want. The first conflict began when Miss Moore first moved into the neighborhood. Miss Moore had dedicated herself to guide the children in the right way and the children don’t want anything to do with it. When Miss Moore

5.2 million children in the United States grow up in poverty. That means that one out of four children under the age of six are living with families whose income falls below the federal poverty line. The book The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is about a young Latina girl named Esperanza who is growing up in a poor neighborhood. Esperanza has a dream of having a nice house when she grows up, but for now she is stuck in a small unsatisfactory house which she hates. Being a [[#|child]] in middle school she can not do much about her living situation until she grows up.

The aspirations from Bourdieu in this issues mainly concerns three interrelated concepts: capital, habitus and field. Capital, in Bourdieu theory, is defined as an accumulated labour, or a kind of power embodied not only in economic but also in cultural, social and symbolic forms. Capital is related to the notion of habitus and field that are important to understand how actors strive for and gain access to health (Bourdieu 1984:86). Habitus is a concept that seeks to explain the dispositions that influence individuals to become who they are, condition of existence, everyday activities that display their relationship with society. It also explains how the body is present in the social world as well as social world present in the body (Bourdieu 1984:86 as cited in Reay 2004).

With the help of their parents, teachers and others in their social environment they become cultural and socially capable members. The general process of acquiring culture is referred to as socialization. During socialization, children learn the language of the culture they are born into as well as the roles they are going to play in life. For instance, girls learn how to be daughters, sisters, friends, wives, and mothers. In addition, they learn about the occupational roles that their society offers for them.

Confidence, intelligence, and passion-- these are all qualities that Miss Moore, a motherly figure, exhibits while impacting the children 's education. Miss Moore shows a high level of confidence towards the children. While they may talk behind her back and make many rude gestures, she still stands up for herself and give the children a the guidance she feels they deserve. The story portrays a town that is full of unfortunate children. The children may not have been shown proper way to do things or the correct social skills in life.