Social Class Essays

Jane Austen’s novel Emma portrays the values of social hierarchy, romantic relationships, and aesthetics within the early nineteenth-century society of England. Amy Heckerling’s teen-pic Clueless adapts and explores dominant attitudes, specifically the value of wealth and status, to fit the high-school culture of the late 20th-century. By transforming Austen’s novel Emma into a film and […]

Various sociological perspectives have been explored by sociologists to comprehend society and human behavior, including different aspects of health and illness and their impact on society. Investigating all social structures and the socialization process is essential to understand sociology. Auguste Comte (1798-1857) developed Functionalism, which prevailed until the 1970s when it was further developed in […]

The notion that women only advanced in society after being given the right to vote in 1918 is, in my perspective, incorrect. The British women had to achieve a certain level of status before they could convince the government to grant them this privilege. Before this, they were aiming for equal political rights with men […]

According to Durkheim, who is a Functionalist, schools have an important responsibility in carrying out positive functions. He believes that education plays a vital role in promoting social solidarity and shaping individuals through socialization. It also equips them with the necessary skills for future employment. David Hargreaves was influenced by Durkhiem and expressed the view […]

Some sociologists suggest that the best way to improve standards within school is to encourage competition. This may be competition between two schools, grades or also facilities. When labour came into power they kept some of the conservative educational policies. They allow for businesses to take over a failing school and take care of the […]

‘Working class boys in particular are underachieving, while girls from poorer backgrounds are grasping the opportunities.’ – Julie Henry; The TelegraphIn my study, I will aim to find out the factors that cause underachievement.I will aim to use sociologists that approach the problem differently, to help understand and find an answer to causes and importance […]

The transmission of news, opinions, and views has been debated throughout human history, forming the foundation of mass media sociology. This field explores the reasons behind this phenomenon and has resulted in globally studied theories. The most commonly used theories are Pluralism and Marxism, despite being conflicting. This essay examines these theories starting with Pluralism, […]

Society is made up of a number of social divisions including age, sex, ethnicity, income, wealth and sexual orientation. Many theorists and critics have their own definition of social divisions. For example, Bilton et al (2002, p. 70) states: “In broad terms, the concept of social divisions refers to ways in which, either as individuals […]

Both Marxist and feminist theories are based upon conflict that is there are groups exploiting other subordinate groups, and they both see things from a macro point of view (the wider society). Marxist believe religion is part of the superstructure it’s economically determined, as the infrastructure (economic base) controls the rest of society. Marxist see […]

Multiple sociological studies have investigated the causes of disparities in educational performance among different social groups. These studies specifically examined social class, gender, and ethnicity as influential factors in determining academic achievement. Sociologists agree that an individual’s background, gender, and ethnic group significantly impact their success in education. Sociologist King (1) (1970) stated that research […]

The idea that material and cultural deprivation could explain different educational achievements amongst children has been discussed and studied for more than 50 years. If we think about pre-World War 2 Britain, where there was wide spread disparities of wealth and income, poverty and deprivation were obvious explanations for educational differences in achievement between upper/middle […]

Various factors, including social class, gender, and ethnic minority status, influence education in society. Despite efforts made by previous Education Acts to address these issues, there is still a noticeable disparity in educational achievement among different social classes today. The definition of social classes has changed over time and is now less clear-cut. In the […]

“The Son’s Veto” basically revolves around the relationship between a mother and son. This short story offers us, the readers, a very insightful critique of the social class system in-place in England during the nineteenth century. The plot begins where the story introduced the protagonist, Sophy, who is a rather “humble” human from a rural […]

In many of his novels and short stories, Hardy explores the theme of social class and the challenges that arise as characters move up or down the societal ladder. Set in rural Wessex village of Gaymead in 1891, ‘The Son’s Veto’ follows Sophy, a former parlour maid who marries her employer, the Reverend Twycott. The […]

The social status of children in the Victorian age was drastically different to that of present day. Children were relentlessly suppressed and stringent expectations identified a `good’ from a `bad’ child. Social eminence of children relied entirely upon the class and wealth of parentage. Children of high class parentage were advantaged in a number of […]

Although written in 1945, An Inspector Calls takes place in 1912. The time difference allows Priestley to ask why certain events occurred. The play simplifies 1912 society with the elder Birlings representing upper classes and Eva Smith lower classes. Through Sheila, Eric and the Inspector, connections are made between the two classes. The inspector represents […]

“An Inspector Calls” is a theatrical production authored by J. B Priestley, a socialist who had experienced hardship and underpayment himself, believed that the world needed to transform after the Second World War. The play he wrote is set in 1912 and centers around a wealthy family being investigated by a enigmatic Inspector regarding the […]

This story is about the Birling family celebrating their daughter, Sheila’s engagement to Gerald Croft. A few pages into the story, an Inspector called Goole which means ‘spirit in death’ interrogates the family and the story of Eva’s death unfolds. As it progresses each character realises their connection to her tragic death. Behind this story […]

September 1945 is the time when ‘An inspector Calls’ was written. In Brumley, a North Midlands industrial city, the events of this tale occur in 1912, just before the 1st World War. Priestly intentionally chose this year for the play’s setting so that the characters’ lack of awareness about future happenings could be exploited. Mr. […]

The aim of this essay is to demonstrate, with ample evidence, the significant amount of dramatic tension that the Inspector generates and his contribution to the play ‘An Inspector Calls’ overall dramatic effectiveness. The play was written by J. B. Priestley in 1945, in the aftermath of both world wars and the disastrous maiden voyage […]

An Inspector Calls is set in 1912, just before the beginning of World War One, however it was written in 1944-5, and was first performed in 1945 as the Second World War ended. Priestley survived the First World War, but bitterly disliked it. So when the Second World War came around, he began to question […]

Britain has traditionally been viewed as a two-party system, and some argued that still today – despite growing support for other parties at national election time, Britain will always be a two party system. And it can be argued that for the two main parties – The Conservative Party and The Labour Party – have […]