Kamildinov 1

Kamildinov Baigazy

Halmurzaeva Altynai

EC-1 3rd assignment

14.05.2022

The Elite And Non-elite Layer Of Society.

Segregation in society has always been a source of controversy. According to most

sources, it is highly believed that people at the top of the social pyramid have good qualities

while those at the bottom of the social pyramid have bad qualities. Authors from various

centuries and cultural situations divide people into several groups based on a range of factors.

According to The Bhagavad-Gita and Marcus Aurelius' Meditations, following the path of God

and nature is considered to be the only way of getting to the top of the social pyramid. Other

sources state that persons' physical and mental talents are more vital in terms of defining their

rank in society. The Epic of Gilgamesh examines the idea that physical prowess is reckoned to be

via of getting a good place in society, whereas, in The Analects of Confucius, it is argued that

one’s moral talents define generosity and status. Aside from physical and mental qualities, being

rich and having an immense amount of money are regarded to be one of the most important

variables in terms of granting individuals a better life. This feature of getting high rank in the

society is covered in Virginia Woolf's novel, A Room of One's Own, and also occurs in Marcus

Aurelius' life. In addition to the physical and materialistic aspects, an individual's inherent place

in the family offers them a natural edge over others. Some literature, such as Augustine's

Confessions and Confucius' Analects, emphasize society's inherent high regard for parents,

particularly fathers who are considered to be leaders in the family. As a result, status is context-
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dependent, and various communities place a higher value and emphasis on certain human

characteristics. Therefore, this essay will analyze in detail some sources arguing about the elite

and non-elite layers of society in order to answer the main question of to what extent the writers

were using exactly these examples to portray the problems faced by the low-class people.

To get on the top of the social pyramid, regardless of one's lifestyle, one should follow

the divine which was allocated by God itself. The main reason for being born as a human,

according to The Bhagavad-Gita philosophy, is considered to be completing the holy task of

their class and stopping the cycle of being born and being dead (Gita, IX: 4) the individual who

does his or her duty and behaves himself/herself in accordance with his or her social standing

during his/her life "reaches/realms formed by his virtue, wherein he or she stays for infinite years

till he or she is reborn in a home of honest and honorable men" (Gita, VI: 42). This verse implies

that persons being born into noble families and places gained that benefit via their self-discipline

in carrying out God's allocated duties in past lifetimes. This also implies that those who are

located in the lower layer of society may be awarded a greater place in their future life only if

they do their allocated duties and accept their current low social standing. In the Meditations,

Marcus Aurelius expresses a similar thought. "The intelligence of the Whole is a social

intelligence which means that if everyone in the society will be intelligent it leads to the overall

intelligence and wellbeing of the whole universe. It has certainly made the lower for the purpose

of the higher and brought the higher into harmony with each other. It can be seen how it has been

subjugated some species, coordinated others, assigned each to its appropriate position, and

brought the highest beings together in terms of mental oneness" (Meditations, V: 29).In the

paragraph one can conclude that the non-elite class should be obedient to the higher class,

implying the elite group's dominance. Apart from that, the author also feels that each class is
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deserving of its place based on its allocated responsibilities by one’s Lord. Consequently, both

ideologies hold the same idea that the upper class should work together in accordance with their

obligation to achieve a common objective within a lifespan.

Aside from performing responsibilities allocated by one’s God, some literature argues

that high-class persons have the physical and moral capabilities which are considered to be a key

to be at the top of the pyramid of elite individuals. Gilgamesh is portrayed as the strongest and

most qualified person to be king in The Epic of Gilgamesh (Gilgamesh, I: 45). He has been

characterized and depicted as "big, gorgeous, and terrifying" (Gilgamesh, I: 40). In order to

separate him from other lower-class individuals, the author highlights his physical advantages,

such as being tall and powerful compared to other people. This suggests that physical capabilities

and strength are reckoned to be seen as an important characteristic for the greatest position in

society, that of a monarch or a king. In addition to physical characteristics, the authors emphasize

and make emphasis on the significance of good morality in order to become a noble person.

Another author, Confucius, says in The Analects of Confucius, "If the noble individual gives up

being human, how can he or she fulfill that name of being Adam?" The honorable individual

does not desert humanity for the sake of meat space. He or she is connected to it even when

pressured, bound to it even in a dangerous situation" (Analects, IV:6). According to Confucius,

being well-behaved and having morality are considered to be paramount to the modest person

than anything else. This is reckoned to be the characteristic that distinguishes them from the non-

elites who are located in the lower layer of society. Moreover, the literature emphasizes that in

order to be considered a noble person, one must acquire high moral standards which will set him

or her apart from others. As a result, both writers argue that nobility necessitates exceptional

physical or moral qualities which should be absent in other individuals.

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In addition to the previously mentioned and described attributes of a noble individual,

some of the sources believe that having an immense amount of money and socio-economic

stability offers people an edge in advancing their status in society. Virginia Woolf compares the

great playwright of William Shakespeare and his sister who was a result of his imagination,

Judith Shakespeare. In her essay, A Room of One's Own, she discusses the tight link between

one's socioeconomic well-being and one's achievements. Woolf begins her argument by stating,

"It is impossible that any woman in Shakespeare's day should have had Shakespeare's talent. To

become a brilliance like Shakespeare one should not be born among the non-elite people."

(Woolf 41). Shakespeare's socioeconomic position, as well as the fact that he was a male,

according to the author, enabled him to create these sorts of masterpieces. She also implies that it

was impossible for Judith to achieve anything as magnificent as her brother, Shakespeare. She

was a housewife like most Central Asian women of these days, who was not able to work and

earn money in order to cover her studies if she wanted to study (Woolf 38). Woolf contends that

the elites have the financial support and all material resources to achieve better results and

achievements, but the impoverished ones, such as women, have a more difficult time getting

higher social ranks. Similarly, Marcus Aurelius agrees with Woolf that superior financial status

is beneficial in terms of achieving better results in life. In the Meditations, he expresses

thankfulness for not having "to attend government-supported schools and to have had bad-

educated professors at home" (Meditations, 1:5). Aurelius was very lucky since he was attending

premium educational establishments and studying from well-qualified tutors. Because of his

economic supremacy, he was able to do more than ordinary people of his time. Thus, both

sources indicate that money and wealth are reckoned to be key conditions for people to get to the

top of the social pyramid.

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Apart from that, after the birth of the children, fathers are provided with a greater social

position in the family. Doing everything that the parents are saying is greatly valued in

Confucianism. According to Confucius' Analects, the word filial implies "while one's father or

mother is not dead, one serves them according to the ceremonies; when they are not alive, one

buries them according to the rites and makes sacrifices for them according to the rites and

religious beliefs" (Analects, II:6). According to this passage, parents are expected to be greatly

respected by their offspring. It implies that children should do whatever their parents are

commanding them and obey their parents' demands. This suggests that after becoming a parent,

one gets a higher status and an advantage over one’s children. However, this type of superiority

is typically associated with males since they are considered to be a leader in the family. In

Confessions, Augustine argues that when a woman reaches puberty and is ready to marry

someone, she should be "engaged to a man whom she serves as a God" (Confessions, 9: 20).

According to this source, husbands have a higher value in the family; first of all, due to their

gender and secondly because of their physical superiority compared to females. Moreover, it was

stated that women should be considered a servant to their husbands. This is considered to be a

paradigm in that males and spouses have more prestige and power compared to other family

members including wives and children. As a result, both sources contend that people's positions

and gender confer an advantage and honor.

Even if the majority of the literature portrays the fact that the elite layer of society is

more capable of being leaders, some authors also discuss that there is still potential for the non-

elite layer of society to enhance their skills and achieve a lot of things in their life. In The

Bhagavad-Gita, God Krishna states that the low-caste of "females, commoners, men of low rank,

even males born from demon" (Gita, IX: 23) can get to the top of the social pyramid only if they
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dedicate themselves to their Lord. Krishna thinks that being at the top of the social pyramid

should not be limited only to the people of the high classes. The commitment to God is the

determining key factor in someone's position in this world. The text portrays that anybody,

regardless of their position in society, is capable of achieving great things and growing as a

human being only by following Krishna and performing their responsibilities allocated by the

Greatest God. Moreover, Confucius believes that a small person's virtue may be corrected to suit

that of a great and powerful one. He says that "The virtue of the powerful individual is reckoned

to be similar to the wind, and the virtue of the powerless person is like grass. The grass must

bend when the wind blows across it." (Analytics, XII:20). This text shows how persons from a

lower layer of society can study the unique qualities of high-level people qualities and utilize

them in their own life to achieve the same social position. He contends that noble individuals set

the bar for others aspiring to the same position. As a result, both ideologies share the notion that

great traits and characteristics may be attained by persons of modest status.

In the literature, the concept of social categorization is examined spiritually,

physiologically, ethically, and socio-economically. God's divine is considered to be one of the

aspects that donate people with high social rank. Individuals from the higher layer of society earn

their status since they all operate in accordance with their responsibilities and the shared purpose

of the Whole. Other literature proposes physical and moral characteristics is another paramount

component of getting to the top of the social pyramid. Economic and materialistic wellbeing is

reckoned to be another element that makes people elite. A rich person or someone who does not

lack financial resources has an edge in life over an impoverished one. Another topic covered in

depth in the writings is the power of parents over their children. Parents are normally on a higher

level than the rest of the family, especially the males. Regardless of the unique circumstances
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that divide people into different classes, some texts show that those non-elite ones can have a

better chance in terms of achieving a lot of things if they want to keep being motivated and try

their best throughout their life.

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Works Cited

Augustine. Confessions. Translated by Thomas Williams. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing

Company, 2019.

De Bary, Theodore. Sources of Chinese Tradition, ‘Confucius and the Analects’, 2nd ed., 1:41-
63. New York: Columbia University Press, 19999.

Marcus Aurelius. The Meditations. Translated by Martin Hammond. London: Penguin books,
2006.

The Bhagavad-Gita: Krishna’s Counsel in Time of War. Translated by Miller, Barbara Stoler.
New York: Bantam Dell, 2004.

George, A. R., trans. The Epic of Gilgamesh: The Babylonian Epic Poem and Other Texts in
Akkadian and Sumerian. Translated by George, A.R., New York: Penguin
books,
2000.

Woolf, Virginia. A Room of One’s Own. London: Tried Grafton, 1987.

Miles, Margaret. "Vision: The Eye of the Body and the Eye of the Mind in Saint
Augustine's" De trinitate" and" Confessions"." The Journal of Religion 63.2
(1983): 125-142.

Abusch, Tzvi. "The development and meaning of the Epic of Gilgamesh: an interpretive
essay." Journal of the American Oriental Society (2001): 614-622.

Kocherov, S. N. "“Meditations” of Marcus Aurelius: The attempt of existential-

phenomenological analysis." RUDN Journal of Philosophy 4 (2015): 9-16.

Gayathri, Nelavoy, and K. Meenakshi. "Emotional Intelligence-Universal or Culture

Specific? An Analysis with Reference to the Indian Philosophical Text, the
Bhagavad-Gita." Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities 23.4 (2015).

Kim, Kyung Hi. "An attempt to elucidate notions of lifelong learning: Analects-based
analysis of Confucius’ ideas about learning." Asia Pacific Education Review 5.2
(2004): 117-126.