Week 1 Summary

Based on the fact that the British continue to be obsessed with their class system,
the essay mainly presents diverse views of British class system and social mobility
from both political arena and literary world.

In political world, Conservative Party, and Margaret Thatcher herself believed “class”
is a communist concept which groups people and set them against one another.
Labor Party, on the other hand, contended that all British were middle class and it
government in 1945 taxed the rich very heavily. Both two camps didn't seem to deal
with the issue objectively and comprehensively.

Some writers offered diverse voices through different literary genres. Some, namely
Cecil Frances Alexander and Mark Twain discussed whether the class is innate and
fixed by god, or it could be controlled through efforts. Some, like William Mack
Thackeray and Matthew Arnold, conveyed their hatred of class system, for British
society had been corrupted by capitalism and imperialism through their being
philistine, ignorant and unappreciative of high art and culture. Many more writers,
poets or critics reflected the details of the different classes in Britain. For instance,
George Mikes and John Mortimer focused on the division and mindset of middle
class, while Linton Kwesi Johnson, William Cobbett and Charles Dickens articulates
the experience of lower class and the underlying reasons of their plight.

The manifesto in 1848- the founding document of radical Communism- advocates a

world revolution to create a new society based on equality and social justice.
“Working men of all countries, unite!” This document, Marx and Engles’ vision,
inspired more advocators and sparkled people of different opinions. After that,
George Orwell attacked both the evils of capitalism and the tyranny of Communist
states. Oscar Wilde poke fun at the snobbery of the upper classes and their stifling
moral conventions. Anil Gupta produced a BBC radio and TV comedy show to satirize
British Asians.

The essay has adduced quotations from many renowned writers and their works, and
provides a panorama of the British class system to readers successfully.