 based on the writings of German

philosopher Karl Marx

 a critical approach to literature which shows
the relationship between literature and the
social—mainly economic-conditions under
which it was produced
 Important 20th-century Marxist literary critics: Georg
Lucáks, Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser,Terry
Eagleton, Raymond Williams, and Frederic
Jameson.
 Some of the key concepts of Marxism include
worker's uprising , materialism, class struggle, effect
of capitalism, classless society, ideology, and
working class
 offers critiques of the “canon” and focuses on the ways in
which culture and power intersect; for a Marxist critic,
literature both reproduces existing power relations and
offers a space where they can be contested and redefined
 is concerned with differences between economic classes
& implications of capitalist system, such as the continuing
conflicts between the working class and the elite.
How to use Marxism in Analyzing Literary text?
INTRODUCTION:
a. Title of the book/article/work
b. Writer’s Name
c. Thesis statement
BODY:
a. Major findings, claims, ideas, or messages
b. You may address the following questions:
 Whom does it benefit if the work or effort is
 accepted/successful/believed, etc.?
 What is the social class of the author?
 Which class does the work claim to represent?
 What values does it reinforce?
 What values does it subvert?
 What conflict can be seen between the values the work
champions and those it portrays?
 What social classes do the characters represent?
 How do characters from different classes interact or
conflict?
CONCLUSION:
a. overall impression of the work
b. scholarly or literary value of the reading
text
 1
Match each of the following terms with the correct
definition. Write only the letter of your answer.

a. Labor Revolt f. Classless Society

b. Materialism g. Ideology
c. Marxist Criticism h. Working Class
d. Class Struggle i. Literary Criticism
e. Capitalism j. Equality
 1
___1. The conflict of interests between the workers and the ruling class in
a capitalist society, regarded as inevitably violent.
___2. An umbrella term for a number of critical approaches to literature
that draw inspiration from the social and economic theories of Karl Marx.
___3. A period of civil unrest characterized by strong labor militancy and
strike activity.
____4. A form of philosophical monism that holds that matter is the
fundamental substance in nature, and all things, including mental states
and consciousness, are results of material
interactions.
 1
___5. Refers to a society in which no one is born into a social class.
Such distinctions of wealth, income, education, culture, or social
network might Aarise and would only be determined by individual
experience and achievement in such a society.
___6. It is an economic system in which the means of production and
distribution are privately or corporately owned and the operations are
funded by profits.
___7. It is the reasoned consideration of literary works and issues.
 1

___8. A social group that consists of people who earn little

money, often being paid only for the hours or days that they
work, and who usually do physical work.
____9. This refers to the body of doctrine, myth, belief and
the like, that guides an individual, social movement,
institution, class, or large group.
___10. This is the main struggle of the Marxist criticism.
ACTIVITY 2
1. What is Marxist criticism?
2. Where did Marxism come from?
3. .What are the key concepts of Marxism?
4. Who are the important 20th century Marxist literary critics?
5. What is the relationship between Marxism & literature?
6. What is the significance of Marxism to literary criticism?
7. How are the key concepts of Marxism correlated with literature?
8. What are the basic parts of Marxist critical analysis?
 My beard as I stroke it Begging weeping;
ACTIVITY 3
The Dialogue of the Poor and Destitute “Apart from me At such a time
by Yomanoue no Okura There’s no one!” What is he to do?
In amongst the wind Say I in my pride, but As he passes through the world.
Rain falls at night, As I am cold, Heaven and earth,
And in amongst the rain Hemp blankets Are wide, they say, yet
Falls snow:
I pull up around my head; For me
With nothing to do
Sleeveless jackets,
For I am cold, Are they not cramped?
All I have,
A hard cake of salt The sun and moon
I put on, one on top another;
I take and nibble, Shine bright, they say, yet
With sake lees in hot water
Yet though the night is cold –
For me
To sip upon; Even more than I –
A poor man,
Do they shine at all?
Coughing,
Nose running constantly; With mother and father Are all men
Nothing to speak of, Starving and numb, Or only me this way?
Wife and children
By chance
I was born a man and
Like other men
I am made, but
An unpadded
Sleeveless jacket
Like algae
Frayed and drooping
In rags alone
Hangs from my shoulders, and
In this low-roofed hut,
This bent and crooked hut,
Straight on the ground
Straw’s spread;
My mother and father
Deep inside;
My wife and children And making it shorter still,”
On the edge
As they say,
Huddle together and
Moan sadly; With whip in hand,
From the stove The village headman’s voice
No smoke rises and
To my bed
In the rice pot
A spider’s spun its web; Comes calling;
Cooking rice Is this all there is?
Is something we’ve forgotten;
Is it so hopeless?
When we’re as ground thrushes
Here cheeping,
Our path in the world
“To make a point of
Taking a short measure
ACTIVITY 3. Based on the poem, answer the following questions:
1. What is the title of the poem?
The Dialogue of the Poor and Destitute
2. Who is the author?
Yomanoue no Okura
3. What is the theme of poem?
The theme of the poem is the sorrow and despair felt by the characters.
4. What is the social class of the author?
He came from the lower-ranking nobles.
5. Which class does the work claim to represent?
It represents the lower class.
6. What values does it reinforce?
The poem reinforces the value of having endurance and
perseverance to survive despite the struggles of being poor and
destitute.
7. What values does it subvert?
It subverts the capability of the government and other members
of the society to lend helping hands to the poor and destitute.
8. What conflict can be seen between the values the work champions and those it portrays?
The conflict reflected in the poem is the lack of compassion for the poor and destitute,
from those who are well-off in the society.
9. How do characters from different classes interact or conflict?
They shared their experiences as members of the lower class in the society.
10. What social classes do the characters represent?
They represent the lower class.
11. What is the scholarly or literary value of the reading text?
The poem has literary value since it is timeless and relatable. Though it was written
many years ago, still the readers from anywhere in the world and in any era/century could still
relate with the poem’s theme and content.
ACTIVITY 4. Read the short story “Hitting Budapest” by NoViolet Bulawayo, and
answer the questions that follow.

1. Who are the characters in the story? Describe each one of them.

2. What are the social status of the characters?

3. How do the characters live on the day to day basis?

4. How can you describe the setting of the story?

5. What can you say about the distribution of wealth between the rich and the
poor as narrated in the story?
6. Why is the story titled “Hitting Budapest”?

7. Would you say the main characters are extremely poor children? Explain your
answer?

8. Point out instances where the main characters displayed ignorance & illiteracy.

9. Pick out scenes or incidents described in the story which reflect the social
reality and economic life of the people. What problems do they represent? In
what ways can you help to solve these problems?

10. How can you relate the story with Marxism?

ACTIVITY 6. Read the short story “Hitting Budapest” by NoViolet Bulawayo, and
answer the questions that follow.

1. Who are the characters in the story? Describe each one of them.
Darling-the narrator, Bastard, Chipo, Godknows, Sbho, Stina, Fraction, British
woman
2. What are the social status of the characters? Lower class (poor)

3. How do the characters live on the day to day basis? They are not provided with
enough food or basic necessities by their parents/guardian so they need to steal
guavas to have something to eat and earn money from selling them.
4. How can you describe the setting of the story? The setting of the story are: (1)
“Paradise” --- shanty town in Zimbabwe and (2) “Budapest” --- nice part of the
town where there are big houses with the graveled yards and tall fences and
durawalls and flowers and green trees, heavy with fruit.

5. What can you say about the distribution of wealth between the rich and the
poor as narrated in the story?
Based on the poem, there was inequal or unfair distribution of wealth between the
rich and the poor. It was clearly described in the story the distinct differences
between how the poor and rich lived and the contrast of the physical appearance
of the places where they live.
6. Why is the story titled “Hitting Budapest”?
It is titled “Hitting Budapest” because the group of children seemed to be “striking”
the nicer part of the town. It’s like their way to compensate their lack of basic
necessities. They thought that it was just right to get things from rich people since
they have everything in abundance.

7. Would you say the main characters are extremely poor children? Explain your
answer?
Yes, they are because they resort to stealing guavas just to gratify their hunger in
daily basis. They even thought of eating the food thrown away by the British
woman.
8. Point out instances where the main characters displayed ignorance & illiteracy.
a. They did not know how Chipo was impregnated.
b. The part of the story where the British woman said “wow” and they didn’t
know what it meant.
9. Pick out scenes or incidents described in the story which reflect the social
reality and economic life of the people. What problems do they represent? In
what ways can you help to solve these problems?
c. Chipo being impregnated by her grandfather.
b. The group of children stealing guavas just to gratify their hunger.
c. The group of children being disrespectful to other people.
d. The group of children looking up to the rich people and dreaming of living in
Budapest or in America.
10. How can you relate the story with Marxism?

The short story reflects social reality. It vividly portrays the economic disparities
between the poor and the rich. Moreover, it shows how the children are deprived
of basic necessities and how such situation affects their behavior/values.
Activity 5
1. peeking
2. wiggling
3. thingies
4. tingling
5. shacks
6. zip / cruise / glimmering
7. spit
8. lawns
Activity 5
1. peeking – look quickly
2. wiggling – move or cause to move up and down
or from side to side with small rapid movements
3. thingies – thing/person whose name one has
forgotten, does not know, or does not wish to
mention
4. tingling – slight prickling or stinging sensation
5. shacks –roughly built hut or cabin
6. zip / cruise / glimmering – move at high
speed / to journey / shine faintly with a
wavering light
7. spit – eject saliva forcibly from one’s mouth
8. lawns – an area of short, mown grass in a
yard or garden or park