TV: Capital - Marxism and Hegemony

 Task 1: Mail Online review of Capital

1) Re-read the Mail Online review of Capital. Why does it suggest that Capital features a left-wing ideology?

 Capital was as stuffed full with fashionable causes as Jeremy Corbyn’s function diary. this suggest that captial is based on an left wing ideology

2) Choose three quotes from the review that are particularly critical of Capital and paste them into your blogpost. Do you agree with the criticisms? Why?

Maybe that’s one more thing to be added to the list of politically incorrect crimes, things that we can never say and shouldn’t even think. Which, at the risk of understatement, would be a bit of a shame, really. - i disagree as i believe  this show was a fair representation of politics 

Take a look at the trailer for new BBC One drama 'Capital'

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You can be certain it wasn’t the plot that attracted the BBC drama department in the first place. Capital was as stuffed full with fashionable causes as Jeremy Corbyn’s function diary. 

But that concept went nowhere. The residents were bemused, but not scared. The police were clueless, but they still got to the bottom of it. And there wasn’t just a single perpetrator: the crime was handed from one cardboard character to the next. That’s not a whodunnit, it’s a cop-out.- i believe that this is true as it was quite hard to work out what the meaning was of this and what the point was 

3) What scenes or characters from Capital could be read as promoting left-wing ideology?

rogrers nanny 

quentina working 

the builder working for roger and arabella 

4) What about the other side of the argument - are there any aspects of Capital that reinforce right-wing or capitalist viewpoints?

when arabella and roger are in the bedroom and the  transactional relationship between them is shown were she wants alot of money from him in return she benefits him sexually. there many conversations of the 30 grand bonus were all of these have represented the bonus of 30 grand as a small amount of money and take it as a punishment more than a blessing and reward shows a right wing ideology

Task 2: Media Factsheet - Applying Marxism 

Go to our Media Factsheet archive on the Media Shared drive and open Factsheet #66: Applying Marxism. Our Media Factsheet archive is on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level or online here (you'll need your Greenford Google login to access). Read the factsheet and answer the following questions:

1) What does Marxism suggest regarding power in society?

Marxism offers ideas as to how this power relationship is maintained. and the political and economic theories of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, later developed by their followers to form the basis of communism.

2) Why is The Apprentice a good example of the media reinforcing capitalist values and ideologies?

The Apprentice is a prolonged job interview where contestants compete against each other to be chosen for a job working for the entrepreneur Lord Alan Sugar. The fact that Sugar has all the power reinforces the ‘superior’ position of the capitalist elite. He has power as he has used the system to create wealth and he is shown using this power to provide a livelihood for the winner of the competition.

3) Come up with two examples of media texts (e.g. TV programmes, newspapers etc.) that either fetishise working class life (e.g. EastEnders presents quite a harmonious East End community which probably doesn't accurately reflect East London life) or demonise working class life or poor people (e.g. The Daily Mail and The Sun newspapers regularly demonise people living on benefits with headlines referring to 'scroungers'.) Explain what meanings these texts communicate to their audiences.

An example of this is found in Only Fools and Horses (1981-2003: BBC) when, despite the hardship and economic deprivation experienced by Del and his family, being working class offers a range of positive experiences. The characters are part of a close- knit family, a supportive community and -escape from the trials

Case Study – V for Vendetta (2006: dir. J. McTeigue) V for Vendetta offers the audience an unusual hero. V is identified as a terrorist after blowing up The Old Bailey and taking control of a national news broadcast to send his message to the nation. Marx identified alienation as another method of control of the masses – the construction of social alienation where people feel separated from one another and focused on their individual lives rather than seeing themselves as part of a community.

of modern life via an active social life in the pub.

4) Look at the bullet points on page 4 of the factsheet:

When making a Marxist reading of a text, look out for representations that:

• show the values of the power elite as beneficial to the mass -rogers ungratefulness when he receives a 30 grand bonus and calls it ridiculous and beyond angry as he believes its a small amount of money 
• show queries or challenges to the base as meaningless, foolish or anti-social via ‘failed revolt’ the "WE WANT WHAT YOU HAVE" cards 
• show the subdominant position of the masses as a naturalised idea- the idea of the older generation knowing more then the younger generation as they mistreat matts idea as the have a lack of understanding towards him.
• show the values of the power elite as ‘natural’ or ‘right’- Quintana and the man dating as it gives her a sense of happiness after hardship
• show that being a member of the mass is a good thing-
• show the masses accepting the values of the power elite- when petunia is talking about how her husband albert doesn't like immigrants and the Asian family she was speaking to accepted it and didn't get offended
• show the values of the power elite as being ‘for the good of the masses’ (even when unpleasant)-the conversation between quentina and her lawyer were the talk about what happens if she were to get sent back and she mentions how quentina shouldn't be working