Michelle Omidi
Works at California Legal Counsel and Sinai Temple
Sociology Major at University of Southern California
Beverly Hills, California
Los Angeles, California
Order Number: 10516
Topic: Karl Marx Theory
Subject: Sociology
Number of Source: 1
Citation Style: MLA
Writing Level: College/University
Delivery Mode: 7 Days
Number of Pages: 6
Instructions: Remember to read the instructions for each section carefully and make sure your paper is double-spaced, with size 12 font, 1-inch margins. PART A) Concept Definition: Pick and Explain FOUR of the following concepts (no more than one paragraph for each concept) Species Being Labor Theory of Value Surplus Value Ideology Capital Superstructure Crisis of Overproduction Mode of production PART B) Short Answer Questions: Pick and Answer TWO of the following questions (no more than one page each) 1) In The German Ideology Marx argues: "If in all ideology men and their circumstances appear upside-down as in a camera obscura, this phenomenon arises just as much from their historical life-process as the inversion of objects on the retina from their physical life-process." (p. 154). What did he mean by that? What are the causes for this distortion? 2) In "Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844" Marx writes: "The worker becomes all the poorer the more wealth he produces, the more his production increases in power and range." (p. 71) Why is this necessarily so under capitalism? Why cannot capitalism be a win-win situation for both capitalists and workers? 3) In "Wage Labour and Capital," Marx declares, "A cotton-spinning jenny is a machine for spinning cotton. It becomes capital only in certain relations." (p. 207) Explain this enigmatic statement. What is the kind of relations turn jenny into capital? Can you imagine a condition where jenny will cease to be capital? Describe this condition? 4) In "The Manifesto of the Communist Party" Marx claimed, "All that is solid melts into air, all that is holy is profaned, and man is at last compelled to face with sober senses, his real conditions of life, and his relation with his kind." (p. 476) What, according to Marx, causes the liquidation of sacred things? Why? What is the significance of this liquidation? PART C) Essay: Pick and Choose ONE of the essay questions below and answer it in no more than three pages. Be sure to use Marxist concepts and ideas in your answer. There is no right or wrong answers to these essays. Your grade will be determined by your ability to analyze the situation using Marxist concepts correctly. 1) Brat and Melissa read an interesting New Yorker short article on work on the 21 century. Having read the article, Brat said: "You see Melissa, Marx was right all along, capitalism turns us into docile robots that work and work and work." Melissa, in contrast, argued: "What are you talking about. Everything you have in this article suggests that Marx was wrong. Not only that the revolution is nowhere in sight, his description of alienation and exploitation have nothing to do with the realities of work in the 21 century!" What do you think—who is right here? What is your take on the article (in light of Marx's writings)? Please be sure to base your reaction with reference to Marx's ideas and concepts. You do not need justify Marx or to prove him wrong—only to show that you can reason using his concepts. 2) In the old days, musicians were employed by record labels who took most of the money and paid musicians a certain stipulated amount. Nowadays, cheap digital recording devices and online file sharing made this model obselete. Musicians can, if they want, bypass the record labels and record and distribute their music from their their home. This developmet led to an ongoing debate. Many record labels and artists claim that this development destroyed their livelihood and damaaged the quality of the music we hear. Others (including some artists) claim that these new technological breakthrough freed art from commerse. From their perspective, musicians now enjoy more freedom and creativity flourishes. What would Marx have to say about this change? Analyze these developments and debates using Marxist terms (mode of production, forces of production, ideology, surplus value, exploitation, alienation) Does the fact that music is not sold for money a good thing? Does it mean that artists are no longer alienated? Or, is it the case that artists are now being exploited more than ever before? If so, by whom? * I will send over class power points and notes once I get a confirmation email. *The book used for the class is called the Marx-Engels reader and it can be found online, but if not, let me know and I can send photos of the pages you need.
