1. Context: Discuss the relationship between socioeconomic class and political identity.
1.1. People want to receive as much as they can to sustain themselves and/or profit, so they have different ideas on how the government can help them.
1.1.1. Entrepreneurs wanted the government be "hands-off" to allow for a free-market (laissez-faire capitalism) economy so that they could earn more profit, while workers wanted the government to support workers' rights so that they could earn higher wages.
1.1.1.1. Adam Smith, David Ricardo, and Thomas Malthus's Laissez-faire capitalism
1.1.1.2. Unionization
1.1.2. So that he will no longer be lonely, Frankenstein's monster asks his creator to create a bridge
1.2. Logos and pathos was often used by elites to control the lower classes, causing them to listen to a single ruler.
1.2.1. The divine right of kings was used to justify absolute monarchy, causing an overarching hierarchy in which the devoutly religious people believed that they had to obey a single king, who was chosen by god.
1.2.2. In Julius Caesar, Brutus controls the mob of Plebeians by saying, "Had you rather Caesar were living, and die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live all freemen As Caesar loved me, I weep for him. As he was fortunate, I rejoice at it. As he was valiant, I honor him. But, as he was ambitious, I slew him" (3.2.23-28).
1.3. People want to preserve their power, so they don't want to be overseen by others.
1.3.1. In "Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, the Senators wanted to keep their power, so they killed Caesar, who they deemed was overly powerful.
1.3.2. In Laissez-faire capitalism, people wanted the government to keep away from the economy so that they could profit as much as possible.
2. Conflict: How does either a sense of belonging to or exclusion from a socioeconomic class impact one's views, opinions, and beliefs?
2.1. People that are less fortunate resent the fortune of those that rank above them, causing conflict amongst them.
2.1.1. The impoverished French citizens were angry that the nobility was well-fed and living extravagantly, so they became outraged at them and began to revolt.
2.1.2. In "Julius Caesar", Cassius states, "Upon what meat doth this our Caesar feed/ That he is grown so great? Age, thou art shamed!/ Rome, thou hast lost the breed of noble bloods!" (1.2.158-160).
2.1.3. During the Enlightenment, the middle class wanted to have more rights and power, so they created Enlightenment ideals to gain those rights through logical arguments.
2.1.4. In Karl Marx's "Communist Manifesto", he says that the 'haves' and the 'have-nots' will always fight against one another, such as the Proletariat against the Bourgeoisie.
2.2. Being excluded from receiving proper rights and treatment can make people angry and bitter, causing conflict in the long-run.
2.2.1. Entrepreneurs often treated their employees badly due to the high amount of available workers, causing the workers to want to fight for their natural and workers' rights.
2.2.2. In "Frankenstein", the creature says,"'Yet you, my creator, detest and spurn me, thy creature, to whom thou art bound by ties only dissoluble by the annihilation of one of us You purpose to kill me. How dare you sport thus with life? Do your duty towards me, and I will do mine towards you and the rest of mankind" (Shelley).
2.3. People in power often try to find ways to exclude those beneath them, causing conflict between them.
2.3.1. To stop the workers from gaining power, entrepreneurs used Social Darwinism to justify their harsh treatment of workers.
2.3.2. To stop his creature from assimilating into society, Frankenstein refused to acknowledge it, instead declaring it an enemy and trying to destroy it.
2.4. The different struggles of each social class created different wants and needs in each class, often causing conflicting desires.
2.4.1. According to "What is the Third Estate?" by Abbé Sieyès, "... [the Third Estate] is laden with all that which is really painful, with all the burdens which the privileged classes refused to carry" (Sieyès, What is the Third Estate?)
2.4.2. In "Frankenstein", by Mary Shelley, Frankenstein's monster struggled to be accepted by his creator and society, while Frankenstein wanted to ignore his creation, creating two conflicting interests.
2.5. People's appearances often cause exclusions from society.
2.5.1. African Americans were discriminated against because of their skin color.
2.5.2. In "Frankenstein", Frankenstein's monster was hated for his frightening appearance, as shown when the blind man wanted to befriend Frankenstein's monster, but his son tried to kill the creature.
3. Power: To what extent do people have the power to change their socio-economic class? What circumstances either allow more social mobility or restrict it?
3.1. The poor have less opportunity to have social mobility, since they have less of an education and, therefore, often don't have the capability to pull themselves out of poverty.
3.1.1. Alexander Hamilton believed that the elites should run the government since they could make better decisions due to their higher education.
3.1.2. Frankenstein's monster was only able to make valid, strong arguments against his creator after he learned more about the bible and educated himself.
3.2. Feeling superior can cause one to focus on superficialities, while feeling inferior can cause one to try to conform with the rest of society.
3.2.1. The entrepreneurs were focused on profiting while the workers struggled to earn enough for a living, so the workers unionized and worked together to change society..
3.2.2. According to "Frankenstein", Frankenstein's monster was abhorred due to his frightening facial features, causing him to try to help humanity because he wanted to be accepted by society.
3.3. People can go from "rags to riches" if it is necessary for them.
3.3.1. Andrew Carnegie went from being poor to becoming extremely wealthy after his contributions to the railroad industry with his steel company.
3.3.2. In "Frankenstein", Frankenstein's creature started out without any knowledge, but after learning a lot to try to confront his creator, he was able to use his knowledge of the Bible and other literature to create logical, valid arguments against Frankenstein.
3.3.3. In "Julius Caesar", when Caesar died, people needed to find a new leader, so they made their voices heard, even burning down houses and harming people.
3.3.4. Hamilton fulfilled Washington's empty spot as a right-hand man when Washington needed someone to help him during a time of crisis.