These Are Prompts to Analyze- Do Not Just Respond to a Question

Marxist Theory Asks

These are prompts to analyze- Do not just respond to a question.

·  Is there an outright rejection of socialism in the work?

·  Does the text raise fundamental criticism about the emptiness of life in the bourgeois society?

·  In portraying society, what approximation of totality does the author achieve? What is emphasized? What is ignored?

·  How well is the fate of the individual liked organically to the nature of societal forces? What are the work’s conflicting forces?

·  At what point’s area actions or solutions to problems forced or unreal?

·  How does the author deal with the poor or power in relation to the rich?

·  What are the values of each class in the work?

o  What is valued most? Sacrifice? Assent? Resistance?

·  How does the author deal with the poor or power in relation to the rich?

·  Does the author create sympathy for the poor?

o  …or hatred for the upper class?

·  Do poor characters dream of a better life? If so, do they act on those dreams?

·  How long have the poor been poor?

·  Are the poor being exploited?

·  Can the poor become rich with or without violence?

·  How clearly do narratives of disillusionment and defeat indicate that bourgeoisie values (competition, acquisitiveness, chauvinism) are incompatible with human happiness?

·  Does the protagonist defend or defect from the dominant values of society? Are those values in ascendancy or decay?

Use these questions to tell how the structure and characters affect the themes, plot, and presentation of the work of literature.