TV: Capital - Marxism and Hegemony

 1) Re-read the Mail Online review of Capital. Why does it suggest that Capital features a left-wing ideology? Capital portrays the asylum seeker Quentina as a hard worker.

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?

"Everything British came in for a dose of loathing"

"The Great British Understatement"

"While the English residents of Pepys Road were grasping or deceitful"

Not all British people in the show were portrayed in this negative way. Petunia is presented as loving and caring.

The residents were also not grasping either. This is exaggerating,

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

Quentina's lawyer since she is trying to protect immigrants and their human rights.

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

The character Roger who is a businessman complains about his bonus by saying "What use is 30 grand to anybody". He tries to base his bonus on how hard he has worked.


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?

That a certain group known as the elites have power over society. This is done through the media and often controls society without them even knowing.

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

There is one main leader who is Alan Sugar (a successful businessman) who operates everything in the show. There are also contestants who are fighting to become his business partner and try to strive for success.

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.

Coronation Street- This gives us a representation of how the working class people and their daily struggles in life and how they may overcome them.

Emmerdale- Shows us a community of working class families and they each support each other and work together.

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
• show queries or challenges to the base as meaningless, foolish or anti-social via ‘failed revolt’
• show the subdominant position of the masses as a naturalised idea
• show the values of the power elite as ‘natural’ or ‘right’
• show that being a member of the mass is a good thing
• show the masses accepting the values of the power elite
• show the values of the power elite as being ‘for the good of the masses’ (even when unpleasant)

Now try applying those bullet points to Capital. Think about the setting, characters and narrative strands - how many of the bullet points apply to Capital? Does Capital reinforce or challenge the values of capitalism? Give examples from episode 1 to support your points.

What use is 30 grand - portrays capitalist views. 

Quentina working despite government telling her to wait. Lawyer also protecting her.