Struggles in Society

The theme of struggle is predominantly present in the lower class. As they face unemployment, hunger, poverty, lack of social acceptance, lack of educational opportunities, and the fear of never being able to get out of their standings, they still must go through life trying to overcome them. The movie, Modern Times, as well as a couple of articles, all portray this common theme of struggles among the lower class.

Unemployment, poverty, and hunger are just a couple of hard times that people faced in the Great Depression era of the 1930s. Modern Times is a movie starring Charles Chaplin and portrays all of these themes. Chaplin struggled to live in a modern industrial society, while machines in the Industrial Age were created each and every day all around him. He literally tried to go to jail because once there, he realizes life is better with the decrease of struggles. He met a homeless woman in his pursuit of happiness. Although she made life a little more worth living for him, the struggles still existed, especially in the attempt to care for two people instead of just one.

There are many readings that demonstrate the struggles that people faced and are still facing today. An essay by Herbert Gans called “Deconstructing the Underclass” discusses the effects of buzzwords or labels. Negative labels bring down the poor people and decrease their chance of bouncing out of poverty. An example of negative treatment leading to these views comes from page 105. Gans says, “We know from social research …that areas associated with the underclass do not get the same level of services as more affluent areas.” When treated in such a way, it is hard for those who are less fortunate to believe that they have the abilities to get out of the situations they are in. This article shows that people struggle now just like they did in the Great Depression. The negative attitudes that people who are more fortunate give towards those in the lower class just create another struggle that...