The infamous mantra, “F*CK THE SUPER RICH” is stamped on the sidewalk within shouting distance of London’s prestigious Westminster School. The proximity of these words to the alma mater of eight former British Prime Ministers accurately reflects the social class construct of the city. Class in London is what race is to the United States. Class differences exist and those differences often create division and tension among people. London’s social class has been reinforced by a plethora of legal systems and myths associated with being a member of the “Upper Class.” In the English novel, Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Wolf dispels the stereotypes associated with being a part of the upper end of the social class construct. Social class is a status hierarchy in which individuals and groups are classified on the basis of esteem and prestige acquired mainly through economic success and accumulation of wealth (1). Classical Sociologists Karl Marx and Max Weber laid the foundational understanding of this construct. Karl Marx contends that there were two class categories: capitalist and laborers.
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During the time, the ability to read was virtually exclusive to members of the middle to high class. These members were able to escape the secular court to be tried in the more lenient ecclesiastical court. In other words, a person of high class could commit the same crime as a person of low class and receive a less serve punishment because of his or her class privileges. The statue would undergo many reforms throughout the years. However, the literacy test abolished until 1706 (5). The Benefit of a Clergy is ultimately a product of a feud between a King and a Bishop; the law, for centuries, strengthened the class system in London by providing preferential judicial treatment to members of society who were on the higher end of the class
During the time, the ability to read was virtually exclusive to members of the middle to high class. These members were able to escape the secular court to be tried in the more lenient ecclesiastical court. In other words, a person of high class could commit the same crime as a person of low class and receive a less serve punishment because of his or her class privileges. The statue would undergo many reforms throughout the years. However, the literacy test abolished until 1706 (5). The Benefit of a Clergy is ultimately a product of a feud between a King and a Bishop; the law, for centuries, strengthened the class system in London by providing preferential judicial treatment to members of society who were on the higher end of the class