Literature has a unique ability to serve as a portal to another time that helps readers understand a culture’s values and fears. This insight into a culture is not always immediately present however as the true meaning is almost always hidden beneath the surface. When studying American Literature dating back to the Civil War to the present, one begins to understand a sense of what our ancestors have gone through and how we got where we are today. One aspect of American life that seemed to prevalent throughout this time period was the oppression of marginalized groups that ranges from the Native Americans to the working class of America in order to ensure that the rich and powerful ruling class remains the class with the most influence.
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One piece that shows how the powerful exploit the working class for personal and financial gains is “The Big Money” written by John Dos Passos. When reading this selection it was slightly difficult to understand on the first read due to the fragmentation of the story but like most modernist works, it emphasizes the job of the reader to dig below the surface and analyze the work further. This selection shows the inequality of men in America and the effort of those in power to stay in power by keeping the working class down. This is almost explicitly stated in the line that says “here is the most dangerous example…imperialism today” (Dos Passos) as he is speaking of how the working class are slaves for their bosses but are not compensated properly for their work and therefore cannot pay their bills and afford the cost of living. This illustrates the corrupt nature of the country at the time as the powerful refuse to give those below them an adequate shot a wealth and prosperity as that would jeopardize their seat in power. This corruption is furthered when the writer speaks of how the government stops peaceful protesters violently when all they want is to be treated fairly. The working class at the time was being repressed due to a corrupt upper class that took advantage of them and when the workers fought for their rights they were repressed even
One piece that shows how the powerful exploit the working class for personal and financial gains is “The Big Money” written by John Dos Passos. When reading this selection it was slightly difficult to understand on the first read due to the fragmentation of the story but like most modernist works, it emphasizes the job of the reader to dig below the surface and analyze the work further. This selection shows the inequality of men in America and the effort of those in power to stay in power by keeping the working class down. This is almost explicitly stated in the line that says “here is the most dangerous example…imperialism today” (Dos Passos) as he is speaking of how the working class are slaves for their bosses but are not compensated properly for their work and therefore cannot pay their bills and afford the cost of living. This illustrates the corrupt nature of the country at the time as the powerful refuse to give those below them an adequate shot a wealth and prosperity as that would jeopardize their seat in power. This corruption is furthered when the writer speaks of how the government stops peaceful protesters violently when all they want is to be treated fairly. The working class at the time was being repressed due to a corrupt upper class that took advantage of them and when the workers fought for their rights they were repressed even