Contemporary Society: Marxism Analysis of a Cartoon, University Name

This assignment provides an analysis of a cartoon through the lens of Marxism. The student explores the concepts of class division, the exploitation of the working class by the capitalist class, and the resulting social inequality. The assignment references key Marxist theories, such as the unequal distribution of wealth and the exploitation of the bourgeoisie class. The author uses the cartoon to illustrate these concepts, highlighting the stark contrast between those who have surplus resources and those who struggle to survive. The assignment is based on unit readings and aims to explain the image through the concepts discussed in the class module.

Running head: CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY
CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY AND MARXISM
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

2CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY
As opined by Curran (2016), the theoretical cannon of Marxism propounded by Karl
Marx over the years had become one of the most important ones which is being used for the
analysis as well as the explanation of the social relations and the power distribution within the
society. Marxism helps the individuals to understand the reasons for the unequal distribution of
power within the society by pinning it down to the exploitation of the working class individuals.
This paper will undertake an analysis of Marxism in the particular context of the cartoon given in
the class.
Mattick Jr. (2016) is of the viewpoint that the theory of Marxism states that the capitalist
class exploits the bourgeoisie class or the working for amassing the wealth that they have. This
in turn over the years had helped the capitalists to gain a substantial amount of wealth whereas
led to the deterioration of the condition of the working class individuals of the society
(Lichtheim 2015). This as a matter of fact forms the central lacuna of the below given cartoon as
well-

3CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY
The cartoon clearly indicates that whereas one individual has surplus amount of food in
his home and on the other hand the other individual is struggling to get adequate amount of food
to sustain himself. In terms of Marxism, this can be attributed to the over-exploitation of the
working class by the capitalist class.
To sum up, Marxism over the years had become an important theory which is being used
for the analysis of the class division on the basis of the wealth held by the individuals. For
example, the theory in a succinct manner states that the base reason for the unequal distribution
of wealth is the exploitation of the working class individuals by the capitalists.

4CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY
References
Curran, D., 2016. Risk society and Marxism: Beyond simple antagonism. Journal of Classical
Sociology, 16(3), pp.280-296.
Lichtheim, G., 2015. Marxism (RLE Marxism): An Historical and Critical Study. Routledge.
Mattick Jr, P., 2016. Marxism--Last Refuge of the Bourgeoisie?. Routledge.