The issues of social class is important in shaping our view of the cultural context
a) Discuss the importance of social class in shaping your understanding of the cultural context of one text you have studied
b) Compare the importance of social class in shaping your understanding of the cultural context of two other texts that you have studied as part of your comparative study
The cultural context looks at the society the character lives in and how their culture can affect their behavior and opportunities, and I think social class has a role to play in the understanding of the cultural context in the text I have studied. The text which I have studied for my comparative study is The Great Gatsby (TGG) by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The text is set in 1922, four years after the war. This period after the war became known as ‘The Roaring Twenties’ the ‘Jazz age’ or the ‘Golden Years’ because of the boom in the economy. The war put pressure on industry to keep America ahead – the country needed more advanced weaponry and cheaper food production. Production rates increased, and technology became more sophisticated. This meant that the American industry and the economy were boosted when the war ended in 1918. Along with economic changes came with major social and cultural changes. Women had more independence and were now able to vote; they also wanted a new image to reflect this new lifestyle. That is how the ‘flapper’ emerged. The main character who reflects this new life for women is Jordan Baker. Flappers challenged the idea of what it was to be feminine and to be a woman. The term was used to describe young women who lived far more liberated lives to their mothers and grandmothers. They often cut their hair short into a bob and wore much shorter skirts. They were looked on quite negatively by an older generation who disapproved of their drinking, smoking and looser morals. It was assumed that they were sexually active. They...