Analytical Speech on the Psychology of Social Classes - Paper Example

Well, there is nothing that is very new under the sun. The things that have happened in the past in the human societies will still occur in the societies in the future. The progression of events, persuasion, and behavior of people do not utterly change but are transformed and mutate in form by the occurrences of life and the introduction of new ways of life. Thus, the major theme propagated in the Secret River is seen to transcend time, and the convictions of people seem to remain unaltered between different parts of the world. Of the main themes is the social hierarchy and class. Those have always occurred and will always happen as long as there is humanity. Some people will seek to control others through the power they possess either given to them or taking it. Wealth also is central in the Secret River, and the place of money is seen admirable by many. Although the aspect of money has changed a bit because the hallmark of wealth in the Secret Rivers in not as one that is seen in The Great Gatsby in exact detail. However, there is a high similarity. In both novels, the aspect of subjectivity of the social classes is well articulated and the repercussions thereof as noted by (Centers, 1949, pp.1)

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The social classes forming the hierarchical system as experienced by William are experienced in every setting where human beings seem to meet in a group setup regardless of the motive. In the Secret Rivers, William attends a church meeting in Christs church, but while there he experiences humiliation because of his level of income. Being a waterman, nobody seems to catch his attention to the extent that he would be regarded highly. However, those who seemed wealthy and able to live accordingly were given a higher priority. Grenville (2011, pp.2) alludes to the fact that social ranking is unhealthy for an individual development as they may hinder one from maximizing their potential because they are not provided with the right environment. For instance, William experiences the same humiliation based on his class when in the stone lions of the gateposts of the Thornhills Point. Being despised and disregarded in London had a lifelong impact on William during his life as waterman. Such treatment formed indelible marks on his life, and it affected the kind of choices he made throughout the novel. Additionally, the rankings in the society are not only based on the financial wellbeing as seen in the Secret waters but also on racial and social constructs. While in Australia, William admits looking down upon the Aboriginal community because he was white and thus concluded he came from a more superior race than the natives. Williams status and that of other whites are what gave them permission to use the negative social constructs to humiliate other people based on their skin color. The society had taught William that social equality is none existent and some people must always seem in power and in control. Based on the progression of events in the novel, it is evident that how William behaved with the Aborigines is not who he was but a product of how he was treated as a waterman in London and what he collected through life as the ideal.

In The Great Gatsby, the aspect of the social class is strongly linked to the wealth status of the newly proclaimed millionaires of the 1920s (Donaldson, 2001, pp187). They regard money so highly that they develop a strong disliking for the poor. Because of the abundance of their wealth and the respect accorded to East Eggers, he is inconsiderate, arrogant and lacks elegance that is essential in living harmoniously with people. Being rich for instance causes such affluent people to cancel any close association with the middle and poor class. In a sense, the poverty of individuals seems contagious, and they that are rich do not want to associate with the poor lest they become poor. Wealth and social class are intertwined such that the not so rich feel humiliated because of their financial limitation causing them to place such high emphasis on money than it should. People are seen to pursue wealth for wrong reasons like pleasure to be able to attend the Saturday concerts seen in the novel, listen to the jazz music and invariantly lead more morally decayed lives because of over indulgence. Like in the Secret River, where social classes have adverse outcomes, even in the Great Gatsby, the results are not appealing in the long run. The ardent pursuit of wealth to eliminate a person from the despised social class leads to criminal activities and death in the novel. However, if money were seen as what it should be, a tool to help one make a living, then such social evils would have been eliminated. As seen in the novel, although Gatsby was sincere and loving, possessing the qualities of a good person, he derived his wealth from criminal activities.

In conclusion, the social classes and human ranking transcend time and space as seen in the Great Gatsby as well as in The Secret River. A group of individuals seems to be powerful than others just because of social constructs that may not portray the real value. A white person should not rank higher than a person of the color the same way a poor man should never be disregarded and a rich one esteemed. The outcomes of the social hierarchy are dire and detrimental to the proper functioning of the society. As such, social inequalities and stereotypes based on income or racial should be eliminated to bring to pass a society that values people for who they are as human equals. Otherwise, the adverse outcomes affect every society member adversely in the long run.

Bibliography

Centers, R., 1949. The psychology of social classes.

Donaldson, S., 2001. Possessions in The Great Gatsby. The southern review, 37(2), p.187.

Grenville, K., 2011. The Secret River and Searching for The Secret River. Canongate Books.