HW:
1. Work on philosophy assignments (due MONDAY).
2. Finish Antigone for tomorrow!
Example Assignment:
Philosophical
Statement
The
television show Archer juxtaposes the
upper and lower classes to espouse the
value of creating a definitive distinction between social classes in order to
maintain control over society. Indeed, most of the show focuses upon Sterling
Archer’s inability to understand other classes; his butler, Woodhouse, not only
maintains Archer’s home, he also takes care of Archer’s mistresses, conceals
his alcohol abuse and literally gives him nourishment. Thus, the show creates
and emphasizes a clear social class distinction. Moreover, the audience
primarily identifies with Archer, showing the show’s regard for this strict
class structure. Despite his obvious and multiple shortcomings, Archer is a
sympathetic character, as proven by his surprisingly emotional response to the
birth of his love child with Lana. Indeed, though Archer continuously mistreats
Lana, even she realizes that he is both personally and professionally necessary
to her, demonstrating that he is the clear hero of the show. THE SHOW IS CALLED
ARCHER.
Additionally,
the writers of the show often juxtapose the buffoonery of the lower class
characters, furthering the importance of a distinction between classes for the
maintenance of social control. Pam, the large Southern director of HR, as a
member of the lower class, is mocked and constantly makes mistakes. Not only
does she use a dolphin puppet to lead meetings about sensitive issues, she
later becomes addicted to drugs, creating even more of a burden for the rest of
the ISIS firm. Even Lana, Archer’s love interest, seems to be at the utter
mercy of members of the higher class. Both Archer and his mother manipulate and
mistreat her, yet she remains a loyal employee and continues to have intensely
emotional (albeit mostly angry) reactions to Archer’s actions. Thus, through
the juxtaposition of the classes, the show Archer emphasizes the importance of
a distinction between classes in a civilized organization or community.
Literary Criticism ***Note: a complete analysis would
include a second body paragraph (about triumph over chaos) and a conclusion.
Yay.
Are
Antigone and Archer a match made in heaven? Both characters are members of the
upper-class and, despite being deeply flawed, constantly seem to find
redemption. The television show Archer
juxtaposes the upper and lower classes to emphasize the superiority of the
upper class and to demonstrate the necessity of the class system to maintain
order in society. Due to the unbreakable classicism in Antigone and the ultimate triumph over chaos, the play would be
considered a successful piece of literature when viewed through the
philosophical lense of Archer.
First,
both Antigone and Creon continually emphasize their roles as members of the
upper class. In fact, when
discussing Antigone’s duty, Creon reminds the audience of his niece’s place in
society by claiming, “You are a daughter of lawmakers, a daughter of kings,
Antigone. You must observe the law” (29). The parallel structure in the
sentence likens kings and lawmakers, thereby equating social class with power
and articulating the importance of both. Antigone also creates a dichotomy
between the classes when she says of the guards, “I don’t mind being killed,
but I don’t want them to touch me” (25). Not only does Antigone demonstrate
classicism when she prefers being killed to being touched, she refers to the
guards not with names, or even titles, but the pronoun “them”. The use of an
impersonal and alienating word creates a disgusted tone, giving further
evidence of Antigone’s reliance on the social structure. As a result, this play
is certainly a successful example of the Archer
philosophy; members of the upper class identify a clear juxtaposition
between the economic strata of society, just as the members of ISIS do in the
television show.
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