Essay About Social Classes Lead And Lady Catherine

How Social Classes Lead to Prejudice – Research Paper – ljyflores
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How Social Classes Lead to Prejudice
How Social Classes Lead to Prejudice
1. Social Classes Create Prejudice
Regardless of when, where, or who, social class is unalienable to human life. It affects every
facet of human interaction, and plays a large part in anyone’s day to day dealings with others. This is a truth reiterated time and time again in the film, Pride and Prejudice. It is the story of two individuals who learn to overcome their pride and their prejudice against each other, as they learn to accept and eventually love one another. In doing so, they also overcome the obstacles set by social classes, a situation people struggle to accomplish even in today’s society.

The main obstacle that social classes set, that the stereotypes this institution affixed to the people of each strata, led to a lot of class-based prejudice. During this period, people acted in accordance with the values and behavior expected of the people in their class. People followed these rules, and over time, stereotypes for each class emerged, upon which everyone was associated. People then based their opinions of the others on the stereotypes of their class, instead of the true personality of the person. These prejudiced opinions accounted for the good or bad treatment of others towards the people of the other classes.

2. The Aristocrats
Aristocracy for example, were governed by strict rules on mannerisms, social communication,
conduct, and courtship. They were expected to be polite, graceful, and soft-spoken. Based on these traits, they saw themselves as highly cultured people, and saw people in other classes as “uncultured”, which led them to sometimes mistreat lower-ranking people. (Joanna Stickler, Pride and Prejudice, Class and Gender, www.scribd.com)

2.1 Lady Catherine
A good example of this was shown by Lady Catherine de Bourgh of the aristocracy. At a dinner
Stickler, Joanna. “Pride and Prejudice, Class and Gender.” Scribd. 27 July 2008. Web. 6 Oct. 2014. < Flores 1 Flores 2 for example, Lady Catherine rudely cut off Lizzy while she was conversing with Darcy. Had it been another aristocrat talking, Lady Catherine would not dare interrupt the person. However, Lizzy's inferior status made it acceptable to Lady Catherine, to not accord Lizzy with the respect she would have given someone of the higher class. When asked, Lizzy said that neither she nor her sisters could draw, and Lady Catherine assumed that they did not have the opportunity to learn how to, possibly implying that they were financially incapable of it. Once again, this was another gesture where Lady Catherine looked down on Lizzy, based on her financial situation, which is highly linked to class. On another occasion, Lady Catherine visited the Bennett's house, and refused Mr. Bennett's offer to have tea using the phrase “Absolutely not.”, instead of “No, thank you.” which would have been far more polite. She then referred to Mrs. Bennett's daughters as her “offspring”, a term commonly used for animals, which could mean that she was calling Mrs. Bennett's daughters as animals. When talking to Elizabeth in private, she called Lizzy a woman of “inferior birth”, and remarked that if Darcy married Lizzy, then the “Shades of Pemberley” would be “thus polluted”. According to Laurel Ann, the shades of Pemberley referred to Darcy's ancestors, who according to Lady Catherine, would be disgraced had Lizzy married into the family. (Laurel Ann, Pemberley Shades, austenprose.com) These examples showed how lowly Lady Catherine viewed the Bennetts, and how cruel her attitude was to those below her in the social hierarchy. We see how Lady Catherine abhorred people of lower rank, and how Lizzy's social status clouded Lady Catherine's view of Lizzy's true nature. Lady Catherine's class-based discrimination was the driving force behind her maltreatment of Lizzy, and the same prejudice was what made her kill the idea of Darcy getting married to someone lower than him. Basing her opinion on the lower gentry stereotype, Catherine assumed Lizzy to be some crass, untalented, uneducated girl, and failed to see the brilliance of Lizzy's mind, and how cultured she actually was. 2.2 Mr. Darcy Mr. Darcy shared the same mindset as Lady Catherine, but did not hold this sentiment as strongly as she did. Viewing Lizzy as middle class, he remarked that she Continue for 6 more pages » Read full document Download as (for upgraded members) Citation Generator MLA 7 CHICAGO (2016, 01). How Social Classes Lead to Prejudice. EssaysForStudent.com. Retrieved 01, 2016, from "How Social Classes Lead to Prejudice" EssaysForStudent.com. 01 2016. 2016. 01 2016 < "How Social Classes Lead to Prejudice." EssaysForStudent.com. EssaysForStudent.com, 01 2016. Web. 01 2016. < "How Social Classes Lead to Prejudice." EssaysForStudent.com. 01, 2016. Accessed 01, 2016. Essay Preview By: ljyflores Submitted: January 27, 2016 Essay Length: 1,647 Words / 7 Pages Paper type: Research Paper Views: 545 Report this essay Tweet Related Essays Hypothesis: Social Class Determines How Asian Teenagers (aged 15-17) Do in Gcse Rather Than Culture Hypothesis: Social class determines how “Asian teenagers (aged 15-17) do in GCSE rather than culture. Culture is hard to define and operationalise between different “Asian” 3,794 Words  |  16 Pages Social Classes in the Great Gatsby 1.Introduction F. Scott Fitzgerald is famous as one of the greatest authors of the twenties. He is referred to as a member of the “Lost 2,907 Words  |  12 Pages What’s at Issue: Italian Social Classes Social classes What’s at Issue: Italian Social Classes Do social classes in Italy exist? You bet they do. Just like in most developed countries, social 441 Words  |  2 Pages Social Class Divisions and the Effects on Women of Victorian England Social Class Divisions and the Effects on Women of Victorian England Two hundred years ago, during the reign of Queen Victoria in England, the social 1,225 Words  |  5 Pages Similar Topics What economic and social factors should Fresh Fields managers watch Pride Prejudice Themes Motifs Symbols Get Access to 89,000+ Essays and Term Papers Join 209,000+ Other Students High Quality Essays and Documents Sign up © 2008–2020 EssaysForStudent.comFree Essays, Book Reports, Term Papers and Research Papers Essays Sign up Sign in Contact us Site Map Privacy Policy Terms of Service Facebook Twitter