Write a three-page, double-spaced Marxist analysis of Mike Nichols′ Working Girl.
Do not consult outside sources in building your argument. Your evidence to back up your claims should instead include character dialogue, plot details, and/or discussion of imagery/cinematography in the film. Here is a link to the screenplay of Working Girl (Links to an external site.), which you can mine for dialog to help support your claims.
Be sure to include the film and the screenplay in a Works Cited page. (See below for a more detailed desсrіption of the assignment, section by section.)
Use the questions provided in the bullet list below to develop a thesis statement. Be sure that each paragraph in the body of the essay effectively supports the thesis statement that you devise. Finally, be sure that the essay is free of grammatical error.
ABOUT THE INTRODUCTION
In a Marxist analysis, it can be effective to announce the ideology of the film and its relationship to Marxist views at the outset. (See below) Because the rest of the essay will be concerned with where and how the ideology is worked out, it is important to let your reader share your understanding of the stance taken by the film. If you find this approach too dry, boring, and didactic, you might begin with a summary of an incident in the movie that illustrates the social relationships of the characters or some socioeconomic aspect of the society as preparation for your statement of the work’s overall worldview.
A SAMPLE INTRODUCTION
(You may modify and adapt this introduction to suit your purposes.)
Mike Nichol’s Working Girl recalls Grimm’s classic “Cinderella” and reveals a modern society with sharp class divisions, not unlike its antecedent folk tale. It provides an unwitting time capsule of the 1980s: all of its characters are influenced by the inequitable distribution of wealth Though Tess McGill and Jack Trainer’s love-at-first-sight romance is standard fare in romantic comedy, its characters’ actions are best explained by examining the class structure presented in Nichols′ Reagan-era in film [Place thesis statement here. Decide whether the film is a positive example (advocating for a fair redistribution of wealth and power) or negative example (supporting the ideology that the status quo is fair and immutable) and explain why].
QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU DEVISE A THESIS STATEMENT (The answer to one or a couple of these questions will provide you with a workable thesis statement and things to discuss in the essay.)
What does the setting tell you about the distribution of power and wealth?
Is there evidence of conspicuous consumption?
Does the society that is depicted value things for their potential of resale or trade, or for their power to convey social status?
Where do you find characters making decisions based not on abstract principles, but on the economic situations in which they live?
Who are the powerful/powerless people depicted in the film?
Do you find repression and manipulation of workers by owners?
Is there evidence of alienation and fragmentation?
Do the working class characters realize their lack of power?
THE BODY
The central part of your essay will demonstrate the acceptance or rejection of the Marxist principles in the film you are analyzing. It is in this part that the organizational principles will be of your own design. That is, you may choose to discuss each major character, assess the nature of the social institutions depicted, or point out the struggles between groups of people. For example, an analysis of “The Diamond Necklace” might be built around the Loisels decline of power as they are forced to repay the debt incurred by the loss of the necklace, or it could analyze the unjust treatment they receive from those in power. It could even compare and contrast the lives of the rich and powerful with those of the controlling classes of society. It will be useful to fall back on close-reading (viewing) of the film, comparison and contrast, and strong analysis. In any case, during revision you will want to make sure that each of your points is equally developed and that all are linked together in a logical sequence. Making an outline will help you to determine whether these qualities have been achieved.
CONCLUSION
A Marxist analysis typically ends with an endorsement of a more equitable society. In other words, instead of summarizing the essay, discuss your feelings about the American Dream and whether it′s a fantasy (as a Marxist would most likely argue) or whether success in the free market is still possible. Did the movie play into your perceived ideas about class mobility in the United States? Those are the kinds of things you might discuss in your conclusion.
WORKS CITED PAGE
1) Place (Wade) after each direct quote from the screenplay.
Tess tells Cyndy, ″If you want to be taken seriously, you need serious hair″ (Wade).
2) On your Works Cited use:
Wade, Kevin. Working Girl (Screenplay). Dir. Mike Nichols, 1988, 20th Century Fox. Awesome Movie Scripts and Screenplays,
Awesome Film.com, 12 Sep 2014. www.awesomefilm.com/sсrіpt/workinggirl.txt.
