Politics Essay 5 Page

Pick one essay topic to write on, the minimum length for this assignment is 5 pages. This means that your analysis should fill 5 full pages (using a minimum of 2250 words), adhering to the technical instructions outlined in the guidelines for writing assignments available in Blackboard. Do not go over 5 pages. Make sure that you read the topic carefully, considering the potential implications and major issues that need to be attended to in order to provide a complete answer.

Option 1. At one point Marcuse notes: “People recognize themselves in their commodities; they find their soul in their automobiles, hi-fi set, split-level home, kitchen equipment. The very mechanism which ties the individual to his society has changed, and social control is anchored in the new needs which it has produced.”

Clearly both Marx and Marcuse believe that commodity culture is key in understanding the way capitalism ties individuals to a society that is exploitative and dehumanizing. Write an essay in which you critically compare Marxist alienation to Marcuse’s conception of consumer society. How does Marcuse alter Marx’s concept to make it more applicable to consumer society in the post-industrial era? Be sure to bring in your own experience of consumer society as a way to navigate the arguments of both thinkers.

Option 2. At one point in his analysis, Marcuse notes: “Democracy would appear to be the most efficient system of domination” (p.52).

For a society which prides itself on its democratic practices and its promotion of individual liberties, Marcuse’s critique may seem harsh. Write an essay in which you critically compare Marcuse’s critique of democracy and individual liberties to Marx’s critique of the limited potential for freedom in capitalism and democracy organized along class lines. How do both Marx and Marcuse understand repression and how it operates? Be sure to bring in your own understanding of class as a way to navigat ethe arguments of both thinkers.

Please note: For this assignment no outside sources should be used. Instead rely on your own interpretations, discussions with others and class notes.