Inequality In The Odyssey

Topic 1: The Odyssey and enigma of the elite
Who are the elite? The elite are the 6% of the population that enjoy holding an advantage over the majority of people. They are the biggest earners and the people who get a lot of attention. The elite are an exclusive group that is extremely hard to join and usually consists of people from privileged backgrounds. These people are set apart from all classes on the basis of their wealth. My initial reaction to the image below is that I can clearly see that this family is from the upper class and holds a great deal of power and advantage over people. They are clearly in the ‘Elite’ group. You can see from their body language and clothing that they are in control and have a high income. I choose this

The earth is made up of a number of layers, where each layer is different from one another and have distinct characteristics and compositions. Therefore sociologists also think that humans are divided into these layers as well. Social stratification can therefore be defined as the division of society into different classes. In this stratification there are unequal privileges to be seen. The strata is ranked with people in higher classes having more privilege then people in the lower positions. These positions are determined by what you wear, what you eat, your lifestyle, your cultural factors, your consumptions etc. This results in inequities all over the world. According to Bourdieu, class divisions have intensified and are distinguished by Habitus, Capital and Field. This is a persons experiences, available resources and past and present contexts. I choose the image below of the cast of Downton Abbey as I believe it is a true representation of the social stratification. As you can see there are all layers of the strata to be seen in the photo. These include the higher class and the lower class. My initial reaction to this image is that it is clear who is wealthy and holds the power and who is not. The ‘help’ is at the back of the photo dressed in basic clothing while the privileged is at the front, looking their very best in the finest of clothing. It is clear that they are

This can be described as “structured inequalities between different groupings of people” (Giddens, 2001:282). There are four basis systems of stratification: slavery, caste, estates and class. I have the chosen the photo below as it represents the different classes e.g. the upper, middle and lower class. Class is economically based and is a feature of industrial societies. Class is not like any other strata. It is not made by legal or religious provisions, it is not based on heritage, the things that separate the classes are not always clear, there are no restrictions between class (you can marry across classes) and class is something that you gain and achieve, it is not something that you are born with. My initial reaction to this image is that the men are very different in appearance. They are clearly from different classes. However, they are not being serious to their audience. They are mocking the class divisions which suggests that class no longer matters. Class seems to be no longer relevant. This image portrays that this is the way people used to look at the classes but now it is made a laugh of because it does no longer matter what class you are from. There is also not more classes in todays society that nearly most of them are completely interlinked and cross paths extremely often. I feel this image makes use have a good attitude towards class as they are making it into a joke so everyone feels equal