Wage Labor Issues - Essay Example

?Wage Labor Fritz Lang’s Metropolis and Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times were the two films made on wage labor and interpreted the message at best possible way at that time. Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times concerns capitalism and alienation while Fritz Metropolis the differences between the capitalists and the workers. In Lang’s Metropolis, the filmmakers show the conflicts between the laborers and the capitalists in the society from the capitalist point of view. In this film, the makers explain that labor class of the society live in dark areas, where sunlight never reaches. They are portrayed as unfortunate and suffer at the hands of industrialists. On the contrary, the capitalists live in an upper class area where sun shines every morning. They are considered the fortunate ones. Their machineries churn and release steam in work areas and where labor lives. Through Fredersen, the film shows how people accumulate capital via expropriation in the sense that Fredersen’s father does not care about the welfare of his workers. For instance, when Freder tells his Father about the death of one of their workers, he fires his assistant Josephat so that he does not pay them their wages. Freder then starts thinking about the status of his workers. At the end of the film, he gets trapped in his industry and risks his life to save his labors (Freder). Similarly, in Chaplin’s Modern Times, the filmmakers try to present the matters between labor and the industrialists. In Modern Times, Charlie, the protagonist, performs the role of a struggling labor. He works at a grinding wheels industry where his boss often increases the speed so he could consume twice output from his labors. The movie shows the struggles of labor that they are not even allowed to interact directly with each others. In these two films, Fritz Lang’s Metropolis and Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times, the filmmakers briefly show the differences and issues created between the labors and the capitalists. In Lang’s Metropolis, they present a story from capitalist point of view while in Chaplin’s Modern Times; filmmakers emphasize on defining the same from labor perspectives. They tried to show the differences between poor and the rich from two different perspectives (Freder) (Chaplin). In Metropolis, filmmakers present the differences from capitalists’ perspectives and it is observed that makers try to favor the industrialists in the society. Despite of the fact that how badly Fredersens’ father behaves with his employees, his son the lead character of the film, acts kind with them. He was trapped in his factory and risked his life for the labors. He then starts being a good man and becomes the connecting factor between the two fractions of the capitalist society, the labors and the capitalists (Freder). Whereas in Charlie’s Modern Times, the makers strive to favor labors point of view by showing the story from their perspective. The film shows how a laborer struggles to adjust in the society after suffering hugely in the hands of different industrialists. Even after all the struggles and sufferings, Charlie still risks his life to save his boss from an accident (Chaplin). Analyzing the information it can conclude that the both films present the issues between labors and capitalist in two different ways but the main highlight is to develop understanding the relationship between capitalist and labors. The similarity between these two films is the plot that demonstrates the interdependency of labors and capitalists. The plot of both films emphasize when labors are nothing without industrialists, these films portray that capitalists also cannot operate their industries without the labors. Both the movies talk about the dedication of labors and capitalist and try to remove the biases on capitalists of being unfair with their labors. The relationship between the government and business is evident in the films in the sense that the government seems to draft laws that controls the operation of the business in order to avoid public exploitation via unjust prices. From the two movies, it clear that the businesses that people engages in are out to make profits while the government strives to ensure economic prosperity and stability. The principles of social work have been manifested clearly in these movies. For the case of Karl Marx, the prices of all commodities, which he referred to as labor, continually transform in the sense that they rise and fall in different and diverse situations that does not have an association with the manufacture of the commodities themselves. Marx argued that commodities are things which satisfy human wants and needs. They are the main significant units of capitalism which a type of economy based on accumulation of wealth or commodities. Marx asserted that labor time is very essential in determining type of commodities a person poses. With regards to Karl Marx’s arguments on capital accumulation, he views capital as an expanding value usually expressed in terms of funds or money which is changed via human labor into bigger value harvested as profits. As seen the two movies, capital accumulation has double emergence either in expropriation or in trade, both of legal and illegal type. In terms of trade, capital is acquired via the process of exchange while in terms of expropriation; capital is accumulated via direct acquisition of resources or asset from someone else or dispossession of resources or assets. For Karl Max, the progress and continuation of capital accumulation relies on the elimination of obstacles of trade which is usually through the use of force. The difference between these the two films is their respective ways of projection. Fritz Lang’s Metropolis tries to portray the message from capitalist point whereas Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times conveys the same from a laborer’s view. They both focus on portraying the relationship between the employees and the employer. In sum, these two films show the struggle that exist between the employers and workers. In this regard, employers aim t accumulating more at the expense of the workers by subjecting them to harsh working conditions. The progress and continuation of capital accumulation relies on the elimination of obstacles of trade which is usually through the use of force. Works Cited Metropolis. Dir. Fritz Long. Perf. Freder. 1926. Modern Times. Dir. Charlie Chaplin. Perf. Charlie Chaplin. 1936. Read More