Surplus Value Flashcards
(6 cards)
Impact of Industrial Decline
-Highlights the collapse of Michigan’s manufacturing industry
-Shows how skilled workers are discarded once they are no longer “useful” to capitalism.
-Symbolizes the decline of American industrial identity.
Role of the Brother-in-Law
-Represents the neglected working class affected.
-Shows the emotional and physical toll working an industrial job.
-Shows that the industrial system values productivity over humanity.
Critique of the American Dream
-Hard work doesnt guarantee success and stability.
-Capitalism exploits workers for little in return.
-American Dream is a myth.
Environmental Commentary
-Suggests environmental breakdown through decay and abandonment.
-Nature has been damaged.
-The long-term environmental cost of economic growth.
Narrative Structure
-Shifts between past and present to contrast industrial success and decline.
-Brings reader into emotional reality of post-industrial life.
-Lost of identity and purpose.
Title Significance
-Workers generate value that they don’t receive.
-Theme of exploitation.
-Makes the poem political and social.
