Throughout history, class stratification exists everywhere, for example: empires, countries even in some special group or area. Class stratification can be defined as a form of social order which in a society that tends to divide people into different ranks translates into different access to resources. Furthermore, the world-building in that unique area is also different due to class stratification or special political institution. In Juan Rulfo's famous novel “Pedro Paramo”, we can briefly understand that the main idea of world building in some societies is class stratification. For example, how ownership of land and the absolute power of leaders could affect the situation of the lower classes. Class stratification is not just one side of advantages or disadvantages, but more important is how leaders of different special groups could equitably use their power to effect fair distribution in the world. The leader could use class stratification in positive or negative ways that would also impact the world building their societies. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original EssayIn Juan Rulfo's famous novel, it is mainly about a man called Juan Preciado who travels to his recently deceased mother's hometown to find his father who lived in Comala. The first reason why this work is so popular is its unique writing style that uses a fragmented narrative to gradually make Pedro Páramo's image clear to the audience and readers. Death is one of the important themes of this novel that pervades it in a literal and figurative sense. The novel begins with the protagonist's mother dying and asking him to find his father. After that, he finds out that his father is also dead, and halfway through the novel, Juan also dies, but he tells all the stories from his grave. In this novel, death is not the end, because many people continue to tell their stories and communicate with each other after death. There is not exactly a border between life and death, the purpose for which the author uses this strategy is to allow the reader to walk towards Pedro Páramo in multiple directions and take a look at other people's lives in general. Because this fragmentary narrative leaves so many reasonable gaps in Pedro Páramo's life, the possibilities of the story are greatly increased and the reader's freedom to read is greatly increased. Furthermore, everything related to death is dark and the novel creates a depressing and dark atmosphere through the description of the environment. Therefore, the author's main clue is death, which also reflects that the content of this book will not be positive. As we get this far, we gradually discover that the image of Pedro Paramo is a kind of negative leader in the world we see in the novel. Another theme I focus on in this novel is land ownership which also divides people into different ranks and they would also have different access to resources. After reading the story of the other characters who appear in the novel, we also discover that Pedro Paramo is a greedy, ruthless and immoral landlord. From his humble beginnings, he relies on a variety of dishonorable means to become a domineering landlord. Not only did he marry Juan's mother for wealth, but he also killed those who challenge his control. From here, we can see that landowner, which means he has some kind of absolute power in his village and exactly class stratification exists there. In that village, Pedro Paramo seems to be a ruthless leader in thisnovel, not only because he had access to most benefits or wealth to maintain his status or position over there, but also because he could get anything he wanted by monopolizing the land. . According to the text “Yet, Father, they say that the land of Comala is good. What a pity that the earth is all in the hands of one man. PedroParamo is still the owner, right?. This quote shows that the leader could use absolute power to do whatever he wants, but the desire to gain status could have a negative impact on the leader and make civilians and the lower classes feel discontented and unjust. The image of the world in that village is somewhat reminiscent of the gentry system populated in the middle of the century. The relationship within the manor was one of oppression, exploitation and dependence of the Lord on the peasants or serfs. From this point of view we can connect Comala's failures to the proximity to the absolute power of the rich. It reflects the real world of rural Mexico under the plantation owner system. Art reflects life. We may not see the history of Mexico, but we can see the incompleteness of the 1910 Mexican Revolution that brought disaster to the countryside through Juan's writings. Based on this understanding, we can see that the world built in the novel is confusing, gray and mysterious and we can feel that the village is full of death and just like a hell due to the negative impact of class stratification and abuse of the leader's authority. Furthermore, Another powerful evidence to show that abuse of power by leaders could bring negative influences and unrest in societies from Sarachek's article 'Greek Concept of Leadership'. In the article Sarachek highlights quantities and errors in leadership. This article mainly discusses the four important quantities of leadership and how leadership failure leads leaders to defeat. According to the text 'When honor is lost it becomes vain pride. The overconfident man who attempts to act beyond the limits of his capabilities inevitably faces defeat. Therefore, pride is a bad personal evaluation of oneself that leads to error." This quote states that if the leader uses his power or authority in a negative way or only for self-interest, this will obviously affect his own action leading him astray. Because the growing pride would make the leader cloudy and make some improper decisions, including sacrificing others at some important points. The misconception is similar to the consequence of Pedro Páramo. On the other hand, if Pedro Paramo was not obsessed with the power of wealth, if he did not do something to benefit the entire village instead of exploiting the resources of the lower classes, the world that is built in the story would be totally different. The outcome of Pedro Páramo also implies that if the leader of a blinding team pursued his own power and position, it would ultimately lead to the destruction of the entire country. In Juan Rulfo's novel, there is another powerful example that shows how some people in a special position abuse their power for their own self-interest. For example, the “Father” plays an important role in deciding who can go to heaven or not, which means that the Father may get a special benefit over others. However, if the Father abuses his authority and right to earn money for his church, then what is the purpose of deliverance and salvation? The Father, as a typical representative of the power holder, had the ability to decide who would forgive his sin and go to heaven. According to the text “He placed a handful of gold coins on the kneeler and stood upstanding: take this as a gift to your church” “It can afford to buy salvation. Only you know if this is the price. As for me, Lord, I throw myself at your feet to ask for the justice or injustice that each of us can ask for." These two quotes illustrate that the father accepts the money to forgive Pedro's son who raped his niece. Furthermore, if other people asked the Father for forgiveness but did not have enough money they would be denied heaven. The most important thing is that my father, being the most important person in that village, did not properly use his power and authority to make ordinary people do the right thing, such as helping other people who needed help. help and so on. On the contrary, even people who do evil, donate money or coins to the church could obtain forgiveness and salvation. At that point, salvation could use money to measure and there is no principle to really do what they are supposed to do. If richer people did similar things, just as Pedro Páramo also did, it would bring overwhelming chaos to his village. The desire for wealth would push leaders in some particular areas down the wrong path. Other evidence suggesting that class stratification would push leaders down negative paths that would result in the creation of a chaotic world comes from Hierro's article "Gender and Power." In Hierro's article, he points out that most people's desire does not arise from a positive love of power, but rather from the fear of losing it. At that point, holding power or wealth gives them a sense of security, otherwise they would lose confidence for fear that someone might take away their position or status. According to the external resource “This translates into a willingness to sacrifice everything in order to have power. Because if someone who venerates power decides to extend it, the only way available is submission to power or the creation of a stronger one to counter it." This quote states that the desire for power would lead humanity to do anything to protect their self-interest. Even more, Hierro also illustrates that power is under “domination,” which results in the stratification of men over women because men use their power to control such women. Therefore, in Juan Rulfo's novel, whoever is Pedro Paramo or Padre, both have a special authority to control other ordinary people. To begin a better understanding, we know that Pedro has a humble background who was not rich when he was young. After getting married to Juan's mother, he enjoys the benefits and advantages that wealth brought, but at the same time he also loses himself. Furthermore, all they did was maintain their status in the village. For example: the father who accepts bribery from wealthy people is ordered to maintain his authority in the church, which means that the father is proud of the church. If he left the church or if the church collapsed, he would own nothing. Similar to Pedro Paramo, he owns most of the land in the village, meaning he can do whatever he wants, even if he has done something totally wrong. The way he abuses his power reflects the fear of losing the power that is difficult to gain through his hard work. Class stratification is not absolutely bad, it also has a positive impact that depends on how the leaders of that society use it correctly. As we know, the biggest positive benefit of class stratification is order, which means that each level maintains its own duty, which results in the stabilization of the whole society. Some aspects of social stratification might also contribute to society as.
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