Question
Ellen Claasen, is a 21-year old South African woman who works in a factory. Ellen got pregnant in high school and then dropped out of school. She only obtained grade 10. Three years after she left school she eventually got work at a factory that makes tin cans (for canned food).
Ellen has been working at the factory for two years and still does exactly the same work. Three men cut the tin according to a template, and the Ellen and about 100 other women solder the cans together. The factory gets extremely hot in summer and ice cold in winter because the building mainly consists of zinc. The women are exposed to gasses while they solder and often by lunchtime, Ellen can feel her lungs burning.
It takes quite long to complete one tin can and there is a certain quota she has to finish everyday – the women seldom succeed in making the quota, and thus they usually work overtime for an hour or so, without payment. Their supervisor, the factory owner’s wife, is very strict and often makes sarcastic comments when someone is absent from work due to illness (she has also fired a woman who stayed off work for two days). Thus Ellen goes to work even when she is feeling very ill.
Ellen and the other women have heard rumours that the owner of the factory plans to buy a machine that will be operated by one man. She fears that she is going to lose her job. She and the other women have decided that they are going to join a union affiliated with COSATU as soon as possible.
Ellen’s work bores her and she cannot wait to go home at night. She wishes she could find other work, but seeing that she still lives with her parents (and only her mother also has a job) she has to continue to work to support them, her baby and herself.
From the case study, which one of Marx’s aspects of alienation DOES apply in this case?
A.
Alienated from the product
B.
Alienated from the process
C.
Creativity has been taken away
D.
All of the above
Ellen has been working at the factory for two years and still does exactly the same work. Three men cut the tin according to a template, and the Ellen and about 100 other women solder the cans together. The factory gets extremely hot in summer and ice cold in winter because the building mainly consists of zinc. The women are exposed to gasses while they solder and often by lunchtime, Ellen can feel her lungs burning.
It takes quite long to complete one tin can and there is a certain quota she has to finish everyday – the women seldom succeed in making the quota, and thus they usually work overtime for an hour or so, without payment. Their supervisor, the factory owner’s wife, is very strict and often makes sarcastic comments when someone is absent from work due to illness (she has also fired a woman who stayed off work for two days). Thus Ellen goes to work even when she is feeling very ill.
Ellen and the other women have heard rumours that the owner of the factory plans to buy a machine that will be operated by one man. She fears that she is going to lose her job. She and the other women have decided that they are going to join a union affiliated with COSATU as soon as possible.
Ellen’s work bores her and she cannot wait to go home at night. She wishes she could find other work, but seeing that she still lives with her parents (and only her mother also has a job) she has to continue to work to support them, her baby and herself.
From the case study, which one of Marx’s aspects of alienation DOES apply in this case?
A.
Alienated from the product
B.
Alienated from the process
C.
Creativity has been taken away
D.
All of the above
Answers
GPT-4o mini
In the case study of Ellen Claasen, multiple aspects of Marx's theory of alienation can be identified. Let's break down each option:
A. **Alienated from the product**: Ellen has no control over the product she makes (tin cans) and does not derive a sense of fulfillment or ownership from it. She is simply completing a repetitive task without any connection to the product itself.
B. **Alienated from the process**: Ellen experiences boredom and dissatisfaction from performing monotonous work without any autonomy. She follows strict quotas and does not have control over how she works, which contributes to her sense of alienation from the process of work itself.
C. **Creativity has been taken away**: Ellen's job offers no room for creativity or self-expression. The nature of her work is purely mechanical and repetitive, which stifles her creativity and personal growth.
D. **All of the above**: Given that the case study illustrates elements of alienation from the product, from the process, and a lack of creativity, this option encapsulates the full extent of Ellen's alienation.
Therefore, the correct answer is **D. All of the above**.
A. **Alienated from the product**: Ellen has no control over the product she makes (tin cans) and does not derive a sense of fulfillment or ownership from it. She is simply completing a repetitive task without any connection to the product itself.
B. **Alienated from the process**: Ellen experiences boredom and dissatisfaction from performing monotonous work without any autonomy. She follows strict quotas and does not have control over how she works, which contributes to her sense of alienation from the process of work itself.
C. **Creativity has been taken away**: Ellen's job offers no room for creativity or self-expression. The nature of her work is purely mechanical and repetitive, which stifles her creativity and personal growth.
D. **All of the above**: Given that the case study illustrates elements of alienation from the product, from the process, and a lack of creativity, this option encapsulates the full extent of Ellen's alienation.
Therefore, the correct answer is **D. All of the above**.