Discuss: Marx, Weber and Durkheim transition from traditional to modern society and individuals faced frustration during it with each one of theorists.
“One morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from troubled dreams. he found himself transformed in his bcd into a horrible vermin. Ile lay on his armour-like hack, and if he lifted his head a little he could sec his brown belly, slightly domed and divided by arches into stiff sections. The bedding was hardly able to cover it and seemed ready to slide MT any moment. His many legs, pitifully thin compared with the size of the rest of him, waved about helplessly as he looked.”
These are the opening lines of Franz Kafka’s famous book Metamorphosis (Transformation). The shocking revelation that Gregor Samsa experienced in waking up as a giant bug symbolizes the insurmountable problems that the individual faces in modern times. All of Kafka’s works can actually be read as different depictions of a Kafkaesque world where the individual finds himself/herself helpless against new, unknown, and uncontrollable sets of forces. When a man wakes up as a giant bug one day, but still thinks himself as a human, he simply cannot function in this new setup…
Throughout the second part of this semester. we covered three important theorists (Marx, Weber, and Durkheim) who approached the transition from traditional to modern society in different but comparable ways. They also took notice of the frustrations such a momentous change could create for individuals. In your essay, please compare how Marx, Weber, and Durkheim discuss the transition from traditional to modern society. In this discussion, make sure to underline each theorist’s take on the frustrations individuals face in coping with this transition.
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