Class&Status

Class & Status

Find two examples (a mixture of images and clips) from UK and US TV dramas for each of the following:

1. Upper Class (rich/posh)
2. Middle Class (neither rich nor poor/in the middle)
3. Working Class (poor/common)

Add a brief justification for each choice

High Class;

Lady Grantham- She owns Downton Abbey and therefore is very wealthy in her lifestyle, this is shown by her accent, attire and her gestures. She is very posh and looks down on lower class people although she can be friendly to them occasionally. She has a lot of money which is portrayed how they are in the middle of a war and still she has a lot of money, she is not affected by the circumstances. She doesn't work and has never worked before because she has never needed to.

Sherlock- From the programme Sherlock, he is always dressed in a suit or very smartly and in the show you never see him in casual dress. His accent is very posh and he looks down heavily at people who are not in the same class as him.  This is shown in the way he treats his 'side-kick'. His job as a detective is very well looked at and he is high up in his work status as he is very good at his job.

Middle Class-

Clara- This character is from Doctor Who, she appears in a couple of the series as the girl who accompanies the doctor on his missions. She is from London and this is portrayed by the use of her language and tone. The doctor often looks upon her as strange in the way she says some words differently to him. She is not poor but she is not rich either, she lives in a semi-detached house and she wears semi-smart clothing.  

Brad Bellick- Is a correctional officer in the TV Drama Prison Break. He has an average job and is not high up in his positioning as there are people much higher then him.  He always looks smart in his uniform and appears well put together. He lives with his mother in a rural village and he looks quite comfortable, no money problems come across. He could be better off but he is not poor.

Working Class-

Kelly- This character is from Misfits, she is doing community service showing that she does not have good morals, stereotypically associated with lower class. She wears chavy clothing such as low tops, gold jewellery and big hoop earrings. Her accent is very strong and she often cusses and uses slang instead of standard English. In the show it shoes how she lives on benefits in a council estate.

T-Bag- This character from prison break is clearly lower class not only because he says that his dad sexually assaulted his disabled sister but also by the way he asks himself. He is very scruffy and often results to violence when he doesn't get what he wants.  He is paedophilic rapist which shows he again has no morals as he was taught them as a child. He does not look after himself or others in anyway, he also has no money which is another factor of why he has resulted to breaking the law.