Assignment Instructions:
Step 1: Choose a text to analyze using a socioeconomic perspective (Marxism).  You may choose a 1) book; 2) a film; 3) or The Catcher in the Rye. Any book or film can be analyzed using the socioeconomic lens, but some good suggestions are, of course, The Catcher in the Rye, Of Mice and Men, The Color Purple, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, To Kill a Mockingbird (books) or Parasite, Wall Street, Mean Girls, Get Out, Cruella, and, of course, Crazy Rich Asians (films). Regardless, choose a text about power and/or inequality that you like, that you've already read/seen, and that you want to discuss further.

Step 2: Re-watch the text or re-read some key passages; take notes (annotations) with a topic or question (below) in mind.  Be sure to note quotes and examples as evidence. 

Step 3: Finalize your topic or question (write as the title) and begin pre-writing and drafting!  If you chose The Catcher in the Rye, some key passages are listed below that you may want to quote as evidence.  

Step 4: Don't forget this is both an analysis (breaking down a text into parts) and a review.  For the latter, don't forget to insert some commentary of your own as to the text's messages about money, social class, power, or lack of spirituality near the end of the essay.  You don't have to start your paragraph(s) with "I believe.." or "I feel.."; just state your opinion.  We will know it's your opinion without self-reference.  Oh, and spoilers are okay; in fact, they are a must!  Good luck!

Marxism four main topics of study: (as found in the Prestwick House unit)

Economic power
Materialism versus spirituality
Class conflict
Art, literature, and ideologies
Marxism questions of study: (as found in the video "Marxist Literary Criticism" Lesson 1.5)

How are class structures established in this text?  What conflicts are present because of classism? What characters or groups have power—especially social and/or economic power?
Are any characters being oppressed?  By whom?  How?
Is the narrator a member of the bourgeoisie or proletariat?  How does that impact his/her narration?
What is the dominant hegemony, or cultural dominance, in the text?  By contrast, who represents the status quo (the way things are now)?
What oppressive socioeconomic ideologies influence character behaviors?
Whose story gets told?  Whose story doesn’t get told?  How does this disparity influence the reading of the text?
Marxism class conflicts to analyze in The Catcher in the Rye: (as found in the Prestwick House unit)

D.B. (Chapter 1, beginning with "If you really want to hear about it...) and ending with ("Don't even mention them to me")
Horowitz (Chapter 12, beginning with “Hey, Horowitz,” and ending with “Everything you said made him sore.”)
Sunny (Chapter 13, beginning with, “How do you do” and ending with “So long.”) 
Maurice (Chapter 14, beginning with, “What’s the matter?” and ending with “All I felt was this terrific punch in my stomach.”)
Mr. Antolini (Chapter 24, beginning with, “Mr. and Mrs. Antolini had this very swanky apartment,” and ending with, “I can’t stand it.”)
Sally Hayes (Chapter 15, beginning with “Anyway, I gave her a buzz,” and ending with, “but she was very good-looking”; Chapter 17, beginning with, “Finally, old Sally started coming up the stairs,” and ending with, “God I’m a madman”; and Chapter 20, beginning with, “Then there was a different voice,” and ending with “When I’m drunk, I’m a madman.”)
The nuns and Dick Slagle: (Chapter 15, beginning with "While I was eating my eggs..") and ending with ("It always ends up making you blue as hell.")
Mrs. Morrow (Chapter 8, beginning with, “All of a sudden, this lady got on at Trenton,” and ending with, “even if I was desperate.”)