Journal Screenshot

International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences

Open Access Journal

ISSN: 2222-6990

Analysis of Social Class in the Ballad of Song Birds Snakes (2020) by Suzanne Collins

Siti Nur Ain Natasya Hafiz, Siti Normala Hamzah, Izra Inna Md Idris

http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v14-i10/22940

Open access

This study is based on a novel The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2020) written by Suzanne Collins, focusing on the social class aspect of the novel. The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is set in a fictional dystopian country of Panem following the life of young Coriolanus Snow. The purpose of this study is to analyse the social class structure in the novel according to the six classes under the Marxist Class Theory. There is an identified gap in the study related to The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes as past researches surrounding the novel mainly concentrated on the original trilogy rather than novel’s prequel. This study fills the gap in the study as investigations regarding the issue. Therefore, the social class structure of Suzanne Collins's The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2020) is examined in this study. The study approach employs textual analysis and concentrates on the bourgeoisie, proletariat, landlord, petty bourgeoisie, peasants, and lumpenproletariat—the six classes of the Marxist Class Theory—to examine the socioeconomic structure of the novel. The study argues that the bourgeoisie and proletariat concept of class exists in a fictional dystopian country and all social relationships, including political is a struggle over who is in control over society. It is also envisaged that this study would serve as a future source of information on the novel and the Marxist Class Theory based social class structure.

Fathoni, A., Nugroho, A., & Setyabudi, T. (2015). Social discrimination in Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility (1811): A Marxist Approach [Doctoral dissertation, Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta]. Universitas Muhamadiyah Surakarta Institutional Repository. https://eprints.ums.ac.id/34576/
Babcock, K. (2020, December 7). Suzanne Collins, TCK author of The Hunger Games.Culturs. The Global Multicultural Magazine. https://shorturl.at/MxnTC
Babin, L., & McGrail, J. (n.d.). Eunuchs – UnRoman Romans. BCcampus Pressbooks.https://rb.gy/k1zdf1
Barber, H. (2023, September 11). Female genital mutilation linked to Red Sea slave trade route. The Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/women-and- girls/female-genital-mutilation-red-sea-slave-trade-route/
Bessarab, O. (2023). The Novel “The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” by Suzanne Collins: Problematics and system of characters. Innovations in the Scientific, Technical and Social Ecosystems, 1(7), 17-30.https://istse-jaeger.com/index.php/istse/article/view/28/48
Blakeley, S. (2023, November 21). Karl Marx on the bourgeoisie & proletariat: Concepts & theory. Study.com. https://rb.gy/sah6a4
Burbage, M. (2018, April 1). How does The Hunger Games criticise American society?Medium. https://medium.com/@meganxburbage/how-does-the-hunger-games-criti cise-american-society-729cd9d73bb6
Cleveland, J., Holder, K., & O'Roark, B. (2016). The economics of The Hunger Games.Pluralism and Economics Education, 7(2), 152-167. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/307624590_The_economics_of_The_H unger_Games
Cohen, G. A. (1968). Bourgeois and proletarians. Journal of the History of Ideas, 29(2), 211-230. https://doi.org/10.2307/2708577Collins, S. (2020). The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. Scholastic.
Egawati & Hariani, S. (2022). The effect of capitalism in Suzzane Collin's novel The Hunger Games. Journal of Language, 4(1), 104-110. https://jurnal.uisu.ac.id/index.php/journaloflanguage/article/view/5099
Frood, E. (2010). Social structure and daily life: Pharaonic. A companion to ancient Egypt, 1, 469-490. https://shorturl.at/m6il2
Gingrich, P. (1999). Marx's theory of social class and class structure [Lecture Notes].University of Regina. https://uregina.ca/~gingrich/s28f99.htm
Guðjónsdóttir, A. (2014). Magical minority. Social class and discrimination in The Harry Potter novels [Doctoral dissertation, University of Iceland]. University of Iceland Skemman Repository. https://skemman.is/handle/1946/17941
Halam, J. (2018). The slave experience: Men, women and gender. Thirteen PBS.https://www.thirteen.org/wnet/slavery/experience/gender/history.html
Hayes, A. (2024, May 19). Middle class: Definition and characteristics. Investopedia.https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/middle-class.asp
Permatasari, H. (2015) Social class and poverty in American society in the 2000’s era as seen in Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games novel, Lexicon 4(2), 129-137.https://jurnal.ugm.ac.id/lexicon/article/view/42151
Hosmawati & Suciati, E. (2018). Factions as social classes in Divergent novel by Veronica Roth (Marxism study). Diglossia: Jurnal Kajian Ilmiah Kebahasaan dan Kesusastraan, 9(2), 139-146. https://journal.unipdu.ac.id/index.php/diglosia/article/view/1143
Jackins, H. (2024, June 22). The oppression of classism. Re-evaluation Counseling.https://www.rc.org/publication/present_time/pt59/pt59_55_hj
Jessop, B. (2004). The Wiley-Blackwell companion to political sociology: Developments in Marxist Theory (Publication No. 9780470696071) [Doctoral dissertation, University of Oxford]. Wiley Online Library. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9780470696071#page=20
Karlsen, S., & Nazroo, J. Y. (2002). Relation between racial discrimination, social class, and health among ethnic minority groups. American Journal of Public Health, 92(4), 624-631.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1447128/
Kraus, M. W., Piff, P. K., & Keltner, D. (2009). Social class, sense of control, and social explanation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 97(6), 992-1004. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2009-22579-014
Magdoff, F., & Foster, J. B. (2023, May 1). Grand theft capital: The increasing exploitation and robbery of the U.S. working class. Monthly Review. https://monthlyreview.org/2023/05/01/grand-theft-capital-the-increasing- exploitation-and-robbery-of-the-u-s-working-class/
McCormick, C., & Hedash, K. (2023, December 12). Hunger Games: What each district is known for: Explained. Screen Rant.https://screenrant.com/hunger-games-districts-explained/https://journal.unpak.ac.id/index.php/albion/article/view/1797
Arifin, M. (2015). Social class and class struggle in Suzzane Collins's The Hunger Games. Litera Kultura: Journal of Literary and Cultural Studies, 3(1), 65-72. https://doi.org/10.26740/lk.v3i1.10431
Thahir, F., & Rahman, F. (2018). The reflection of the global capitalism system in Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games. Jurnal Ilmu Budaya , 6(1), 98-103. https://rb.gy/jwjoxz
Regan, G. (2020, August 11). Book review: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins. Medium.https://medium.com/@egraceregan/book-review-the-ballad-of-songbirds-and-sna kes-by-suzanne-collins-73c475d90e17
Rimum, J. C. (2015). A Marxist Analysis of social classes and exploitation of the lower class in Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games (Publication No. 112009117) Degree dissertation, Satya Wacana Christian University]. Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana Institutional Repository. https://repository.uksw.edu/bitstream/123456789/7310/2/T1_112009117_Full%2 0text.pdf
Sandwell, I. (2023, November 17). Hunger Games prequel reveals the true origin of the games. Digital Spy. https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a32707832/hunger-games-origin-prequel- explained/
The Economics Times (2023, June 11). What is ‘Marxism’?. The Economics Times. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/definition/marxism?from=mdr
Vento, M. (2020, July 2023). The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes review and analysis.The Current Wave.https://currentwave.org/the-ballad-of-songbirds-and-snakes-review-and-analysis/

Hafiz, S. N. A. N., Hamzah, S. N., & Idris, I. I. M. (2024). Analysis of Social Class in the Ballad of Song Birds Snakes (2020) by Suzanne Collins. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 14(10), 660–682.