How does speech effect are success in life, and what are the differences in morality through different social classes? In this post we are going to explore these two different themes that will give us a better understanding on how speech and morality effect our success in life. In the play Pygmalion themes such as how are speak, politeness, morality, equality, and social status can effect how successful we can become in life.
One of the major themes discussed in the play Pygmalion was how middle class morality differed from lower class morality. In the play Mr. Doolittle describes these differences when he visits Henry Higgins and asks for five pounds to basically allow Mr. Higgins to keep his daughter. He also mentions that he was going to use the money to enjoy a weekend with the misses instead of maybe saving it for something more important in the future. Later on in the play Mr. Doolittle becomes part of the middle class because of a small fortune he was offered to speak about morality. As he climbs up the social ladder he says he might as well get married because that would be the moral thing to do when someone is living with you. These two events show us how middle class morality differs from lower class morality, and how some actions of the lower class people in order to survive can be seen as unmoral in a middle class society. This theme can be some what relatable in our society today, however, not as noticeable as it was back in the late 19th and early 20th century. As a middle class citizen when someone steals things from a store or leaves their children with their spouse alone to fend for themselves, I find it immoral. I understand though that you need to do what you must do in order to survive.
A second major theme in the play Pygmalion was how speech can somehow determine what social class you fall in, and how it will effect your success in life. Throughout the play Liza struggles to learn how to talk proper and have a proper conversation. As a flower girl she had a terrible english accent and was part of the lower class. This shows us that people tend to speak improper if they live in the lower class as compared to the middle/upper class. As she learns how to speak like a proper lady should we see that she, all of a sudden, jumps a social class and becomes part of the middle class just because of the way she speaks. This theme teaches us how learning to speak proper english can help us become successful in life. As in todays society many people judge other people by the way they talk. Personally I find this statement true even in my stand point. If I want to become successful in life, I must learn how to talk to people more formally especially in job interviews and in my career in general.
Pygmalion has a lot of major themes that teach us important things in life such as learning how to talk properly, how morality differs between social classes, politeness, equality, and social classes in general. Many of these themes are important in today’s society as well as back in the late 19th and early 20th century.
