Downton Abbey: Rhetorical Argument

Downton Abbey: Rhetorical Argument

The television show Downton Abbey is a chronicle of the fictionalized Crawley family that takes place in the years before and during World War I. The show touches on the issues of social classes, abortion, suffrage, and even the new shorter hairstyles for women that were almost revolutionary at the time. The Edwardian era was a time of drastic cultural change and not all of it was widely accepted by the current society. “The Edwardian era was therefore not just an extended garden-party. It was a time of anxiety and anticipation, of nostalgia and hope, and Downton Abbey bases itself upon this chaotic backdrop.” (Helgadóttir, 9) The issues portrayed in Downton Abbey still affect society to this day; social class, abortion, and equal rights are prevalent even in today’s more modern times and should be represented.

PBS distributes Downton Abbey through their Masterpiece branch; a section of the network that is funded by private donors such as Viking River Cruises and Ralph Lauren along with the Masterpiece Trust and public viewers. “Downton Abbey is, of course, entertainment, not documentary. Even so, Julian Fellowes, the show's creator, had a definite historical goal. He conceived of the series as an illumination of country-house life in the early twentieth century, particularly of the separate but interconnected orbits of the aristocracy and the servants.” (Musson) The market for consumption, or viewing of the show, is quite large as it encompasses not only Europe but also North America, and the show is available for viewing wherever there is access to Amazon Prime. These public and private viewing networks are also how the show is produced and distributed.

Social class is a focal point of Downton Abbey as the house the show revolves around a World War I aristocratic family. “At the turn of the 20th century when the population of Britain was only 36million there were 1.5million servants. That is more than worked on the land or in factories.” (Lee) Downton Abbey portrays the servant class in an unnatural light. In the Downton home servants are viewed with a certain air of respect and dignity that was not true of the time. There were many strict rules and social customs by which the servants and respective families lived by. Research done by the BBC revealed that the life of the average servant was more likely to be miserable, degrading, and exhausting rather than the organized and respectable view the show puts forth. “Despite the awful wages and conditions competition for places was fierce. In Edwardian times going into service was frequently the only alternative to near starvation. Girls worked part-time for two years to buy the uniform necessary to secure a job because service offered a roof over their heads and regular meals.”(Lee) Although Downton Abbey puts forth stories of hope for the servant class; marrying out of their own class, buying their own homes, and finding stable and loving families to work for the reality was much darker.

Before World War I, and indeed in today’s time as well, suffrage was a key issue in world politics. First, women fought for their right to vote and their representation, which is the prevalent social issue in Downton Abbey. The power women had over the family became stronger and stronger as the series progressed. “On paper, the men may have the power, upstairs and downstairs. But as the series has advanced to 1923, its female characters are becoming aware that a woman needs a man like a fish needs a Model T.” (Hewitt) Today the issue of suffrage has evolved into the more popular ‘feminism’. Feminists fight more for equal rights in the workplace, as the vote and equal representation have already been achieved.

However, a common argument against feminism is that it only fights for the rights of women in the white collar workplace, not the male dominated blue collar industry. “Women are equal to men regarding the right to vote, and now often vote more frequently than men. Women have also entered politics and frequently hold public office. […] The all-important question that this current state of affairs raises is this: Has the lot of women actually improved?” (Opperman) We hear the many stories of the political women such as Hilary Clinton and Sarah Palin, but many feminists seem to have forgotten about the women who drove the war effort and brought real advancement to women. Rosie the Riveter and Grace Hopper, women who inspired the drive for equality in industry and computer work as well as politics. “It is true that distinct gender roles have largely disappeared with the passage of time,” (Opperman) however, if this is to be truly embraced women must accept equality on all fronts.

The issue of abortion in Downton Abbey revolves around Lady Edith. “Edith’s is a classic crisis pregnancy, but in a 1920s aristocratic key. The man is gone, the baby is conceived, and the pregnant woman is left alone with her looming massive social