Manifesto and Melodrama

Much of the Manifesto is melodramatic, especially in terms of the word choices used. The writers use scathing adjectives when referring to the modern bourgeoisie and general negative terminology when referring to the feudal system.  The following excerpt from the Manifesto demonstrates this perfectly: “The bourgeoisie, wherever it has got the upper hand, has put an end to all feudal, patriarchal, idyllic relations. It has pitilessly torn asunder the motley feudal ties that bound man to his “natural superiors,” and has left remaining no other nexus between man and man than naked self-interest, than callous “cash payment.” It has drowned the most heavenly ecstasies of religious fervor, of chivalrous enthusiasm, of philistine sentimentalism, in the icy water of egotistical calculation. It has resolved personal worth into exchange value, and in place of the numberless indefeasible chartered freedoms, has set up that single, unconscionable freedom — Free Trade. In one word, for exploitation, veiled by religious and political illusions, it has substituted naked, shameless, direct, brutal exploitation.” The writers all but stated that the bourgeoisie were pure evil and a detrimental force to society, much worse than even the feudal system.