Look for words related to the maintaining, enforcing and the overthrowing of power.
- Example: a revolution, uprising, oppression, truth and lies, classes, control, movement, etc.
Education is a crucial factor.
- Those who are educated usually control those without an education due to their ignorance.
- Example: the cost of university is increasing so that not everyone can attend, jobs are reserved for people of the same class.
Money is an important component.
- People with money usually control those who don’t because, money can buy power.
- Example: celebrities who avoid jail, despite breaking the law.
Look at institutions who use their reputation as a source of authority to enforce their rule.
- Example: church, government, school, etc.
Status Quo doesn’t want things to change. Those who are oppressing others usually 
support this because, they don’t want to lose their powerful position.
- They rely on fear and paranoia to maintain control; if things change, chaos will occur.
Control is an important issue, with unthinking, zombie-like people, mind-control, etc.
False Consciousness – a person or character’s lack of awareness of the oppressiveness of their social or economic conditions and association with that which oppresses them.
- Example: Matrix, Minority Report, Blood Diamonds, Hotel Rwanda, etc.
Marxist Literary Theory 