Intertextual Concern In Fritz Lang's Nineteen Eighty-Four
A comparative study of intertextual perspectives and contextual concerns in Fritz Lang’s film Metropolis and George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four enhances a responder’s appreciation of the power of literature to stimulate a sustained contemplation of transcendent values. Lang’s noncommittal and artistic portrayal of the dialectic between capitalist oppression and the proletariat revolution captures his deeply ambivalent attitude towards modernity and the social fragmentation of Weimar Germany. Additionally, Orwell espouses a need for equality and freedom through the lens of 1930s totalitarianism, providing a cautionary critique of the elite’s accumulation of arbitrary power and the complete subjugation of freedom. Hence, a comparative …show more content…
The rise of Fascism in the Spanish Civil War, despite Orwell’s efforts to fight against their abuse of power, led him to adopt a pessimistic outlook on the impact of revolution. Initially, similar to Freder, Winston is compelled by a lack of freedom in his society to resist the manipulation of free thought in his repeating diary entry “down with Big Brother.” Hence, the repetition in “If you loved someone, you loved him” underscores how emotive memories of his mother, a symbol of his connection to the past, enable Winston to retain his humanity and internally rebel against the Party by rejecting their “rewritten history.” However ultimately, Winston’s rebellion is crushed and he is tortured into exclaiming “Do it to Julia! Not me! Julia!”, wherein the truncated syntax reflects his broken spirit as Orwell highlights the inability of the individual to overcome totalitarian oppression. Thus, where Lang glorifies Freder’s success through an uplifting soundtrack, Winston is reduced to a mindless adherent of the Party in the ironic ending “He loved Big Brother,” with his loss of humanity reflecting society’s defeatism after WWII. Therefore, comparing these conflicting perspectives on the power of governments to suppress the individual highlights the dynamic nature of socio-political
Rhetorical Analysis Of 1984 By George Orwell
498 Words | 2 PagesWinston’s vivid description of the brutality of the Ministry of Love is a microcosm of the greater cruelty that Big Brother has done to him and many others living in Oceania. However, though all of these acts are inhumane and unjust, Winston is still willing to go through them as long as his love for Julia remains. Through the imagery of the government’s heartless doings, it further develops Winston’s adoration for Julia by showing the lengths he is willing to go through to be human and have feelings for Julia, something that many in Oceania are not able to
Metropolis And 1984 Essay
1039 Words | 5 PagesHaving eliminated all bonds of human connection between individuals, the Party intended that ‘the sex instinct will be eradicated… neurologists shall abolish the orgasm’ where the high modal declaration depicts the frightening measures imposed by the administration to prevent revolution. Thus, the relationship between Winston and Julia serves as an outlet of instinct but is also an expression of rebellion against the status quo: ‘their embrace had been a battle… It was a political act.’ Further, the ‘glass paper weight’ motif serves as a reminder of the past, a beacon of hope but in the arrest shatters, signifying defeat to the state. Ultimately, as Winston falls short of liberation, he disintegrates into a shell of his former self: betraying Julia and becomes a mindless vehicle of the Party’s propaganda for Big Brother.
1984 Literary Criticism
1971 Words | 8 PagesMany a literary critic claims that the strongest aspect of the book 1984 by George Orwell is its plot. Indeed, there is some merit in this conclusion, as the entire purpose of Orwell’s writing of this book was not to create a literary classic, but to warn the public about the dangers of communism if it got out of hand, and what better way to do this than to write an engaging plot? Others may claim that 1984’s greatest strength is in its character development. This aspect, too, is quite strong in the book, as not only are the minor characters effected in serving the dystopian theme, but the major characters are believable and very human in their failings. Winston’s transformation from an oppressed office worker to revolutionary and finally
Comparison Of Fear In 1984 And The Time Machine By H. G. Wells
2740 Words | 11 Pages(Orwell 233). Then a little bit later Winston asked “Who denounced you?” then Parsons said “It was my little daughter” (Orwell 233). This shows how The Party is taking advantage over people so they can have power to do what they want. When Julia and Winston were captured by O’Brien,who was a spy for the Party, he put them in separate rooms, questioned and tortured Winston so he would give up Julia and confess.
1984 And 1984 Comparative Essay
508 Words | 3 PagesDystopian texts espouse a variety of didactic messages that depend significantly upon both the context and zeitgeist of the time in which they were created. Differences can be found when comparing the techniques and perspectives the authors have chosen to represent their contextual concerns to audiences. Together both Fritz Lang’s silent black and white film ‘Metropolis’ 1927 and George Orwell’s novel ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ (*referred to as 1984) 1948, confront and provoke audiences to consider the impact that (abusive power + unquestionable control= insert question statement) can have not only on the characters in these two texts, but also on the cultural and political lives of the reader and viewer. By subjugating & dehumanising the lower classes, dictators are
Oppression In 1984
1343 Words | 6 Pages“Always the eyes watching you and the voice enveloping you. Asleep or awake, working or eating, indoors or out of doors, in the bath or in bed - no escape. Nothing was your own except the few cubic centimetres inside your skull” (Orwell, 25). This depiction of absolute oppression by George Orwell in his novel 1984 is his idea of the future in a totalitarian dystopian world where there is no freedom, fairness and everyone is completely brainwashed. Similarly, the government in Terry Gilliams movie Brazil control and monitor their citizens, oppressing them to the point they are afraid to have a disloyal thought about their government, reminiscent of thought crime.
Humanity In George Orwell's 1984
404 Words | 2 PagesThe novel describes the journey of Winston Smith as he rebels against the Party and tries to maintain his human qualities. By creating a totalitarian government in the novel 1984, George Orwell is able to express how important humanity is to not only Winston but also
Compare And Contrast Winston And Julia In 1984
736 Words | 3 PagesGeorge Orwell’s novel 1984 presents us two characters who are entirely different, but still complement each other entirely, the protagonist Winston and his love-interest Julia. Julia’s optimistic character highlights Winston’s fatalistic one. Winston believes he and Julia are compatible and can relate to each other because they share the same believes. They both detest Big Brother and want to rebel against the Party. While this is true, their similarities seem to end there.
1984 George Orwell 1984 Analysis
968 Words | 4 PagesAfter a cautiously planned meeting initiated by Julia, they started to see each other more often in secret. Over time, a romantic relationship started to develop, not solely based on physical and sexual attraction, but also as a result of their similar views centered around their hatred of the Party. Although both characters complement each other in terms of their views of Big Brother as Party members, their values and approaches to this issue fundamentally conflict in terms of morality and ethics, history, and politics. With regards to morality and ethics, Winston and Julia’s judgment and beliefs greatly differ. Winston, characterized as an idealist, deeply suffers from the existent totalitarian authorities and their full control of everything.
1984 Victory Gin Analysis
973 Words | 4 PagesUnlike Winston, whose actions and desires regard both himself and future generations, Julia’s actions stem purely from her own personal desires. By characterizing Julia as interested in individual freedom, Orwell emphasizes, again, the extent to which governments need to control their citizens in order to maintain power. By using these characters to highlight the control of the party, Orwell shows the dangers of totalitarian governments and the extremes to which they will go to maintain
George Orwell's Hero Analysis
924 Words | 4 PagesAfter meeting her, Winston realizes that he rebels because it is the only way to gain freedom. “The sexual act, successfully preformed, was rebellion. Desire was a thought crime” (Orwell, 68). In a way, Julia gives him the strength he needs to continue to fight for freedom. “I have not betrayed Julia” (Orwell, 273.)
Individuality Leads To Rebellion In George Orwell's 1984
781 Words | 4 PagesBoth Winston and Julia have a lot of personality that goes against the Party and Big Brother, so when their true character comes out they end up getting into trouble. Through the “characters’ actions”, in 1984, Orwell suggests individuality leads to rebellion. Winston and Julia’s actions show that their own individuality leads to rebellion. Winston and Julia’s uniqueness leads them to rebellion in George Orwell’s, 1984. The Party doesn’t allow the citizens of Oceania to think their own thoughts in fear of a rebellion against the government.
Repetition In George Orwell's 1984
1261 Words | 6 PagesGeorge Orwell was an English novelist and journalist best known for his dystopian novel 1984 which was based on totalitarianism. Winston Smith, an employee in the Records Department for the Ministry of Truth and protagonist of this story, lives a life characterized by rebellion and hatred for the Party. His doubts for the Party’s actions and its control on truth begins to take a journey of discrete insurrection and the meeting of Julia, a young woman with cunning spirit and a worker at the Fiction Department. The plot rises as both of them have corresponding views on the Party; in this particular excerpt, George Orwell establishes antsy with this situation as Winston and Julia are caught by the Thought Police. Orwell’s use of repetition, details
Compare And Contrast Julia And Winston Rebel
193 Words | 1 PagesRebellious Rage: Julia and Winston Rebel In the book, 1984 written by George Orwell, Winston and his one time lover, Julia, and partner as long with his ally, lead together into rebellion to take down Big Brother and the Party in a whole. In 1984, the government is strict and overbearing towards their citizens making them glance over their shoulders, scaring them to force them to obey. The overwhelming surveillance in 1984 leaves distrust between the supreme ruler of Oceania and their citizens. Another example of a corrupt government style leads to torture for no particular reasons, like getting information out, it’s just to change the victim's views.
1984 Totalitarianism
884 Words | 4 PagesIn 1984, George Orwell depicts a dystopian society pervaded by government control and the obsolescence of human emotion and society. Winston is forced to confront the reality of a totalitarian rule where the residents of Oceania are manipulated to ensure absolute government control and servitude of the people. The theme of totalitarianism and dystopia is employed in 1984 to grant absolute power to the government and ensure the deference of the people through the proliferation of propaganda, the repudiation of privacy and freedom, and the eradication of human thought and values. The repudiation of privacy and independent thought and the ubiquity of government surveillance is employed to secure absolute power to the government over the populace
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