The silencing of language by autocratic dictatorial leaders is an abuse of power that has brutal consequences on society. The consequent destruction of creativity and individual expression leads to submission and a collective inability to revolt against such despots. The displays of corruption by these leaders is demonstrated through their mass manipulations of the collective, which are enforced by oppression and dehumanisation. Throughout the twentieth century, there was significant social and political upheaval as a consequence of rapid industrialisation, war, and extreme class disparity. The dangers of such regimes are explored in the futuristic, dystopian worlds of Fritz Lang’s, Metropolis and George Orwell’s, Nineteen Eighty-Four. Despite contrasting textual forms, these texts present a resounding message of the imminent dangers of the changing social …show more content…
The historical context and textual form of Metropolis enrich the responders understanding of the dangers of total state control over the individual through propaganda, panoptical surveillance and loss of creativity in 1984.
The devastating impact of industrialisation and its effect on the erosion of liberty and compassion is effectively explored in both Metropolis and 1984. Lang specifically examines the negative consequences of technological advancement with no due consideration for the welfare of the individual. This is clearly represented through the paradoxical heart machine and Maria’s doppelganger Maschinenmensch. The Maschinenmensch is a gynoid of Maria that was created by the irrational scientist, Rotwang who was building a replica of Hel, “Let 's all watch as the world goes to the devil!” The symbolism of Hel’s replica is linked to the devil by the large satanic
Writing is recognized by dictators as one of, if not the deadliest, dangers to their regime; which has the ability to move people or in the words of Hitler: “The brand masses of people can be moved only by the power of speech. ”(Hitler 107) that inevitably leads to the downfall of the
In George Orwell's dystopian novel, 1984, the author uses cacophonous and anaphora diction with rhetorical and imperative syntax to convey the fragility and selfish state of human nature; the author further portrays the immense suffering guided by abused power at the hands of a totalitarian government. An analytical and commentary writing on society, 1984 discusses topics such as the exploitation of and total control in the absolutist manner of tyrannic leadership. Written through the perspective of Winston Smith and his conflict between reality and illusion in a deceptive society, Orwell intentionally warns the future society of these topics. While forcefully observing himself in a mirror, Winston notices that “a…skeleton-like thing was coming towards him… [with] a bald scalp, a crooked nose, and battered-looking cheekbones” and under the layer of dirt, “the red scars of wounds, and… the scraggy neck seemed to be bending double under the weight of the skull” (296-297).
The movie, The Village, and the novel 1984 provides new insight and connections on a “utopian” society. Both are very similar to each other in a way that their utopian society has many flaws. 1984 is about a rebellion against an iron-fisted totalitarian government while The Village is about an attempt to protect the innocence of people. In these societies, the leaders lie in order to try and achieve a utopian world. Both societies have different purposes to control the people through fear, but despite their attempts to create a utopian society, they were only successful to a certain extent.
Censorship, along with the introduction of television, allowed humans in this world to become indifferent to the change. The reader can understand that over time, the world in this novel turned into one of governmental oppression due to the change in nature of eliminating the controversy.
3. Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1927) Metropolis is an important example of German Expressionism and of early science fiction. A great inquiry on future of humanity, a critique of society, a prominent dystopian film. Fritz Lang’s remarkable work has dazzlingly designed sets, costumes and unpredictable characters.
1984 Analysis George Orwell’s 1984 has significant relevance to today’s society because of the abuse of power over the people by the government. Although most governments today don’t watch their citizen’s every move, or torture them into believing that two plus two could equal five and/or three, that might not be too far in the future. There are several symbol of the Party’s complete control over the free life, language, and emotions of the citizens. Body 1: To begin, the Party has significant power over the people, even to go as far arresting them for “thoughtcrime” which is when you think of things that are considered illegal by the Party. The free life of the people of Oceania was not actually free, or the people’s.
The two distinct novels Nineteen Eighty-four by George Orwell is a very thorough description warning the future were high ranked working people such as governments and politicians will misuse their positions to control the citizens which can already be illustrated throughout the world by means of using media, language and telephones to track them and manipulate news stories by way of misleading the citizens for their own purposes and desires whereas the novel One Flew Over The Cuckoo 's Nest by Ken Kesey likewise demostrates in a more microcosmic world were head administratives control and applies various methods that will only benefit them rather than everyone. This essay focuses on what methods of control is implemented on the residents in
Dystopian 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
Living through the first half of the twentieth century, George Orwell watched the rise of totalitarian regimes in Germany, Italy, Spain, and the Soviet Union. Fighting in Spain, he witnessed the brutalities of the fascists and Stalinists first hand. His experiences awakened him to the evils of a totalitarian government. In his novel 1984, Orwell paints a dark and pessimistic vision of the future where society is completely controlled by a totalitarian government. He uses symbolism and the character’s developments to show the nature of total power in a government and the extremes it will go through to retain that power by repressing individual freedom and the truth.
Language is a major themes in both novels “1984” by George Orwell and “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwool. Language are heavily reshape in both novel in order to crave a goal to control individuals. “1984” creates authority over citizens through altering and reducing the English language to its most basic form. To “return” to the root of English, the Party have to eliminate the complexity of the language - synonyms and subtle meaning of words -from the existence of the people minds in the apparent belief that there is no justification from antonyms and ‘shades of meanings’, and only one concept should only subsist . However the true purpose of simplifying language and destroying words is to eliminate concepts that might led to the idealism of rebellion and disobedience; The Party does not want the thoughts of rebellion and disobedience to exist therefore they have to destroy and simplify to a huge extent.
Directed by Fritz Lang, the silent film Metropolis (1927) served and still continues to serve as an inspiration to many successful filmmakers and aspiring filmmakers alike. The techniques and editing skills used for this film pretty much lead to the development of the skills and techniques used today. Other notable people who helped make this film a success include Lang’s wife, Thea Von Harbou as the screenwriter and author of the book, Metropolis, Karl Freund and Günther Rittau as the cinematographers, Otto Hunte, Erich Kettlehunt and Karl Volbrecht for their remarkable set design, Gottfried Huppertz for the music, and Walter Schultze- Mittendorf as the sculptor. The major characters in this film include Alfred Abel as Joh Fredersen, Gustav
In ‘1984’ and ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, the destruction of the individual is due to a combination of the destruction of independence, language and totalitarian monopolistic control. Complete collectivism, despite separate political beliefs, is presented throughout dictatorial societal jurisdiction as being the predominant way to maintain eternal power. The regimes seek to control individuals and therefore engage in continuing reconnaissance or surveillance of the populace. The mind is the most individual source of power to any person and totalitarianism aims to create complete orthodoxy by controlling and manipulating the mind. Both Orwell in ‘Nineteen Eighty Four’ and Atwood in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ are examples of how dystopian literature presents
In 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
By limiting the vocabulary, Newspeak is essentially “unintelligible” and hence controls the people’s understanding of the real world. Orwell emphasises that language is of utmost importance as it structures and limits the ideas individuals are capable of formulating and expressing. In 1984, language is used as a ‘mind control tool’. The party slogan, “war is peace, freedom is
In 1949, a man predicted the domination of citizens by the totalitarian government and their custom of technologies to dictate the society. His name is George Orwell, a well-known British author, who wrote one of the most famous dystopian novels, 1984. The novel 1984 illustrates the totalitarian society and the life of Winston Smith, who works at the Ministry of truth and his humiliation by the party of the country, Oceania. George Orwell’s exaggeration and mockery of the totalitarian governments in the novel 1984 is now turning out to be one of the nightmare come true in our modern society.