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Alienation In Argot

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The language used in literary compositions serve functional purposes that portray the author’s intensions (Simpson, 1997:8). Barrère (1889:xiii) defines Argot as a bastardized language used villains, whom enjoy sinful or bloody acts of human anguish, disguised by veiled humour. The author, Antony Burgess named his Argot- Nadsat. Defined in Burgess’ novella by Dr. Branom as "Odd bits of rhyming slang,” "a bit of gipsy talk, too. But most of the roots are Slav. Propaganda. Subliminal penetration” (Burgess, 2011:86). In Burgess’s novella, A Clockwork Orange, the Argot is used for alienation, to buffer the violence and to characterize the protagonist. In this essay it will be proven that in Stanley Kubrick’s film adaption of the novella, Kubrick…show more content…
For instance, Alex rapes two 10 year old girls and comments, "They looked like they had been in some big bitva, as indeed they had, and were all bruised and pouty….They were creeching and going ow ow ow as they put their platties on, and they were like punchipunching me with their teeny fists as I lay there dirty and nagoy and fair shagged and fagged on the bed.” (Burgess, 2011:51). The Nadsat buffers the violence in Alex’s acts and makes it obscure to the reader, however realization will set in (O' Keefe, 1999:33).

To achieve the same buffering affect in the film, Kubrick uses a variety of techniques specifically in the above noted rape scene. Kubrick casted two girls closer to Alex’s age to disconnect the viewer from the violent rape as the novella describes. Additionally, Kubrick accelerated the scene on top of the Allegro Vivace composition, William Tell Overture, by Gioachino Rossini to tone done the violence even further (McDougal, 2003:14). The scene concludes before the viewer has realised the…show more content…
All the teens use that… "(Burgess, 2011:120) When it comes to Nadsat proficiency, Alex speaks it superlatively in comparison to the droogs. After imprisonment Alex continues to address the reader in Nadsat. Ravyse (2014:5) believes that the intent of this is to create a ‘brotherhood’ with the readers and in return they sympathies with Alex and his ill treatment. In agreement with Kohn (2008:10) Alex may be a teenager using immature language, however he is an exceptionally intelligence teenager using language to manipulate not only to the fellow characters but also the readers.

Kubrick (1971) introduces the viewers to the juvenile protagonist in the opening medium close-up of Alex’s devilish face, one eye lashed and all, thereafter the camera moves backwards to display Alex in the middle of the droogs drinking drugged milk. Alex is portrayed as the devilish leader of group being situated in the centre. During the Lodovico treatment the viewer witnesses how Alex is strapped into a straightjacket, his eyes being forced open with metal clamps in a close up shot (Kirby, 2015:300). Kubrick manipulates the viewers with this frame to pity and sympathies with
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