Black Mirror Literary Devices

Dystopian DevicesWhen writing a novel, authors use distinct literary devices to aid in making the genre of their story apparent to their reader. Specifically, many use these literary devices to draw attention to details that establish a dystopian genre. A dystopia is somewhere where people lead dehumanized and fearful lives (Merriam-Webster). Furthermore, in dystopian societies, propaganda, societal oppression, and totalitarian control often elicit fear and obedience. An example of this is the novel 1984 written by George Orwell. This novel contains ambiguous symbols such as Big Brother, the Godlike ruler of Oceania. Aspects such as this contribute to the nature of dystopian genres. After analyzing concepts such as the all knowing Big Brother and the telescreens that are required by the government, the reader notices dystopian aspects. Accordingly, the setting of the city and symbols in everyday life expand the readers view of dystopian aspects. Orwell uses literary devices such as setting, symbolism, and euphemisms in order to portray a dystopian genre through the use of Big Brother, the city Oceania and its citizens, and other concepts in the novel. The government in 1984 controls its population by creating a setting where no one has the freedom to act without a someone watching them. The government does this by requiring all citizens of the Party to own a telescreen. By monitoring the activities of members of the party, the government can keep citizens obedient and

First, community is reinforced when the phrase “every one belongs to every one else” is said by Lenini, Fanny, and later Henry Foster(Huxley 43, 46). This introduces the idea that the people in the community are a support system for each other. Second, the idea of identity is reinforced by the separation of the classes and the value for intelligence. The higher classes are looked up at because of their intelligence and ability. On the other hand, the lower classes are looked down upon because of their lack of intelligence and ability. Third, stability is reinforced when the Controller says “No civilization without social stability. No social stability without individual stability(Huxley 42).” He stresses the importance of stability of society and goes on to explain that war and unhappiness is caused by an unstable society. Also, he explains how far society has come and the struggle to establish the “perfect

In the short stories “Stones” and “To Every Thing There is a Season” the authors Sandra Birdsell and Alistair MacLeod both use literary devices in a similar manner in order to achieve their thematic objectives. This essay will compare the way the authors use three literary devices such as imagery, metaphor and similes in their short stories to portray the thematic objective of loss of innocence.

Humans in society are like musicians in an orchestra. Solo, their parts sound odd and out of place, lacking the harmonies mindfully composed for the rest of the orchestra. Humans are interdependent, social creatures by nature. We rely on each other to survive. We rely on each other to do jobs that might require a certain skill set or jobs that we might not have time to do ourselves. We even rely on each other to bring a sense of familiarity and security to our communities just by knowing one another. If we all remained anonymous, then we could not rely on each other to satisfy these vital societal needs. Scott Russell Sanders, in his essay “The Common Life”, states that the more people in a community who prefer to live isolated and reclusive lives, the more susceptible the community is to a division that impedes its ability to live together, interact synergistically, and thrive. He correctly believes that this division can lead to a total “breakdown” in society.

Hirschi’s social bond theory is made up of four basic elements; attachment, commitment, involvement and belief. The element of attachment has to do with one’s involvement in society, and the bonds they form with others. Social bond theory is based on the idea that deviancy occurs in an individual when social connections are weak or non-existent, the element of attachment has to do with the bonds one forms with individuals or institutions. Attachment acts as an indirect control factor, as attachment determines one’s status in society, which in turn determines how much social capital one possesses. Attachment is largely influenced by one’s parents, interpreted as children “inheriting” social capital from their parents based on the level of

Starting as children, people are inclined to strive to be socially accepted. With social standards being very difficult to fit into, many people feel as though they do not belong to a set group of people; therefore, they tend to have a lower self esteem which causes them to act out. Being isolated causes one to feel a lack of confidence within themselves because him or her can feel as though they are not wanted and do not belong. This low sense of self esteem affects a person’s motivation and mental health. Social norms can cause people to feel alone and as though they have no one there for them. On the other hand, belonging to a community or a specific group can allow people to feel as though they have a support system, making them feel more confident in themselves and becoming better in their overall life. Feeling accepted and supported by people can increase intellectual activity and boost a person’s self esteem tremendously. Belonging and acceptance increase and decrease self esteem thus dictating a person’s behavior.

In this world what people often forget about that a human can do is cause mass destruction, things one should remember can be forgotten easily and just as fast as it came it leave, this can be seen in the books around us. Authors share their opinion through the words they write talking about society and how if we keep going the direction we are going we will find ourselves in deep trouble, the messages authors are trying to send can be seen through social commentary, many books have powerful messages behind them; especially in dystopian novels and movies. They show these messages through diction,syntax, imagery, and character development; for examples the books and movies; Fahrenheit 451, Incarceron, Wall-E, and Hunger games. The authors Ray Bradbury, Catherine Fisher, Andrew Stanton, and Suzanne Collins all convey a message through their works through syntax, diction, camera angles, and imagery; emphasizing their warnings of what they fear may happen.

Throughout our lives, everyone that we share bonds with and interact with on a regular basis, either forms or has some sort of influence on our identity. Consequently, the majority of us naturally find ourselves striving to fit in with these people, especially during the tough transition from childhood to adulthood. It is this part of the human condition that makes us feel as though we must forge ties with something outside of ourselves in order to establish a strong sense of existence and a clear understanding of who we are. Although most individuals are able to make these connections with others naturally, others who stray from the social norm might not be so fortunate, but rather than

In stories there are many literary devices used to help convey the overall message of the story. These literary devices help to portray the theme or themes of the story. This allows the reader to grasp a better understanding of what the author is trying to depict since it is hard to get the same image in the reader’s head as is in the author’s. In Ursula Le Guin’s The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas, we see the use of irony, setting and diction to help support the underlying theme of the value of a human life.

The documentary “Blackfish” uses the rhetorical device of logos to condemn animal entertainment facilities such as Sea World for their treatment of animals in captivity. For instance, killer whales stay in the same pod all their lives until they are captured. The speakers in “Blackfish” pointed this out because it tells us that whales have a strong family bond. Also, whales do not do well when they are separated from their families. In addition, if one whale gets stranded, the rest of the whales willingly get stranded with it.

Technology has made numerous positive contributions to society in a very short period of time. Although, it also has a way to be intrusive and frightening. Three in class stories that display the fictional victimization of lower status people through technology are: “Repent, Harlequin!” said the Ticktockman by Harlan Ellison, Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. A Netflix series and British television program called Black Mirror by Charlie Brooker also expresses many of the same recurring themes of technological based exploitation in Episode 2 ‘Fifteen Million Merits’. There are multiple overlapping themes between these four pieces of work and today’s society.

The social bond theory states that a person's view towards society determines if that person will be a criminal or not. According to Hirschi there are 5 elements that determine if a person has a good bond or a bad bond with society. They are attachment, commitment, belief, and involvement. When one of these elements is not good then a person is bound to a criminal life. In other words when a person breaks its bonds with society then they start to go against society norms or begin to get involve in deviant acts. All of these play a role in determining the bond a person has with society.

Many things are important to us, one of these is being accepted by our society. We all hate to be the outsider or the new kid, because we feel alone and secluded . In “Who Am I This Time?';, Helene Shaw’s job kept her moving to a different town every eight weeks. She became very cold to her

Written by English satirist Charlie Brooker, “Black Mirror” is a contemporary British reworking of Rod Serling’s “The Twilight Zone.” Featuring tales of techno-paranoia inspired by our thoroughly technological age, “Black Mirror” taps into a “collective unease with the modern world.” While the Netflix television series, like many works of science fiction, centers on the dangers of technology—the “black mirrors” that are our phone and computer screens—its warnings diverge drastically from those present in canonical mid-20th century works, like George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four. In Nineteen Eighty-Four, man uses technology to oppress others. In “Black Mirror,” man uses technology to enslave himself.

Cronin et al. (2007) explained a literature review as being a summary of research that has been carried out on the proposed research topic. The aim of the literature review is to provide a rationale for a new research topic to be undertaken. A good literature review will have a selection of information from varied sources. In this article the literature review is under the heading of background this may be a cause of confusion for some readers and could perhaps be more suited to its own heading. However, the literature review in this article clearly summarises the research that has been conducted into the topic of interest. The fact that the need to belong and accepted is a fundamental need is highlighted. Furthermore the effects of being depraved of this need are also brought to the forefront. In addition to this further studies have been conducted into the depravation of social relationships and its link with higher levels of somatic and psychosomatic illness.