Camparative Essay Metropolis 1984 web

One of the most important concepts that many individuals in modern day society value the most is the idea that they have the freedom to do whatever they please. The term freedom means “being able to act, think, and speak in any way one wants to without any type of hindrance,”(Dictionary.com). In the book, 1984, by George Orwell, the totalitarian society ruled by Big Brother, in many ways, controls its citizens by hindering any types of freedom a member of the society might have. In a society that is decorated with telescreens, hidden microphones, and strict rules, Orwell illustrates the many ways Big Brother uses that to its advantage to stifle the freedom of its citizens. However, under all the scrutiny of Big Brother, there are

Both narratives compare as timeless tales of reputable heroes. They both include similar plots of long journeys back home. The main characters’ flaws are arrogance which is the source of many of their troubles.

George Orwell’s novel 1984 reflects on the society of dystopian city Airstrip 1 where main character Winston Smith lives. Along with the many other citizens, Winston is controlled by the Inner Party by constantly being monitored via telescreens that keep sight of everybody and their actions. Besides using telescreens the government also easily arrests people in any case of “thoughtcrime” which consists of any thoughts that regard disobedience towards the government. Thoughtcrime and telescreens are two of the several factors that reflect the extreme surveillance in 1984. Orwell uses surveillance as the central theme of the novel to spread his idea that the usage of more extreme surveillance could eventually lead to a totalitarian society. On a less extreme scale, today’s society also has a significant amount of surveillance but many question whether or not more surveillance is necessary. With the many current text sources, it is certain that we need less surveillance in order to keep a stable society that does not take away the individualism of people.

In the brainwashed society of Oceania in 1984, by George Orwell, led by a totalitarian government in the name of a leader known as Big Brother, citizens are placed under constant surveillance from the government, preventing them from having individuality and freedom of thought. Although written in a fictional setting, the book strikes analogous similarities to the United States in today’s world. Due to a growth in surveillance, personal information and privacy are being intervened, however, not violated. While technological advances are increasing and crimes such as hacking and terrorism are becoming more prominent in society, government surveillance is becoming largely needed to ensure the protection

Our society has two main similarities to Orwell’s novel 1984: biased media and almost constant surveillance. The media in Oceania is spread by posters depicting the face of Big Brother and reading “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU”

In both novels the characters displayed how power and control strongly affected them, and showed signs of loss of humanity. This was shown in Night when the soldiers tossed bread towards

The quote “The object of power is power” is heavily supported by George Orwell’s 1949 novel ‘1984’ and Fritz Lang’s 1927 film ‘Metropolis’ through their intertextual connections and shared perspectives. Both texts were composed around the context of pre and post World War 2 which is clearly evident through their settings, characterisation, themes and ideas. Through Orwell’s and Fritz’s use of dystopic societies, empowerment of women and detrimental dictatorship rule it is blatant that George Orwell’s quote “The object of power is power” is quite strongly supported by the intertextual connections and shared perspectives of Orwell’s ‘1984’ and Lang’s ‘Metropolis’.

Out of the increased abuse of surveillance emerges human fear, as an overdose of information leads to a paranoid society, whose skeptic lens distrusts everything and attempts to micromanage all portals of information, and a suppressed society, whose fear of discovery inhibits its expression. In Winston’s world of telescreens and thought police, the idea of privacy is nonexistent. The looming presence of Big Brother’s face “[is] as though some huge

Vonnegut Jr.'s Harrison Bergeron and Orwell's 1984 are based on the concept of negative utopia. The governments in both these novels control their masses using harsh methods. The government in 1984 uses brainwashing, doublethink, mutability of the past and vaporization to control its masses. The government in Harrison Bergeron uses physical and mental handicaps to control its masses and in the effort to make everyone equal. Both the governments have a tight control on its people but the government in 1984 has a stronger and more affective control over its masses than the government in Harrison Bergeron.

“The two authors are historically known for their work for establishing as well as clarifying the ideas of general men in terms of response to their government. Both the authors work on the same time, however presents a bit different explanation of their philosophies.”

Envision the presence living in a dystopian society - where citizens are watched day-and-night. George Orwell’s novel 1984, written in 1949, depicts and illustrates the future of the 1980’s. Orwell imagined the world in which totalitarianism reigned, individualism is dead, and history is just sentiment. The world diverged into three superstates: Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia. With protagonist Winston Smith and the citizens of Oceania, they have experienced the impression, having to live life behind closed doors perpetually, also known as Big Brother. On top of this, the government directed everyone stay in control, citizens are not allowed to think for themselves and must be aware what they express before the Thought Police come for

Throughout the novel 1984, BIG BROTHER controls society through the use of fear. Enforcing the use of fear among the people of Oceania was the so called “Thought Police “ that continuously patrolled the city. The citizens know and fear that if they think one thought against the party, they will be taken, thoughtcrime they called it. “Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concealed forever. You might dodge successfully for a while, even for years, but sooner or later they were bound to get you" (Orwell, 1984, 134). Now that the society is concealed and enshrouded in BIG BROTHER’s rule, all that the people can do is follow, conform and do as they are told.

Fear is inevitably tied to the common saying “I am watching you”. When one’s actions are constantly monitored and privacy being relentlessly invaded, the individual soon will possess a sort of fear. In the novel Little Brother by Cory Doctorow, the government uses surveillance as a tool for exploiting the privacy of the people which then engages their fear.

The characters presented in Fritz Lang’s film Metropolis and George Orwell’s novel 1984 are unique in terms of their personalities however share similar values of freedom, purity and honesty. As a result, the comparative representation of characters in these texts has substantially informed my understanding that composers affirm values like individuality, freedom and equality in order to respond to contextual concerns and warn of a future where these values would not exist.

The perspectives presented in Fritz Lang’s avant-guarde silent film, ‘Metropolis’ (1927), and George Orwell’s dystopian novel ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ (1949), are reflections on the zeitgeist in their milieus. Though the texts were composed only twenty years apart, they both explore their composer’s respective personal, social, cultural and political contextual tensions and concerns. These include the dystopian concept of unmediated use and abuse of power and its threat to individualism, reflective of the rise of totalitarian regimes such as Stalin and Hitler; and the reliance on and dehumanising impact of technology, emblematic of the Machine Age across twentieth century Europe. While, Lang opts to use the medium of film, experimenting with