Comparing Orwell And Fritz Lang's Silent Film Metropolis

In the dystopian worlds created by the film director Andrew Niccol and renowned author George Orwell, notions of control and freedom are explored. Both worlds contain an overarching power that governs the rest of the population and restricts freedom of individuals, these powers also aid in the progression of technology, which further act to control individuals. The characterisations of the protagonists of each text portray the lack of freedom from the perspective of those that are affected. Both authors use a variety of techniques to portray themes of control and freedom in their texts.

1984 examines a future under the rule of a totalitarian society. One of the unique notes about Orwell's 1984, is the views that Orwell presents on humanity, and human nature. Orwell presents humanity as divided into two sides- the dominant, and the submissive, with few quickly-eradicated anomalies in between. Human nature, however, is universal, and all humans

Technology changes our very being in such a way that some free will is lost. We have become slaves

Totalitarianism diminishes the idea of individuality and destroys all chances of self-improvement, and human’s natural hunger for knowledge. In George Orwell’s famous novel, “1984”, totalitarianism is clearly seen in the exaggerated control of the state over every single citizen, everyday, everywhere. Totalitarianism can also be seen in the book “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley, in which humans are synthetically made and conditioned for their predestinated purpose on earth. The lack of individualism will lead a community towards a dystopia in which freedom is vanished by the uncontrolled power of the state.

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’.

“1984 expresses man’s fears of isolation and disintegration, cruelty and dehumanisation…Orwell’s repetition of obsessive ideas is an apocalyptic lamentation for the fate of modern man. His expression of the political experience of an entire generation gives 1984 a veritably mythic power

When George Orwell writes his dystopian novel ‘1984’ in 1949, he is extremely disturbed with the state of the world after witnessing the methods of the Soviet Union and other fascist regimes during World War Two. During this period, the Soviet Union famously burned books and controlled all media outlets in an attempt to assert dominance over the people of the USSR. In response to his emotional disquiet over these issues, Orwell writes a warning to the world of what he fears would come to pass should totalitarian governments continue to grow in power. In ‘1984’, Orwell writes of the government destroying all media that conflicts with the current political ideology, ‘thought-police’ arresting anybody who shows even the slightest signs of thinking

Film director Andrew Niccol’s science fiction thriller Gattaca and author George Orwell’s politically scientific book 1984 employ a variety of textual techniques to explore the themes of control and freedom. The context of a dystopia is used in both texts to portray how dogma’s within society’s constrict the freedom of individuals. Niccol discusses the consequences of the pursuit for perfection in the “genetically perfect” society of Gattaca. Similarly, Orwell analyses the subordination exhibited by the war torn society of “Air Strip One” to the governing party and “Big Brother.” Technological and scientific advancements further impact imprisonment of individuals by improving only a portion of the population. Niccol uses the science of

Alan Moore and George Orwell’s stylistic writing choices and parallels between fascist governments and the methods used to oppose them in their pieces “V for Vendetta” and “1984” with the use of rhymes and television to represent a biased sense of view and salvation left in history, and how the Party uses their own symbols to repress that salvation.

1984 by George Orwell, published in 1948. Orwell uses the dystopian genre to conceive an exemplification of life in the future based on conformity, dependence of technology, and the absolute control of the state over the people, their rights, and their history. The dystopian genre has been classified to have constraints upon the structure of the storyline; variations of such plots come through in different ideas, but all adhere to: conformity, surveillance / invasion of privacy, a terrible / unnamable past which lead to the dystopia’s creation, a futuristic setting, lack of rights / freedom / expression for the people, and a distinct segregation of the higher and lower classes.How

Through the dystopic texts of 1984 written by George Orwell and V for Vendetta directed by James McTeigue, the concept of a cautionary tale is portrayed by the dystopic qualities present in the highlighted texts. To which a dystopic text is an exploration of restrictive and controlling societies which reflect modern day concerns. To portray the texts as a warning story, Orwell and McTeigue give depictions of the dystopic qualities of their worlds, through the loss of independence and freedom and emphasise the importance of the individual through its loss in the dystopic societies.

Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in literary work. It has been discovered that there is indeed a common theme surrounding both George Orwell’s novel 1984 and the LEGO movie. These pieces of literature serve to warn its readers/audience of the dangers of totalitarianism. Both the movie and the novel portray a “perfect” totalitarian society, where the government has complete and total power and control. When one looks beneath the surface of these “perfect” societies, it becomes evident that they are nothing of the sort. These “perfect” societies have removed individual expression and has caused everyone to be conditioned to think alike. The citizens are conditioned to meet the needs

George Orwell’s 1984 is probably one of the most famous political novels in History. It´s strong criticism to authoritarianism, government abuses and sameness makes it one of the most analysed novels of the twentieth century. Hence, Orwell uses a lot of literary devices such as vivid imagery, symbolism of color and all sorts of allusions to convey the reader into his powerful criticism of authoritarian societies and how the promote the decay of free-thinking and individualism, which his the meaning of his narrative prose.

1984, Orwell’s last and perhaps greatest work, deals with drastically heavy themes that still terrify his audience after 65 years. George Orwell’s story exemplifies excessive power, repression, surveillance, and manipulation in his strange, troubling dystopia full of alarming secrets that point the finger at totalitarian governments and mankind as a whole. What is even more disquieting is that 1984, previously considered science fiction, has in so many ways become a recognizable reality.

In George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, oppression is the jail that imprisons man—and technology is its warden. “For Orwell,” writes comparative literature professor John Frodsham, “Nature was essentially good and technology essentially evil. Technology in Nineteen Eighty-Four is used to enslave men, not liberate them. The telescreen, the speakwrite, the helicopter…the book-writing machine on which Julia labors, and all the rest of the technological paraphernalia of the novel exist only to aggrandize the power of the state and violate human nature.”