Literacy has been used in many forms throughout time and one of these forms is to revolt against unfair governments and totalitarian governments. These forms of literature often demonstrated another type of totalitarian government, the film ‘V for vendetta’ directed by James McTeigue and the novel ‘1984’ written by George Orwell are great examples of this. V for vendetta shows a totalitarian government in an alternative London and 1984 shows a totalitarian government in a fictional world. Many symbols are used in V for vendetta one of these is V’s mask, also known as the Guy Fawkes mask. This mask is now one of the most popular symbols ever, it is seen everywhere: in the 80’s the comic book series ‘V for vendetta’, then in the film adaptation in 2005 and now it’s a popular symbol with the cyber terrorist group ‘Anonymous’. In the film adaptation of ‘V for vendetta’ the mask is used to conceal the true identity of the protagonist V. During one of the last scenes of the film, V is choking Mr. Creedy and he says to him “Beneath this mask there is more than flesh. Beneath this mask there is an idea, Mr. Creedy, and ideas are bulletproof.”. This clearly shows us that V doesn’t want to be remember as a man, as men die, but he wants to be remembered as an idea, as ideas can last forever. Another symbol is the Fingermen’s moto ‘Strength …show more content…
In most scenes where we see the chancellor he is shown at a low camera angle to show his power and his control on the people he looks down upon, while his final scene is shown with a high camera angle to juxtapose how the people look down on him. Another form of mise en scène is the lighting. Throughout most of the film the lighting is very dark which shows us the feeling of the people and how gloomy they always feel. Most scenes are shot either at night or in an underground area which shows us very gloomy and artificial
Imagine a world in which every last movement is recorded by the government, thinking for yourself is a crime, and hate is praised in your society. 1984 portrays that kind of world, and of course people these days wouldn’t want to live in it, which is why it sparks such an interest in readers. But, one might think after reading the book, why would this be banned? 1984 should not be banned if already in schools, but can be reconsidered if more books are better at choice because the book matches with a higher intelligence and maturity level, the book presents a don’t-follow-the-crowd message, and can teach students/readers more about their government and how other forms of government are more corrupt. I will be constructing opinions on the book’s
The first similarity between 1984 and V for Vendetta is that the society is being run by totalitarian rule. It is the government that controls the lives of the people and how the society should be run. In 1984, ‘Big Brother’ aka the Inner party, is the figure that keeps an eye on the people and
George Orwell’s 1984 is more than just a novel, it is a warning to a potential dystopian society of the future. Written in 1949, Orwell envisioned a totalitarian government under the figurehead Big Brother. In this totalitarian society, every thought and action is carefully examined for any sign of rebellion against the ruling party. Emotion has been abolished and love is nonexistent; an entire new language is being drafted to reduce human thought to the bare minimum. In a society such as the one portrayed in 1984, one is hardly human. In George Orwell’s 1984, the party uses fear, oppression, and propaganda to strip the people of their humanity.
George Orwell uses his novel 1984 to convey that human beings, as a species, are extremely susceptible to dehumanization and oppression in society. Orwell demonstrates how a government’s manipulation of technology, language, media, and history can oppress and degrade its citizens.
A dystopian novel is used to warn its readers of what could go wrong socially, economically or politically. This genre was initially created to counter utopian novels. Instead of capturing the idea of a perfect world, it emphasizes just how badly things can turn if not handled properly. Political science fiction is a form of writing that allows the reader to use real life events but stretch them until they are no longer true but are still realistic. 1984 uses World War II as its real life event but amplifies aspects of the war. For example, during World War II people considered “outside the norm” were killed but in 1984 there was a “thought police” that made people with any thoughts that contradicted what was considered right, disappear. V for Vendetta was written during the Cold War while Margaret Thatcher was prime minister. Many, including Moore, believed Thatcher to be a fascist. In V for Vendetta, Moore illustrates anarchism. Moore explains his support for the revolution and civil disobedience. Symbols of this are Guy Fawkes mask, lady justice, and the letter “v.” Orwell uses his knowledge of political power to write his novels. With his experiences, he creates imaginary stories that touch lives generation after generation (Argyros). He uses hyperboles to create a realistic yet frightening idea of the future; something that every
James McTeigue uses symbolism in the film V for Vendetta to juxtapose the idea of individuality and the resistance of forced conformity. The first important symbol used in the film is V’s mask. This symbol is shown in all of the scenes V appears in and again in the very last scene. In this scene thousands of citizens gather wearing the masks and remove them. Masks often symbolize a character hiding their identity. This final scene when the citizens remove their
V for Vendetta opens similarly, immediately addressing the absence of freedom and independence coexistent in 1984. Following a montage of Evie and V, the dystopic qualities of their world are quickly revealed. Curfews set up along with roaming Fingermen emphasis the freedom that has been removed from its citizen’s as well as the implied illegal action towards something as ordinary as going to dinner with her boss. McTeigue emphasises this element of forsaken freedom and independence through the use of the Film Noir with the dark forbidden scenes portraying the danger in Evie’s actions. The use of medium and long shots was used to convey her anxiety while also revealing the scenery dotted with the sinister fingermen. Complete with the tense music playing during the scene it exposes to the audience the dystopic nature of the society present in the film.
The film 'V for Vendetta' directed by James McTeigue addresses the idea of governmental authority and control in our society. One key scene where this is portrayed is in the opening, where Evey goes out to visit Gordon Deitrich after curfew. The futuristic landscape of a totalitarian England is displayed here, where the oppressive party in power have created a culture of fear to ensure the conformity of the citizens. However, in contrast, the final scene of the film where a crowd converges to watch Parliament blow up, illustrates a further idea. That when united, it is the people who have the power to change their society, through rebellion and political uprising.
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.
Historically, literature has always echoed the key issues and themes present during that time. In the period which Orwell wrote this novel, totalitarian government was a popular concept seeing implementation around the world such as Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia, and Mussolini’s Italy. In the novel 1984. While Orwell’s world is a fictional one, it can be said that he uses it as a voice for social commentary, and he predictions as to what a world would be like if totalitarian governments would rule the world. This essay will aim to explore how Orwell goes about doing this.
George Orwell’s key objective throughout his novel, 1984, was to convey to his readers the imminent threat of the severe danger that totalitarianism could mean for the world. Orwell takes great measures to display the horrifying effects that come along with complete and dominant control that actually comes along with totalitarian government. In Orwell’s novel, personal liberties and individual freedoms that are protected and granted to many Americans today, are taken away and ripped from the citizen’s lives. The government takes away freedom and rights from the people so that the ruling class (which makes up the government), while reign with complete supremacy and possess all power.
The governments in today’s society have brainwashed their citizens into believing everything their leader says and thinks is correct and everything else is wrong. This can sometimes be known as a totalitarian government. George Orwell’s novel 1984 revolves around totalitarianism. The members of the party in Oceania are taught and required to worship their leader Big Brother whether they believe in him or not. In the novel 1984, George Orwell shows the problems and the hatred with a totalitarian government through his use of symbolism, situational irony, and indirect characterization.
In stating this, V was greatly influenced by Guy Fawkes, but he was not just doing it for rebellion. V’s past had a great deal to do with why he tries to overthrow the Norsefire, but he is also motivated by the people, in whom he believed he would help them take the country into their own hands and rise up against their own government. We see this as the people proceed towards the parliament building in Guy Fawkes masks, completely ignoring the army standing in their way, and watch the celebration of the parliament building being destroyed. This scene demonstrates the influence that V makes, somewhat separating himself from Guy Fawkes. Guy Fawkes never attains the collective support from the people, but V successfully turns the people against their government, helping them realize that the only way to stop the chaos is by doing something about it; in this case, rising up against their own government.
“V for Vendetta" is a movie about freedom, about human struggle against the state, the government of the sacrifice of a symbol. V for Vendetta was born from the successful combination of a sudden, seemingly incongruous things: out of the comic’s conventions and the anti-globalization pathos. I think this movie is a combination of the of Lewis Carroll’s abstract absurdity and George Orwell’s totalitarian nightmare. Alice meets with Hitler. Evey dressed up and went out on a date, but instead of rabbit hole, she found the black "funnel". Once the British had already made a movie "It Happened Here," an alternative fantasy on the theme of the Nazi’s occupation of England - now the enemy did not come from outside but from the inside. In the near future, England is living under a power of tyrant, neurotic clown with flabby face. Supreme Chancellor autocratically governed the country. Bishops are concerned about the moral health of the nation. People are constantly live in fear of external threat after the tragic virus attacks a few years ago. Every person sentenced to death if he keeps a Koran. Same thing for the "unnatural" sex. There was nothing else to be executed for;
In the texts, 1984, written by George Orwell, and Fahrenheit 451, written by Ray Bradbury, the concepts of totalitarianism and censorship are addressed throughout in various ways. Both texts are of dystopian fiction, set in post-nuclear war nations, although they are somewhat of a different nature. The concepts of totalitarianism and censorship are addressed throughout the texts throughout the exploration of the issue of ‘knowledge is power’, the use and abuse of technology, manipulation and the desensitising of society. Although these are mentioned in both 1984 and Fahrenheit 451, they are fairly different in the way they are approached by each totalitarian government, as the government in 1984 is much more severe in the way each of these issues are dealt with in the text.