Metropolis And 1984 Comparative Essay

Towards the end of Orwell’s novel that presents a dystopian society, the antagonist, O’Brien, a close member of the inner party, warns Winston, the protagonist and one of only two reasonable people left, that “We do not merely destroy our enemies; we change them” (319). Winston, who has been taken prisoner for his political dissent, receives this grave warning tied down to a chair with O’Brien’s face staring at him from above. This alarming solution to the infamous mystery frightens Winston a significant amount, who after sacrificing so much, has just learned his fate. Orwell has brought about this fate to emphasize the perpetual triumph of the party over its enemies. In George Orwell's 1984, the author creates the totalitarian state of Oceania to warn the reader of the potential corruption and oppression of such a government.

Through his failure, Orwell portrays the dangers of a disunited society for the individual. Even though Winston willingly chose to oppose the Party and offered his life towards the eradication of his oppressors, his sacrifice proved futile without communal support to usurp the tyrannical regime. Despite the common suffering the people endured, their fear of the individual torment each would suffer motivated them to submit to the government. In Winston, Orwell highlights the frailty of an individual person in comparison to a mob. When imprisoned at the Ministry of Love, Winston’s will crumbled under torture and he even offered the life of the one individual he had earlier seemed hesitant to sacrifice, Julia. Hence, Orwell illustrates the need for a united social front for individuals to change the society in which they live in. Otherwise, self-preservation shall remain dominant within each individual, leaving them vulnerable to continuous manipulation through propaganda.

In the novel 1984, George Orwell relates the tension between outward conformity and inward questioning by allowing the reader to see inside of the mind of Winston Smith. Orwell uses Winston’s rebellious thoughts to counteract his actions in order to show the reader how a dystopian society can control the citizens. Although Winston is in an obvious state of disbelief in the society, his actions still oppose his thoughts because of his fear of the government. Winston’s outward conformity and inward questioning relate to the meaning of the novel by showing Winston’s fight to truth being ended by the dystopian society’s government.

During Joseph Stalin’s regime of the Soviet Union, 1984, the Classic Dystopian novel by George Orwell, was burned and banned, because the book shone a negative light on communism. The book, 1984, follows the life of Winston Smith, who lives in a country called Oceania. Oceania is a totalitarian society, ruled by a government known as The Party, whose leader is called Big Brother. In Oceania, every movement and sound every person makes is constantly surveillanced, and one wrong facial expression, statement, or action can cause the ‘Thought Police’ to take the person away to never be seen again. A small percentage of the population questions The Party’s dictatorship, and the novel follows Winston’s struggles to keep his hatred of The Party

Through this activity, Winston introduces us to Doublethink, the ability to hold two contradictory ideas in your head while guiding yourself to believe the one that best fits the principles of Ingsoc, the party doctrine. To even doubt or question Ingsoc is dubbed ‘thoughtcrime’, and pursued ruthlessly by the thought police.

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’.

Orwell and Niccol also display individual rebellion through their protagonists. Both authors use the idea of rebellion to reflect that the social wrong of a totalitarian government creates discontent in individuals. Orwell, by foreshadowing Winston’s rebellion against “The Party” and his eventual demise strongly explores the idea of individual revolt against society. While in a dream Winston hears O’Brien say “we shall meet in a place where there is no darkness” foreshadowing Winston’s capture and torture in the “Ministry of Love”, where ironically the lights are never turned off. Through his ironic foreshadowing Orwell alludes to the reader that in an unjust totalitarian state “there is no darkness” and everything is surveyed, making individual rebellion impossible. In contrast to the impossible nature of rebellion presented by Orwell, Niccol shows that even in an oppressive dictatorial society individual rebellion is possible. Viewers are shown a montage of flashbacks revealing his protagonist’s early life, where it is established through the gates of a school being closed on him that he will be “locked out” of society due to his “faith birth”. Niccol then cuts to a scene showing Vincent having achieved his dream of working in the space station as a “celestial navigator”. The use of flashback montages is one way in which Niccol suggests to the viewer that even in the social wrong of an oppressive state, individual

In the novel 1984, Orwell produced a social critique on totalitarianism and a future dystopia that made the world pause and think about our past, present and future. When reading this novel we all must take the time to think of the possibility that Orwell's world could come to pass. Orwell presents the concepts of power, marginalization, and resistance through physical, psychological, sexual and political control of the people of Oceania. The reader experiences the emotional ride through the eyes of Winston Smith, who was born into the oppressive life under the rule of Ingsoc. Readers are encouraged through Winston to adopt a negative opinion on the idea of communist rule and the inherent dangers of totalitarianism. The psychological

Within Orwell’s dystopia, London, the Golden Country and the Prole District play large roles in the way Winston and Julia not only act, but also speak of themselves and the Inner Party. London is a concrete jungle where, “…there seemed to be no colour in anything except the posters that were plastered everywhere.” (Orwell 2). London is a setting of pure conformity; within London, Winston and Julia are confined to the strict policies bestowed upon them by the inner party. Winston is in a constant state of distress of being caught by the thought police and Julia is constantly

Winston Smith walked home\surrounded by posters proclaiming “Big Brother is Watching You”. Smith does not like the Party but expressing his opinion would mean certain death. Thought crime means death or vaporization, it meant a person’s existence was never there; they were born. This story is composed in three parts; the world of 1984 as he (Smith) sees it, Smith’s rebellion and affair with Julia and Smith’s interrogation, torture, most importantly, his re-education at Miniluv. Winston Smith live in the now ruined London, “chief city of Airstrip One” as quoted in the

Fritz Lang’s German expressionist film Metropolis and George Orwell’s Swiftian satire novel 1984 convey the impact on core human values jeopardised through the repressive authoritative systems of control. Lang’s portrayal of social corruption through the anxieties of Weimar Republic of Germany following World War 1 heightens the responders’ awareness of the dehumanising totalitarianism as well as rapid industrialisation. While Lang constructs underlying hope through the reconciliation between capitalists and workers, Orwell projects a political uncertainty such that hope for a better future is completely ruled out, a reflection of rising communism and Fascism in Europe. Through exploring the ways ideas are appropriated across juxtaposing contexts,

     Tired of feeling the way he is, with the monotonous struggle of everyday life Winston decides to oppose the party in more real ways; and begins to deviate from certain set behaviors to free himself from this bondage of the party. “To the future or to the past, to a time when thought is free, when men are different from one another and do not live alone-to a time when truth exists and what is done cannot be undone”(25-26). He has realized what the government does to people; how everyone is made to be the same, where no one is allowed to think on their own. The party is omnipotent in all affairs and he will not go along with it anymore. Winston has made up his mind; he is going to do everything he can to bring down the party. He and Julia go to O’Brien’s apartment one afternoon, and Winston’s true hatred is revealed. “We believe that there is some kind of conspiracy, some kind of secret organization working against the Party,

Winston, who is 39 years old and always wears ordinary and shabby clothes, is Orwell’s last and most poignant portrait. Through the characterization of the image of Winston, Orwell wants to reflect and express his political position and views. At the beginning of the novel, Winston began to have doubts about the nature of society and its role in it. His attempt to capture the true feelings of the past not only reveals his precarious situation, but also supports the whole novel. With the help of the character of Winston, Orwell aims to express his own feelings. Winston

Set around the year 2000, Metropolis is a depiction of the future, yet it is viewed more intensely in the twenties style. In this view we can truly appreciate the work, without the cynicism of todays standards, for the marvel that it is.

Composers use their own perspectives about their context to project their concerns on the political and social needs of their society. The desire to control individuals by oppressing their physical and emotional needs is inherent in authoritarian governments. Orwell's satirical novel 1984 (1948) explores the subjugation of humanity through fear and intimidation, representative of the corrupted values of the totalitarian societies that existed at the time. Fritz Lang’s silent film Metropolis (1927), however, examines the exploitation of workers through the power of a plutocracy. Both composers have used their own political and social context to direct attention and warn audiences about mankind’s need to dominate those around them at the expense of individuality and freedom.