Prothero Movie Themes

After rebuilding an item from the Unmentionable Times, Equality begins to contemplate about his purpose and personal identity, “And a strange thought comes to us: we wonder, for the first time in our life, what we look like. Men never see their own faces and never ask their brothers about it, for it is evil to have concern for their own faces or bodies. But tonight, for a reason we cannot fathom, we wish it were possible to use to know the likeness of our own person” (Rand 21). Throughout the novel, Equality’s government forbids the community from obtaining any knowledge on their history. They force characters to live according to the way they set laws, and made it so that asking or having any information that was considered “unacceptable” was morally wrong; they claimed the Unmentionable Times were cruel times, and that they wanted to prevent such chaos again. In forcing a society to groupthink, people will never be able to introduce themselves to different lifestyles and experiences that would help them create their own opinions and values. By thinking as one, true happiness cannot be found- instead, people would simply be distracted by the routines they have adapted rather than living according to what is best suited for themselves. Without the introduction of new ideas, or anyone to initiate a change for better living, an irrational government is bound to grow.

In a society where fabrications and the eradication of individuality ran rampant, Equality 7-2521 chose to defy the norm and stand up to leaders who created numerous, inequitable falsehoods about life, love, and the power of the self. Through small acts of defiance, our heroic character overcame the totalitarian state and ultimately started a small but legitimate revolution against the system of collectivism and compliance. However, the young rebel could not have possibly respected the leaders of the oppressive society. As Rand said in her short essay, “But since men have to act, so long as they live, such a society is willing to be taken over by anyone willing to set its direction.” Equality 7-2521 had every right to denounce those in charge of an empire that deliberately withheld information from citizens.

Rules have been around since the beginning of time for the purpose of safety and control in a population. But, what happens when there are more rules in place for the sake of control as opposed to safety? The novel Anthem shows that when there are more rules for control of individuals’ minds, they will be broken because the individuals realize there is more to be discovered than what they are being told. This can be seen through the plot and climax, as well as in the characterization of the protagonist and antagonist, and through Equality 7-2521’s first person point of view.

The story, Anthem, takes place in a communist like dictatorship of the unmentionable times, where no person has any rights of their own, existing inly to server the state. The society controls every piece of the member’s lives. From their daily schedule, to the relationship partners they end up with, no one has a choice. These people are told that they only exist to serve the society and that’s it. In the end, it’s up to the society to choose what they’ll do with their lives; where they’ll work, where they’ll live. These rules have been made in order to make sure that everyone treats each other and lives equally. In this society, people were not allowed to use the word “I” but use the word “we” instead and the concept of individualism does not exist. The society didn’t want

The film Bartleby represents the themes and characters of the story in numerous ways. Two major themes of the story include choices and morality. In regard to making choices, Bartleby continuously stated the phrase “I would prefer not to”, which shows that he took advantage of his right to make decisions even if they did not please everyone else. This theme was translated in the film because this is a phrase that Bartleby also stated countless times. The theme of mortality was displayed in the short story when the narrator had a difficult time deciding how long he should help Bartleby. Also, he wanted to decide if it would be right of him to give up on their work relationship. However, he did act immorally by firing Bartleby and moving offices

Firstly, oppression is evident through various types of abuse through the main characters, Aminata and Celie. Both have faced several forms of abuse such as physical, emotional, mental and sexual abuse that have stripped away their identity and dignity. For instance, Aminata fights for her freedom throughout her entire life, only to suffer from physical abuse almost everyday on the slave ship and to suffer from sexual abuse on the plantations. Moreover, Aminata

The government within the novel Brave New World goes to extreme measures to legitimize itself. It’s most extreme form of legitimization is going to great lengths to create significant class divides amongst its citizens. From the beginning of an individual’s life within this society their embryo is exposed to different genetic enhancers and more or less oxygen depending on where they are supposed to be in the caste system. Later on, as infants, certain castes are taught to dislike and fear certain things. The government even goes to the lengths of sleep hypnosis to ensure the divide amongst individuals in society.

same feeling of being put in a box, unable to grow and develop. Winston and Equality

The novel discusses themes such as freedom and science to show that Equality 7-2521 does not fit into the society created by the council. In Chapter 1, the quote, “It is a sin to write this. It is a sin to think words no others think and to put them down upon a paper no others are to see. It is base and evil. It is as if we were speaking alone to no ears but our own. And we know well that there is no transgression blacker than to do or think alone.”This quote shows that he lives in a very tightly controlled society, where no is allowed to do what one wants. From this quotation in the novel we could also speculate that freedom is nonexistent since they aren’t allowed to be alone. In addition, this thought process goes against the idealism of freedom since you can’t truly be free if you can never be alone. The loss of freedom from in the novel relates to Equality 7-2521 being seen as an outcast because in the novel all he does is look for a place to be free, later on, he finds a well, which he plans to bring his findings, going against the being alone and no freedom rule. Furthermore, the theme of

In addition, Equality continues to make his individualism known by preferring a woman, Liberty 3-5000, above all. While sweeping the streets, Equality takes notice of a woman working in the fields. He is instantly intrigued by her and thinks of her over all others. Equality’s attitude is significantly changed by his interactions with Liberty. “We do not know why we think of them. We do not know why, when we think of them, we feel of a sudden that earth is good and that it is not a burden to live” (Rand 41). Individualism is shown when Equality chooses to favor Liberty. Equality looked at her, even though there were other women in the field that day. He chooses Liberty above all the woman. Equallity shows a preference in only her, which shows individuality. To add, Equality is becoming more unruly and disobiedient by continuing to break rules. The crimes he comits involve talking to woman of other Trades, looking upon woman, and the Transgression of Preference, which is to prefer someone or something above others. Equality’s love for Liberty continues to isolate and detach him from his brothers. His love for Liberty motivates him to banish himself from his society and cut off all his ties to it.

The dystopian novella, Anthem, is set in an age in which every aspect of life is controlled by oppressive leaders. In this society, everyone was deemed equal to each other, meaning no new ideas were allowed and the past could not be discussed. Individuals are told they exist only for the sake of serving society and have no other purpose. Strict rules were put in place involving everyone’s daily lives, their partners, and even when they were allowed to smile. The goal of this controlling environment is to be completely free from conflict and maintain peace and order by giving citizens little freedom.

“I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; If I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do” (Robert Heinlein). Sometimes, there are certain rules where we will listen to them, and others that we do exactly the opposite of what is told. Either road you go, you will have to take responsibility for the choices you make. In Anthem, the major character, Equality, did exactly this. Anthem is written as a diary in the eyes of Equality, an individual living in a place where nobody knows what individualism is, to the point of not knowing words like I. Everybody works in groups, with their lives controlled by councils which makes an insane novella. In the novella, Anthem, written by Ayn Rand has a variety of rules which purpose is to create a dystopian government in which residents can’t express emotions, can’t make decisions for themselves, live in a communistic style of society, keeps the power in the hands of the elites, and as Equality creates a new society, some of these rules will exist and some will be different, either way, it will make a positive impact.

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi is a graphic memoir that reveals the life of a woman growing up in pre and post Iran, as well as her experiences in Western countries. In this book, Marjane utilizes historical events that affect her life during her upbringing in Iran. These include the oppression of the Shah, as well as the rise and effects of the regime. These events’ integration into the story showcase how they affect Marjane and the other citizens of her country. Additionally, these events are important for the context and understanding that they grant readers unfamiliar with the text.

In Margret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and William Shakespeare’s King Lear it is evident that the punishment of innocent individuals by evildoers catalyzes violence thus, culminating in the disruption of society.

Similarly, Huxley’s Brave New World depicts a government in total control doing all that it can to keep power over the people. From childhood, citizens in this society are conditioned to be perfect tools of the government. On page 22 of Brave New World, the Controller explains how babies are conditioned to hate and fear books and flowers, so as to destroy curiousity and promote work (Huxley 22). If people are formed in such a way where work and lesiure is all they know and love, deviance cannot occur. Also, ever before birth, citizens are forced into predetermined castes through chemical alterations. Early on in the novel, Henery tells Lenina, “And if you were an Epsilon, your conditioning would have made you no less thankful that you weren’t a Beta or an Alpha” (Huxley 74). Regardless of their caste, members of this world are okay with their situation because they are taught to love their position, no matter how degrading it can be. Much like The Party, Brave New World’s government takes special care to remove those who defy set rules and expectations. When explaining the islands to Hemholtz, the Controller says they are for “All of the people who, for one reason or another, have got too self-consciously individual to fit into community life” (Huxley 227). In order to preserve perfect obedient, society, the government eliminates the deviant by shipping them far away. The