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. Both 1984 and Metropolis exhibit the idea of how an individual can develop a sense of rebellion and resistance due to the dissatisfaction of the society’s governing body; driving the individual to in some cases overrule the system and ultimately achieve freedom. From his experiences as a member of the imperial police in Burma, George Orwell saw first-hand the oppression that the social hierarchy was causing, thus being the source for his value for equality and freedom. As a result Orwell portrays a society where such freedom does not exist, evident when Winston’s narration in his diary depicts how he can only silently challenge the Party’s suppression of basic human instincts; ‘always in your stomach there was a dull protest, that you were cheated of something you had a right to’. The metaphor represents Winston’s hopeless rebellion, as he generates thoughts of suspicion of the Big Brother Party. As a result of Winston’s inclination towards a sense of rebellion, Room 101 is employed by Orwell as an
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.
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
Have you ever been in a situation in which you have gone against what others have said? Perhaps you didn’t agree with what they said. What about breaking the rules for the greater good? Well in the novel, 1984 by George Orwell- Winston goes against the rules that the party has put up. He falls in love with a girl named Julia, and they are taken to trial at the Ministry of love. The theme to best fit the story would be- Freedom is Worth Fighting For.
People hear about political issues all over the news and form their own opinions on them, but are they really deciding beliefs for themselves or are they just believing whatever the media tells them? Because of the modern day media biased, many people do not think independently, even when they think they are. They merely believe the lies the media feeds them and do not research the matter themselves to get an accurate idea of what is truly going on and how the control of information will impact the world around them. Because of people’s tendency to accept any piece of information that gets shoved down their throats, the US is slowly digging itself into the same government-controlled, no-freedom world as in the book 1984 by George Orwell.
When George Orwell wrote his novel, 1984, Hitler and Mussolini had recently been defeated in World War II, the nuclear arms race was warming up and the Soviet Union was a threat to the world. Although these are not problems in today's society, 1984 is still very relevant in current time, "The twentieth century will soon be over, but political terror still survives and this is why Nineteen Eighty-four remains valid today” (Ricks 5). In the novel 1984 the main character Winston is faced with challenges when he meets a woman named Julia. Julia makes him question his loyalty to the government. They are living under a totalitarian government that sees everything you do, hears everything you say, and knows everything you think. George Orwell’s novel 1984 is still relevant in today’s society.
“I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery”(Thomas Jefferson). In the book 1984 the author George Orwell depicted a dystopian society where Oceania exhibited no laws, yet freedom only existed through limitations and bounded by watchful eyes of Thought Police. Terror and fear tear this world apart; family values become unworthy and limitations are tested. Winston is one of the intellectual characters who clearly acknowledges the distrust in The Party and Big Brother. He posses traits of a radical and to avoid being caught he hides his way to express himself. There is no freedom in 1984, because individuals have no freedom of speech, no choice in marriage, and no ability to testify against the intellectual standing, which only the party
In the United States of America , the people have their freedom and that's what people are used to but in the book 1984 by George Orwell, readers see how life is for the characters with little to no freedom. Freedom is not having thoughts, actions, and speech restricted unlike in 1984 where people are constantly watched. George Orwell shows a different reality where the people have their lives controlled by Big Brother, the government, and they live in fear for the littlest things. In 1984 by George Orwell characters do not have freedom since they are all way being watched,The government limits the people knowledge, and any little thing that the government does not like can be a crime.
In the book 1984 written by George Orwell, the author wanted the readers to understand the message he has created. The message that he has conveyed throughout the book was that the Party took away many of the individual’s rights and freedoms. Orwell has shown specific examples of how the peoples’ rights are taken away throughout the text. Some of these examples include the people do not have their own privacy in their homes, control over their own thoughts, as well as control over emotions. Orwell may have given these examples for the readers to be able to relate the novel to the government today. Today the government uses security cameras and phone records to be able to keep an eye on their citizens. In 1984, George Orwell has created the message of the government took away the peoples’ individual rights and freedoms with the use of the telescreens, control over thoughts, and control over emotions.
In the novel 1984 by George Orwell, the totalitarian government is adamant that all citizens not only follow its policies, but wholeheartedly agree with them. In order to maintain his individuality and avoid the Thought Police, Winston lies about his allegiance to the government and his beliefs and thoughts. He learns that his lies are weak and shallow after he is caught, and he eventually realizes the true power of his lies when he deceives himself. The totalitarian government Orwell presents encourages deception as a means of survival, increasing the government’s power when the citizens are eventually driven to lie to themselves. As the Party grows stronger and individuality crumbles, Orwell displays the loss of humanity as a result of a government built on deception.
Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four reflects the principles of Stalinism and Nazism that were evident at the time of the composer and his text of 1930’s to 1940’s Europe. When Winston Smith witnesses a co-worker’s outbreak of “Swine! Swine! Swine!” the repetition is used to demonstrate loss of personal conviction in creating a dangerous orthodox for oppressive tyranny. This loss through the social and personal oppression of the Party and the absence of values of hope, love, loyalty, and dignity highlights values of fear, hatred and pain that are stipulated through tyranny. This technique is used by the composer to indicate the inability for the individual to accomplish change against a tyrannous government. Whilst Orwell perceives this world of chaotic power, Fritz Lang’s medium of film emphasizes the political and social chaos in his society. “Without the machines, you’re finished!” This high modality quote is used by Lang to signify how man and machine have become one in Metropolis. The loss of machines starts the chaos, spiraling out of control. The oppression of the proles by the Party and the workers class in the Depths begins the spiral of chaos that consumes all values to spit out what is left to the composer’s pessimistic view of the unwinding of
This book starts in London on April fourth, 1984. The book is written in partly third person, and partly in first person. The book is divided into three distinct parts. The first part is showing you the main character, Winston Smith and his differences and frustration with the world he works and lives in. The country or the “Super state” he lives in called Oceania is run under a government called INGSOC (English Socialism). The leaders of the nation are called "The Party." The Party is divided into two sections, The Inner Party, and The Outer Party. The "Rich" and the "middle-class." There is a third group of people called "The Proles," or "The Proletariat" who are the lower class or the poorer class. The main leader of this government is called “Big Brother” and there also a very famous conspiracy theory about a traitor of the state by a person called “Emmanuel Goldstein” who was part of the inner party and then betrayed the state. The book is about the life of Smith with his frustration towards the government and the society he lives and the journey he embarks on from hating the party to finding comfort in another party worker and to eventually falling in love with big brother. The book is divided into three parts with the first part explaining the dynamics and structure of the new world. The second part focuses on how Smith finds solace by committing “though crime” as his act against the party and finally,
The face of a man of about forty-five, with a heavy black moustache and ruggedly handsome features. Who is he? He is Big Brother, the ruler and destroyer of Oceania and the reality of today. It is easy to believe that the Government monitoring people in order to keep them safe. But how exactly is it keeping everyone safe? In George Orwell's novel 1984 citizens of Oceania are constantly being watched over and spied on. In the fiction novel 1984 the circumstances in which the citizens of Oceania live under seem terrible but what is worse is that people live under these circumstances today in real life. The lack of privacy that exists today and in 1984 results in one to feel a loss in freedom, to feel paranoid, and to feel inferior. To have surveillance
The exploitation of power obtained through social manipulation can have detrimental effects on both individuals and society, often leading to rebellion. This notion is explored in Fritz Lang's film 'Metropolis' (1927) in which the period of industrialisation in post WWI Germany is reflected, highlighting his fear of a socially repressive society that parallels with George Orwell's 1949 novel ‘1984’. Whilst they share similar concerns regarding the machine age capitalist society, Orwell constructs a distinct ideological framework that functions on intellectual suppression through characteristics of both
The novel 1984 is a futuristic totalitarian society where everyone is kept under close surveillance and is forced to follow all rules and laws of the state. The novel 1984 was written by George Orwell and published in 1950. The main characters were Big Brother, Winston Smith, Julia, O’Brien, Syme and Emmanuel Goldstein. Winston Smith is a low man on the totem pole when it came to the ruling Party in London, Oceania. His every move is watched by the Party through devices called telescreens. Posted everywhere around the city is the face of their leader, “Big Brother” informing them that he is always watching. He works in the “Ministry of Truth” which is ironic seeing that they alter history to fit the liking of the Party. As this book continues Winston challenged the laws and skirts around the fact that he is always being watched. His shocking and rebellious act is “falling in love.” Throughout this novel George Orwell utilizes symbolism to further enhance the totalitarian features of the society. In many ways these symbols represent the things that this society hasn’t experienced and doesn’t understand.
Hopelessness, deep and gaping ever lasting hopelessness. If the course of humanity fails to change, to this everyone will succumb. That is the message that George Orwell has left for the future, and it would be in humanity's best interest to heed. Winston Smith of 1984 lived in a world that had been consumed by the everlasting abyss of injustice. Eventually this world became too much for our hopeful protagonist and thus, like the future that is bound to a horrific fate, he succumbed. “It was like swimming against a current that swept you backwards however hard you struggled, and then suddenly deciding to turn round and go with the current instead of opposing it” (Orwell 248). No one in this world is any different than Winston, they will follow his path like all of those before them, following the five stages of Kübler-Ross. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance make up the cycle that every feeble life will follow and that Winston grew to know all too well.