Use Of Satire In Dr Strangelove

The Cold War was a clash between the ideologies of the United States and the Soviet Union, even though there was no actual fighting between them, it still had a drastic impact on the lives of people who were alive at the time. As a result of experiencing the Cold War some creators used it as influence for literary works. For instance, The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss and Over the Hedge directed By Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick, reveal the political nature experienced by the opposing sides during the Cold War. Satirical devices in the forms of parody and exaggeration are used to further convey the message the creators want the audience to understand.

In the 1950’s during Dwight D. Eisenhower’s presidency which was also the peak of the Cold War, The Soviet Union’s development and testing of WMD’s (Atomic, Nuclear and H-Bomb) raised fears of war around the world. The Soviet Union started to expand their idea of communism to democratic nations in Europe, this raised tensions with the U.S. which heighten fear and anxiety of the American public of an imminent nuclear/Atom/H-Bomb war between the super powers.

In this essay I will analyze two Cold War American Films, War Games and Dr.Strangelove. Both of these films portray the cold war era, where it was uncertain when and if nuclear fallout would happen. I will start off by giving a brief summary of both films. Then talk about some cold war culture such as posters, TV shows, and historical events discussed in class, as well as some aspects of plot in the films, such as the leaders in power in each film and finally compare both films to the culture shown and argue that they both accurately portrayed it.

As the Soviet Union and their allies stockpiled nuclear weapons, the United States joined the race. The Butter Battle Book expresses a belief of anti-war, which Suess conveys through his satire. Throughout The Butter Battle Book, literary devices such as symbolism, alliteration and irony allowed the reader to understand the underlying theme and criticism of the Arms Race. Symbolism is one of the crafts Seuss uses throughout his satire.

In 1953, the peak of the Cold War and Communist Red Scare, Byron Haskin released the allegorical film, The War of the Worlds; a commentary on the anxiety that was ever present due to the Soviet Union, Communism, and the threat of nuclear war. The film is loosely based on H.G. Well's novel of the same name, and stars Gene Barry. The War of the Worlds establishes commentary on the technology and religious beliefs birthed of the 50's, and the struggle that was created due to the Cold War in the “Age of Anxiety”.

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) is a dark comedy film by Stanley Kubrick. The film deals with nuclear war which was a hot topic during the 50 's and 60 's. Americans were very paranoid about communists and nuclear war at this time. This film shows how ridiculous the paranoia about nuclear war through a sexual relationship allegory. The allegory deals with the masculine and the feminine. The masculine is an important part of the nuclear war efforts while the feminine takes a backseat. The feminine is displayed in men as a negative. The sexual allegory becomes funny through

Many war hawks in the United States urged the U.S. to fulfill their containment policy by using military force. Because of this there was an increase in military spending which eventually lead to the production of the most dangerous weapon known to man, the hydrogen bomb. The hydrogen bomb had the destructive force to take out half of Manhattan city in New York. Stalin decided to participate in this “arms race” for the “superbomb”. The stakes were high in being the country with the most destructive weapon but the United States developed the bomb first and this changed the civilian life into that of being fearful of an all out nuclear war. Because of this many civilians built bomb shelters in their backyards and schools practiced

Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb presents a satire of the Cold War and nuclear warfare. The film stars comedian Peter Sellers in three different roles, including the president, a Royal Air Force officer, and the title character of Dr. Strangelove—a character who does not play a major role in the action until the final scene of the film. The film itself was adapted by Stanley Kubrick, Peter George, and Terry Southern from George’s thriller novel Red Alert and was originally intended to be a drama, but was made into a satirical black comedy in the writing process (Webster 33). In the final scene, the leaders of the American government are gathered in the War Room awaiting

The inevitable effects of the nuclear weaponry is reflected in the creation of the "Bitsy Big Boy Boomero in Seuss's novel. Nuclear weaponry is the most deadly and devastating when categorizing weapons of mass destruction. Effectively it can destroy its surroundings extending for hours to numerous years. When the Yooks and the Zooks in Seuss's story had exhausted their efforts competing to build the better weapon, both sides had the decision of dropping a "Bitsy Big Boy Boomero" on either side. The "bitsy Big Boy Boomero" would undoubtedly result in complete destruction of either side if dropped, or according to Grandfather, "the end of that terrible town" (Seuss 40). There would be no "winners." Likewise, in the mist of the Cold War, both

Dr. Strangelove is an ex-Nazi scientist, he takes passing shots at numerous Cold War attitudes, such as the "missile gap". It focuses its satire on the conception of mutual assured destruction in which each side is supposed to be deterred from a nuclear war by the prospect of a universal cataclysmic disaster regardless who "won"worried him that the military might like the idea of a doomsday machine and build one. If it came to nuclear war, there might, in fact, be a limited one, and options should be kept open. Throughout the film, sexual references are made through the characters’ names and actions. In the beginning of the film, Kubrick places two B-52s refueling in mid air.

I realize that the pursuit of peace is not as dramatic as the pursuit of war -- and frequently the words of the pursuer fall on deaf ears, But we have no more urgent task.” After Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the USSR tested its first atomic bomb a few years later as a form of leverage and defense against the U.S, thus the arms race began, in 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis almost pushed the world into an apocalypse, and people lived in fear for those weeks, expecting

Dr Strangelove is the more comical version of the issues at hand, involving the Cold War. The filmmakers of Dr. Strangelove took the idea of this horrible bomb and projected it to be comical and something that we should just accept. The subtitle of the movie ‘How I learned to stop worrying and love The Bomb’ was implying we shouldn’t worry about nuclear bombs for the reason that there is nothing an ordinary person, can do to stop it. The subtitle is a way of saying that no one is really in control over the deployment of nuclear weapons. In Dr. Strangelove they recognized that the Soviet Union had been working on a Doomsday device. An obsessive right-wing commander found a way to declare red alert, that lead to a domino effect of events that were unstoppable resulting in mass destruction. At the beginning of the movie they placed a disclaimer stating that the “Air Force would prevent [this type of incident from happening, and that] none of the characters portrayed in this film are meant to represent any real persons living or dead” (Dr. Strangelove, Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.) The male sex drive is what seemed to influence many of the jokes that were portrayed throughout the movie. Characters were introduced with sexually referenced names such as Mandrake, which is a plant that is meant to increase fertility rates. While their focus

In his novel 1984, George Orwell penned, “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.” Though confusing, this paradox captures the main thesis of the film The Day After. The filmmakers intended to show how disastrous and ultimately futile a nuclear attack would be. This film was made during the cold war, when tensions were running extremely high between the USSR and The United States of America. At the time, many people were of the opinion that the best way to prevent a war was to nuke The USSR first. Like Orwell's quote demonstrates, this is a paradox. An act of war cannot be committed in hopes of gaining peace.

At the end of the 1960’s era movie called “Dr. Strangelove” it depicts the lunacy of the mutually assured destruction concept, and the fragility of how close to the brink of destruction the world is (Dr Strangelove, 2016). The movie ends with the actor Slim Pickens riding atop an atomic bomb dropped in from an American B-52(Dr Strangelove, 2016) . As baffling as this

Although nuclear weapons have obvious scientific and political effects, cultural effects on society can also be observed. Since the world first saw the power of nuclear weapons in 1945, their role in culture (in America and across the world) has grown as time went on. Nuclear weapons have bred fear across the world, and the threat of mutually assured destruction still ominously hangs over us, even today. In popular culture, nuclear weapons remain a popular theme, and many highly rated films or other forms of media, such as Dr. Strangelove, revolve around nuclear weapons. Post-bomb society has shown a desire for peace, and the de-nuclearization of countries in possession of nuclear weapons, and culture has reflected this. However, society has also expressed a desire for nuclear weapons to remain, for fear of other countries’ nuclear capabilities. Although both sides have a point, through mutual understanding and an expressed desire for peace around the world, denuclearization can be a viable option for peace.