V For Vendetta Comparison Essay

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

In the film V for Vendetta the viewer is welcomed to a dystopia in which the government not only controls its citizens, but removes their privacy, civil

In the dystopian worlds created by the film director Andrew Niccol and renowned author George Orwell, notions of control and freedom are explored. Both worlds contain an overarching power that governs the rest of the population and restricts freedom of individuals, these powers also aid in the progression of technology, which further act to control individuals. The characterisations of the protagonists of each text portray the lack of freedom from the perspective of those that are affected. Both authors use a variety of techniques to portray themes of control and freedom in their texts.

The Party seeks to control everything- the past, present, and future. By manipulating every source of information, and modifying content of all historical records, the Party accurately displays propaganda to the citizens. Like our society, Orwell warns us of government becoming too powerful and taking civilians privacy away. Overall, Orwell is heeding a warning of a society in which government controls peoples acts and

The prophetic nightmare of George Orwell gives us many warnings that are becoming increasingly true in our modern society; however, among all of the auguries and prediction none rival his warning about the severity of our reliance on technology. He shows us the dangers of technology through the protagonist Winston’s eyes. The prophecies in this novel are ones that we need to head in today’s society. With apparent advancements in technology we have begun to fall down the same awful Orwellian spiral, loosing to technology our privacy and thought.

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.

There was an example of government in the film. First, there was the president who addressed the nation following the bombing in town. Presidents preside over government and therefore is a perfect illustration of governance in the film. In fact, V’s struggle was against what he deemed as an unjust and corrupt government. He portrays government as being against the interest of the people. In his broadcast message, he says ‘something is terribly wrong with this country.’ This is indication that the government was doing enough to improve the lives of its citizens, which is a reason why V advocates for a rebellion. The government is also portrayed as a manipulator of information. Government never hesitates to use lies to achieve their goals. The government agency in charge of investigations lies to the public that the ‘terrorist’ was killed. Government’s high propensity to tell lies and manipulate information is further evidenced by the statement that ‘…our job is to report the news not to fabricate it. That (fabrication) is the government’s job.’ The government is also portrayed as corrupt when it is discovered that some monies were irregularly paid

Through the dystopic texts of 1984 written by George Orwell and V for Vendetta directed by James McTeigue, the concept of a cautionary tale is portrayed by the dystopic qualities present in the highlighted texts. To which a dystopic text is an exploration of restrictive and controlling societies which reflect modern day concerns. To portray the texts as a warning story, Orwell and McTeigue give depictions of the dystopic qualities of their worlds, through the loss of independence and freedom and emphasise the importance of the individual through its loss in the dystopic societies.

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.

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 uses telescreens to watch their movement while in V for Vendetta;

2a) Describe the differences between the fascist Norsefire government’s and V’s anarchist view of a “healthy country.” How do Norsefire and V define the role of the government and the role of the citizen differently?

For example, the head of the Mouth manipulates the newscast to report that V’s terrorism upon the Old Bailey is a planned demolition, to reduce the spread of revolution. However, contrasts still remain even within these blunt comparisons. In 1984, the Inner Party does not limit itself to watch every single move of residents. Cameras are installed in every location, even in houses, to make sure citizens do not revolt. In contrast, the government in V for Vendetta is more permissive on its surveillance. The Norsefire party does not set up cameras in the houses of citizens, but there are still cameras in public properties. Furthermore, the police forces act on a different level in 1984 and V for Vendetta. The Finger’s secret police tried to abuse their power by attempting to rape and possibly kill a lonely woman who was straying at night during the story. Conversely, the Thought Police show no such vulgar act as they are devoted to the Inner Party. Incidentally, Big Brother is a mysterious figure whose true nature is unknown to the reader. It is not shown if Big Brother is merely a fabricated idea or a tangible human being. In contrast, Adam Sutler is a real person as shown, which allowed him to be shot in the head during the final scenes of V for Vendetta. Most importantly, while the Norsefire Party and the Inner Party are representations of totalitarian commands, the government in V for Vendetta is incapable of constraining radical beliefs before they spark. Since

To continue, V for Vendetta was Allan Moore 's response to what he witnessed as a corrupt government under the rein of the late Margaret Thatcher. V for Vendetta is a graphic novel that demonstrates what would happen if humans fully committed themselves to the social contract, the law of nature, as illustrated by Thomas Hobbes. V for Vendetta is set in a

President John Adams once said that “Fear is the foundation of most governments” he felt that a monarchy or an aristocracy was the best form of government because by having people fear you, you are able to control the citizens minds by fear. The parties in both 1984 and V for Vendetta used this concept of fear to instill their power over that greater population. The party have one person that was consider the outsider or the enemy of the party that everyone hated, they both had a society in which there was only 1 leader that made all of the decisions about everything and they limited the people’s ability to as they please and be one with themselves.