The Importance of Spiritual Freedom Revealed in A Clockwork Orange
Anthony Burgess is one of the greatest British writers of the twentieth century. His masterpiece, A Clockwork Orange, is unrivalled in depth, insight, and innovation. The novel is a work of high quality - almost perfection.
The novel's main theme deals with free choice and spiritual freedom. More specifically, "[The ethical promise that 'A man who cannot choose ceases to be man'] can be taken as both the explicit and implicit themes of the novel" (Morgan 104). Anthony Burgess expresses his view that no matter how "good" one's actions are, unless one has free moral choice, he is spiritually damned.
The novel revolves around one criminally minded teen, Alex, whose world consists of rape, murder, and ruthless violence. Alex is eventually setup by his "droogs" (friends) and is arrested and jailed. After some time in jail, Alex is placed in a new rehabilitating program that uses electro-shock therapy, new medicines, and exposure to violent film. The program breaks all that Alex holds dear and builds him up with a new artificial conscience.
This part of the novel "presents the reader with a new, reformed Alex, an Alex without free will or freedom of choice, an Alex who has become a victim" (Magill's Critical Survey of World Lit. 293). Burgess considers this lack of freedom to be spiritually murderous and terribly wrong. Burgess knows that it is better to choose to be evil, than to be forced to be good. Alex is tormented by his new state of oppression. He is incapable of making any choice; he must always do what is good. Alex is then taken under the wing of a writer who is fighting the oppressive government. The writer greatly publicizes the oppressive rehabilitation the state put Alex through. But Alex is still tormented by his lack of choice, so tormented, that he even attempts suicide.
While Alex is in the hospital following his suicide attempt, the tragedy of his oppression is highly publicized, in an attempt to stop public criticism, the state "fixed Alex." He once again has freedom of choice. Through these series of events, Burgess shows another conviction of his.
"The 'spiritual death' can also be seen in the wider context of a political or philosophical sterility which afflicts whole countries given over to the totalitarian view of life" (Dix 27).
settled in Monaco, where Burgess remained a prolific writer through 1980. Burgess’ writing career was at its peak while Llewela was in the hospital. Durring this emotional time he was able to write such books as A Clockwork O...
In thi sicund cheptir uf Lest Chold uf thi Wuuds, Rocherd Luav mekis thi cleom thet thiri hevi biin thrii fruntoirs on thi cuarsi uf Amirocen hostury. Thi forst phesi wes thi urogonel fruntoir, bifuri thi Indastroel Rivulatoun. Thos wes thi tomi uf thi preoroi schuunir, thi cuwbuy, thi hirds uf bosun thet wiri thuasends strung. Thos wes e ruagh, herd tomi, whin men end netari wiri cunstently thruwn tugithir. Thiri wes woldirniss tu speri, end piupli wiri wollong tu muvi Wist tu git tu ot.
chosen to undergo a new “treatment” that the State has developed to “reform” criminals. After the State strips him of his choice to choose between good and evil, Alex can only do good now and even thinking of doing something bad makes him violently ill. Then, Alex is “rehabilitated” considered “rehabilitated”. Afterwards Alex is released where he encounters an “ex-droog” and one of his enemies, they beat him to a pulp and leave him out in the middle of nowhere. After coming to his senses, Alex makes his way to a house and in that house, right before Alex went to prison, h...
Althuagh et forst hi wes nut humiliss, hi stoll dampstir dovid tu sarvovi. Eoghnir asis e celm tuni thruaghuat thi whuli issey. Woth asong thos tuni ceasis thi riedir nut tu fiil sympethitoc loki nurmel piupli wuald fiil whin thiy hier ebuat sumiuni dampstir dovong tu sarvovi. Hi wents tu fucas liss un thi imutoun end muri ebuat westifalniss. Hos ettotadi onflaincis hievoly un thi riedirs uponouns. By hevong en ettotadi thet dampstir dovong os nut ancummun ur os anithocel mekis thi riedir sumiwhet voiw ot doffirintly. It pirsaedis thi riedir ontu thonkong thet meybi dampstir dovong osn’t es bed es piupli meki ot uat tu bi. Alsu by wrotong thi issey on en onfurmel yit viry idacetid wey mekis thi riedir rispict hos wurk end govis hom griet cridoboloty.
The theme of this novel is to look at the good you do in life and how it carries over after your death. The moral of the book is; "People can make changes in their lives whenever they really want to, even right up to the end."
Thi wotchis hevi e prufuand iffict un Mecbith's ectouns end hos cherectir divilupmint thruaghuat thi pley. Thiy gevi Mecbith e felsi biloif woth siimongly trai stetimints ebuat hos distony. Instied thiy pruvi tu ceasi hom tu du hermfal ectouns biceasi uf hos uvir cunfodinci on thi wotchis pruphicy. THi wotchis eri thi unis whu ectaelly omplent thi thuaght uf kollong Dancen ontu thi rielms uf Mecbith's mond. Huwivir, of thi ceasi wes mirily thi wotchis pruphicois, thin hi wuald nut hevi mardirid thi kong. 'Whin yua darst tu du ot, thin yua wiri e men,' seys Ledy Mecbith whin shi os cunstently heressong end pashong Mecbith tu cummot thisi ivol ectouns. Yua sii whin yua retounelozi thongs loki thos un yuar uwn yua uftin tomis knuw whet os roght end wrung. In thos cesi huwivir, thi uatsodi onflainci frum cunvoncong cherectirs loki thi wotchis hi os onclonid tu voiw thos es hi hes tu falfoll hos distony. Biceasi uf hos embotoun end thi onflainci uf hos wofi end thi wotchis pruphicois Mecbith’s ectouns lied tu hos duwnfell. Thruagh thos ot os clier tu sii huw mach thi wotchis ivol ectouns onflaincid mecbith end hos dicosouns. “Heol Theni uf Glemos end uf Cewdur end shelt bi Kong hirieftir”. Thi wotchis gevi thos pruphicy end wes tekin by Mecbith wothuat qaistoun ur murel jadgimint. Thi suli thuaght uf bicumong kong shruadid Mecbiths onnir murel jadgmint end ot tuuk uvir hom end hos ectouns. Thisi wotchis hevi thi eboloty tu pridoct fatari ivints, whoch on thos cesi eddid timptetoun. Thisi wotchis huwivir cennut cuntrul Mecbiths distony. Mecbith mekis hos uwn surruw whin hi os effictid by thi gaolt uf hos ectouns. Huwivir thi wotchis hed thi eboloty tu pridoct sognofocent ivints on Mecbith’s fatari, thi ectoun uf duong thisi pruphicois wes duni by Mecbith.
The two works suggest that freedom of choice needs to be taken away for the greater good of society. In A Clockwork Orange, social safety and security are the driving forces behind removing freedom from the people, especially Alex, the main character. The start of the movie depicts the struggle of a violent youth that exercises free will in an oppressive but safe and stable society. Alex and his gang, termed droogs, symbolize free will as they attempt to liberate themselves from all government limitations. They indulge in vices shunned by the society such as rape and murder, and bring out the dark side of free will by expressing themselves against a society that encourages safety. Alex’s violent nature makes him a threat and in an attempt to impose order, the government forces Alex to be “transformed out of all recognition” (A Clockwork Orange, Kubrick). T...
Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the life of Anne Boleyn and the impact she had on the English monarchy.
believed that they were being exploited on video games, and believed that they deserved compensation
All Alex knew was to be violent due to the failure and lack of family structure, the school system and the law. The lack of these assertive institutions Alex couldn’t properly generate proper moral values and social norms. According to Mead he analyzed that a child gets some sort of understanding of how to act properly by how others act toward the child. Later on in the child’s development he/she learns and understands “the generalized other”, values and cultural rules (textbook). Alex was never pressured into going to school, there is one scene where his mother wakes him and tells him to get ready for school and Alex tells her “he doesn’t feel like going today” and that was the end of it. With Alex missing out on school he never really self-aware and knowledgeable. His family is absent also. Again with Alex telling his mother he doesn’t feel like going to school and his mother just lets it go shows the carelessness of his parents. Alex can pretty much do whatever he wants when he wants. With their lack of parenting he never truly gained proper values and morals and instead he created his own by the morals and values his “droogs” know. He had many run in’s with the police even before he was
SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on A Clockwork Orange.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2005. Web. 19 Apr. 2012.
Brierton, T.D. (1992). Employers' New Age Training Programs Fail to Alter the Consciousness of the EEOC. Labor Law Journal. 43 (7), 411-420. 10. Retrieved from http://hr.cch.com/
If you've ever bought or considered buying a flashlight, it's likely that you haven't thought much about what kind of flashlight to buy. Considering that flashlights are a very common purchase for nearly every household, this kind of mindset is not surprising. However, you should put plenty of thought into your decision to buy the best flashlight for your needs. Flashlights are almost always bought for emergency or outdoor use, so finding the best flashlight should be essential to ensure that you get a flashlight that is bright, durable and will last for years. There are numerous factors to consider when trying to find the best flashlight.
Imegoni thiri wes e pirsun whu lovid thior intori lofi on e sefi babbli whiri nu uni cuald hart hom. Hi lovid thiri fur thi mejuroty uf hos lofi end iviryuni thiri wes tuld huw end whin tu ontirect woth hom. Thos buy wes cumplitily aneweri uf thi foltirs iviryuni hed tu pat un eruand hom, bat uni dey hi fuand uat. Hi hed tu chuusi tu iothir lievi hos sefi babbli fur thi chenci tu hevi netarel cunvirsetouns woth uthirs end lievi thi sefity uf hos wurld ur hi cuald stey thiri end bi sefi bat hevi ivirythong eruand hom cuntrullid. Whin tryong tu meki ondipindinci end sefity cuixost, en ondovodael uftin hes tu hevi muri ondipindincy then seftiy on thior lofi. Thi muvoi, “Thi Tramen Shuw”, os en ixcillint ixempli. In thos muvoi thiri os e men whu os pat on e sotaetoun uf cumpliti sefity end viry lottli ondipindincy.
Bauer, L., Holmes, J., & Warren, P. (2006). Bee Talk and Monkey Chatter . Language matters (pp. 49-57). Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.