Through the construction of a hypothetical, mostly futuristic, and what we would call, dysfunctional society, dystopian fiction aim to induce speculations within individuals as a result of the revelation of contemporary societal flaws. Former student activist (Aronoff, 2014) Bong Joon-ho’s dystopian science-fiction film Snowpiercer (2013), illustrates a bleak bureaucratic milieu in the near future – 2031 AD – whereby the last surviving inhabitants are confined in a perpetually moving locomotive, with the lower class living a hellish existence that is an exaggeration but is strikingly reminiscent of today’s ‘oppressive’ social hierarchy. To a significant extent, the most impactful aspect of the Snowpiercer is the understanding of the dependency …show more content…
Dystopian fiction proposes the idea that in a hierarchal society, where the divisions are unbending, the lower class are subject to detrimental exploitation and a generally terrible standard of living (Matter, 1995) – one of the main concerns embedded in Snowpiercer, strongly channeling Bong’s opposing ideology towards the current capitalist-driven world. Bong explores the harsh rigid segregation of the people through the usage of allegory where the train represents a hyperbolic version of the capitalist system which subordinates everyone to logics of domination through labour (Frase, 2014) – with the lower class in the ‘tail’. This makes it clear for audiences that the continuation of the classist system is oppressive and hence influences them to reflect the logic of the capital (Chopra, 2014). The nature of the setting further highlights the appalling conditions in which the lower class suffered, as the …show more content…
Bong, being a member of South Korea’s socialist New Progressive Party (Frase, 2014), critically responds to the dominant values of the 21st century by expressing his own socialist values through the creation of an abysmal totalitarian environment which echoes an amplified version of todays society. He emphasises the dominance of the leader through selective film conventions and the motif of the corporate emblem ‘Wilford Industries’. This logo appears prominently throughout the film, with its position always centred in the middle of the shot and accompanied with slow zoom-ins. For the audience, this shows the supremacy of the dictator strengthened by the constant reappearances which reinforce the idea that Wilford has control over every aspect of the train and this successively urges responders to consider the issues similar to monopoly behaviour of the 2010s where an individual can gain monopoly power to exploit (Foster, McChesney, & Jonna, 2011). Moreover, Bong exemplifies the extent of power in which Wilford holds through showing viewers the vigorous propaganda embedded in the education system of the middle and upper class. This is demonstrated through the contrasting of colour in a particularly synecdochical scene involving the small, cutesy grammar school classroom of the train (Sylvia, 2015) where the rich children learn various subjects
The purpose of The Last Train Home may seem identical to a typical documentary film, where the director sets out to raise awareness on a certain issue of importance. However, as the film progresses, the political subtext is revealed. The sincere intention of this film is to convey a message regarding the harmful effects that western consumerism has on the Chinese society. By doing so the director Lixin Fan, tries to make American viewers to sympathize with the problems of China’s industrial revolution, and feel partially responsible for supporting it through the products we
literature reveals to the reader political and societal problems that need addressing. In the dystopian novels The Hunger Games and The Mazerunner, readers are intrigued by the way protagonist starts at the bottom and fights their way to the top. Similar to this, in Yuri Herrera’s short story “The Objects,” the protagonist, Rafa, does just that. The story’s setting takes place in a building that forced people to transform into animals based on their social class. The reader follows Rafa’s physical and emotional transformation to the top floor where he overthrows the bosses in order to make a better life for himself. An analysis of Yuri Herrera’s
Through their use of allusion, symbolism and representation they portray many of societies flaws and imperfections. Such an imperfection includes the illustration of how totalitarian governments abuse the power they have acquired for their own gain, harming the people they are sworn to serve and protect. Through this abusive self-gaining government, we all are liable to become victims of consumer culture caused by the blind obedience to advertising and propaganda, being unable to form or voice an opinion of our own. But this lack of opinion can be at fault because of our own apathy, the ignorance and slothfulness that is contributed to the role we play in our society and the importance of that roles ability to motivate and inspire change. Whether you’ve read or viewed the novels or feature films I’ve discussed I have no hesitation in saying any text or film you have seen has been used in some way, shape or form to convey the criticisms of our ‘perfect’
1984 demonstrates a dystopian society in Oceania by presenting a relentless dictator, Big Brother, who uses his power to control the minds of his people and to ensure that his power never exhausts. Aspects of 1984 are evidently established in components of society in North Korea. With both of these society’s under a dictator’s rule, there are many similarities that are distinguished between the two. Orwell’s 1984 becomes parallel to the world of dystopia in North Korea by illustrating a nation that remains isolated under an almighty ruler.
Modern society is different from a Dystopia because knowledge that is being withheld is turning the protagonists’ community into a dystopian approach, while our modern
According to Raymond Williams, “In a class society, all beliefs are founded on class position, and the systems of belief of all classes …” (Rice and Waugh 122). His work titled, Marxism and Literature expounded on the conflict between social classes to bridge the political ideals of Marxism with the implicit comments rendered through the text of a novel. “For the practical links,” he states “between ‘ideas’ and ‘theories’ and the ‘production of real life’ are all in this material social process of signification itself” (133). Williams asserts that a Marxist approach to literature introduces a cross-cultural universality, ensuingly adding a timeless value to text by connecting creative and artistic processes with the material products that result. Like Williams, Don DeLillo calls attention to the economic and material relations behind universal abstractions such as aesthetics, love, and death. DeLillo’s White Noise brings modern-day capitalist societies’ incessant lifestyle disparity between active consumerists and those without the means to the forefront of the story’s plot. DeLillo’s setting uses a life altering man-made disaster in the suburban small-town of Blacksmith to shed light on the class conflict between the middle class (bourgeoisie) and the working poor (proletariat). After a tank car is punctured, an ominous cloud begins to loom over Jack Gladney and his family. No longer a feathery plume or a black billowing cloud, but the airborne toxic event—an event that even after its conclusion Jack cannot escape the prophecy of his encroaching death. Through a Marxist reading of the characterization of Jack Gladney, a middle-aged suburban college professor, it is clear that the overarching obsession with death operates as an...
Conclusively, dystopian texts are written to provide a warning about future times. Authors and directors use a variety of techniques to put their idea forward and have an impact of the audience. Rules that the chosen texts exhibit include that citizens have a fear of the outside world and all citizens adhere to a strict set of rules, but there is a main protagonist who scrutinises the governments or society’s nature. The rules that authors and directors use to put forward their messages of the moral issues human cloning and relying too much on technology and instinctively perusing traditions are evident throughout all three texts.
... Down, by Eduardo Galeano allows for the reader to open their eyes to the inequality and the injustices faced by those on the receiving end of the whip in today's cultural capitalist society.
While Herman Melville’s “Bartleby, the scrivener” and Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” have unrelated plots, they both contain Marxist undertones that address alienation in the workplace as a result of capitalism. The protagonists, Gregor and Bartleby, are examples of how the working class is treated when they do not conform to the conventions of capitalism. Gregor and Bartleby alike are working class men who, through some turn of events, stop working and are deemed useless to those around them. Both of these stories end in the death of the protagonists, as these men are seen as unproductive and discarded by their capitalistic societies.
Social commentary comes in many forms. From light-hearted political cartoons, to hip-hop culture in the 1970’s, all the way to current mainstream films, almost everything has a basis of social commentary. Snowpiercer, a film released in July 2014 originally based off a French graphic novel, had a premise of class warfare and governmental population control based in a dark dystopian future.
In this essay I will analyze the film Snowpiercer, and relate how the themes in it are relevant not only to key theorists, but to current political issues as well. The post apocalyptic world presented in the film Snowpiercer serves as stage, wherein the ideas of neo-liberalism, slow violence, and biopower are practiced in their most basic forms, without traditional governmental intervention. Moreover, the conductor of the train’s implementation of these ideologies is essential in conveying the message that Snowpiercer serves as a valuable cautionary tale, amidst the current American political discourse.
One of the saddest aspects of Franz Kafka's novella, The Metamorphosis, concerns the fact that young Gregor Samsa genuinely cares about this family, working hard to support them, even though they do little for themselves. On the surface, Kafka's 1916 novella, seems to be just a tale of Gregor morphing into a cockroach, but a closer reading with Marx and Engels' economic theories , unveils an impressive metaphor that gives the improbable story a great deal of relevance to the structure of Marxist society. Gregor, the protagonist, denotes the proletariat, or the working class, and his unnamed manager represents the bourgeoisie. The conflict, that arises between the two after Gregor's metamorphosis, contributes to his inability to work. This expresses the impersonal and dehumanizing structure of class relations. Kafka's prose emphasizes the economic effects on human relationships, therefore, by analyzing the images of Gregor, we can gain insight into many of the ideas the writer is trying to convey.
Dystopia represents an artificially created society to where a human population is administered to various types of oppressions, or a human population lives under the order of an oppressive government. The novel Fahrenheit 451 and the film V for Vendetta both effectively display this dystopian concept in their works. The nature of the society, the protagonist who questions the society, and the political power that runs the society are examples of how the novel and the film efficiently capture the main points of a dystopian society. The authors of the novel and the film use their visions of a dystopian future to remark on our present by identifying how today’s society is immensely addicted to technology and how our government has changed over the past decades. Furthermore, the authors use our modern day society to illustrate their view of a dystopia in our
Dystopian Societies follow a repeated trend in which Information, independent thought, and freedom are restricted. Citizens live in a dehumanized state and are perceived to be under constant surveillance. Severe punishments are enforced when the boundaries of group norms are tested. Throughout Amaryllis, the authorities enforce strict restrictions against the out of control population growth affecting the society. “Thirty- five years ago, my mother ripped out her own implants…She got pregnant… and broke up her household…they were scattered over the region…”.The consequence faced by Marie’s mother highlight the harsh penalties faced by citizens for pushing the boundaries for something that is considered a human right in the current society. Authorities also impose regulations on the amount of produce each family can utilise as it is “the only way to keep the population under control”. The citizens of the underground mining society created by Mastroianni in Jordon’s Waterhammer follow similar disciplinary rules. This is evident in the following eyewitness account by Jordon. “…heard the controller say, Loader Solomon is in violation of quota as required by ordinance 62.1.3. They pressed a particle gun to Solomon’s temple. Solomon dropped dead to the floor.” Just like Marie’s mother, Jordon’s friend Solomon faces deadly consequences for exceeding quota showing the reader the level of strictness of the society. As well as this, the citizen that do abide by the rules, are forced to live in harsh conditions which include “ hearing controls from within the brain” and “sleeping in a closely monitored sarcophagus”. Although strict restrictions are enforced to “keep the society in order”, the citizens face inhuman conditions regardless of whether they break the law or abide by it. This is a major characteristic which has been focused upon in
On the surface, Franz Kafka's 1916 novella, The Metamorphosis, seems to be just a tale of a man who woke up one morning to find himself transformed into an insect. But, a closer reading with Marx and Engel's economic theories in mind reveals an overarching metaphor that gives the improbable story a great deal of relevance to the structure of society. Gregor Samsa, the protagonist, signifies the proletariat, or the working class, and his unnamed manager represents the bourgeoisie. The conflict that arises between the two after Gregor's metamorphosis renders him unable to work represents the impersonal and dehumanizing structure of class relations. The metaphor of the story can be divided into three main parts (although they overlap within the story.) First, Kafka establishes the characters and the economic classes which they represent. Then, he details Gregor's metamorphosis and the way in which it impedes his labor. Finally, he describes the final results of the worker's inability to work: abandonment by his family and death. Although a man cannot literally be transformed into an insect, he can, for one reason or another, become unable to work. Kafka's novella, therefore, is a fantastic portrayal of a realistic scenario and provides us with a valuable insight into the struggles between economic classes.