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Technology and society
Communism vs capitalism essays
Technology in society
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“Let the ruling classes tremble at a Communistic revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win.” In accordance with Karl Marx, the notion of the change to a ‘perfect’ communist state was for the working class to overthrow the bourgeoisie. Both the film Metropolis directed by Fritz Lang and the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) written by George Orwell elaborate on this aspect of revolution and the consequences that follow. The texts do this by highlighting the oppression placed upon the proletariat from the totalitarian state, particularly its use of technology to maintain control. This forces the working class to lose the ability to think rationally in the process; which prompts the idea of revolution. …show more content…
In the film Metropolis, this idea is depicted through Joh Fredersen keeping the workers occupied with the city’s machines, as well as later sending the Maria-bot to manipulate the workers into his favour. In the opening scene, a montage of machines is presented, which is then superseded by the changing of shifts; a series of eye-level shots of the workers marching in uniformity in time with the slow tempo of the workers’ leitmotif. Altogether, this is heavily symbolic for the workers turning into machines themselves, which accentuates the extent the upper class has gone to in maintaining oppression. This idea is emphasised later in the film as Freder (the film’s protagonist) ventures down to the Worker’s City and hallucinates that one of the machines is Moloch; an ancient god which is said children were sacrificed to. A long shot of the workers being thrown into the machine is a metaphor for the lives of the workers being devoted to purely slaving over the machines. This reiterates the power the upper class has over the workers, which in turn is what later sparks the revolution among the workers. In addition to the city’s machines, Joh Fredersen attempts to further oppress the workers as he uses the Maria-bot to preach to the workers in the catacombs. A mid-shot of Fredersen embracing the Maria-bot is symbolic for Fredersen’s thirst for more power in Metropolis, …show more content…
In 1984, Winston’s attempt to revolt against the Party is completely thwarted as O’Brien betrays him, resulting in Winston being brainwashed and re-indoctrinated. It was seen in the beginning of the novel that Winston was against Big Brother, but this is then juxtaposed later in “as though for reassurance he looked up at the imperturbable face in the portrait”. This signifies the death of any chance of a revolution, and it is again directly shown through Orwell’s use of a paradox in “he had won the victory over himself”. In Metropolis, the revolution manages to succeed somewhat but however, the workers forget their children amidst the revolution. After Grot (the machines’ supervisor) asks them “Where are your children?” a mid-shot of several distraught workers is presented. This suggests that their rationality has returned as they see how oblivious they became to their error during their quest for power. At the end of the film, Freder joins Grot’s and Joh Fredersen’s hands together in a mid-shot and a title card follows stating “The mediator between the head and the hands must be the heart”. This is symbolic for the two classes coming together and reconciling, but it is further suggested that Lang alludes to The Communist Manifesto and attempts to refute it. Here, Lang pushes his anti-communist views and proposes that a complete overthrow
The presence of an overwhelming and influential body of government, dictating the individuals of contextual society, may potentially lead to the thoughts and actions that oppose the ruling party. Through the exploration of Fritz Lang’s expressionist film, Metropolis (1927), and George Orwell’s politically satirical novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four (1948), the implications of an autocratic government upon the individuals of society are revealed. Lang’s expressionist film delves into the many issues faced by the Weimar Republic of Germany following the “War to end all wars” (Wells, 1914), in which the disparity between the upper and lower classes became distinctively apparent as a result of the ruling party’s capitalistic desires. Conversely, Orwell’s,
Nineteen Eighty-Four written by George Orwell and Gattaca directed by Andrew Niccol are prophetic social commentaries which explore the broad social wrong of a totalitarian government. Both texts depict a futuristic, dystopian society in which individuality is destroyed in favour of faceless conformity. Niccol and Orwell through the experiences of their protagonists reflect the impact isolation from society has on individuals. The authors of both texts also use their protagonists Winston, who cannot understand the rhetoric of the government party and Vincent, who is trapped, unable to achieve his dreams because of his imperfect genome, to demonstrate individual rebellion against society and explore the significant social injustices of a totalitarian state.
1984 was written as a warning to the western countries about having a totalitarianism government which is refers to a system of government in which lawfully electes representatives maintain the integrity of a nation state whose citizens, while granted the right to vote, have little to no participation in the decision-making process of the government. The author felt like these countries were not able to find tactics to withstand the communism that was being taken placed. When the book was written in 1949 the Cold War had not yet broke out, and most people supported the diplomacy with the democratic communism. The author found the cruelty that was committed in the communist countries very disturbing, and the technologies that were used to help these countries control the citizens intriguing. This book tells how a complete government controlled country could be. Warning those who lived during this time to that if they did not want this to happen then they better vote against totalitarianism.
This element of posthumanism is represented as a hostile entity set to bring harm to the cause of our protagonists, rather than being an evolution of a human being or an improvement of the human nature. Indeed, as stated by Elaine L. Graham in her book Representations of the post/human: Monsters, aliens, and others in popular culture2, it is in fact a symbolism for the dehumanization process that is brought by the tyrannical regime of Metropolis as they treat the lower class and the workers that keep Metropolis moving in the contrasting underground, as less than human or even nothing like human at all. In the beginning we can see the workers stacked up and moving in a stiff manner not unlike a robot following
The famed political author George Orwell once said “I write […] because there is some lie that I want to expose, some fact to which I want to draw attention . . .” (Orwell 3). This philosophy is at the heart of his novel Nineteen Eighty-Four in which he strives to reveal the dangers of communism through the extreme totalitarian world of Nineteen Eighty-Four. The principal danger which Orwell presents is that “communism [is] not a revolutionary force, but instead [is] a new, dangerous form of totalitarianism” (Rossi 207) in which the government is stifling society to gain control and power at the cost of its citizen’s freedom, and humanity. There are
Orwell, Burgess, and Huxley present a metamorphosis for their protagonists to display that radicals are bound to emerge in authoritarian governments, but often eventually succumb to its command. In 1984, Winston 's insubordination escalates
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell portrays a dystopian society that is controlled by a totalitarian dictatorship. Through his book, Orwell describes many aspects of society that existed in the late 40’s when he was writing. He used his book to make statements about the serious problems that people were facing in countries that were living under actual totalitarian rule. Through the writing of Nineteen Eighty-Four, Orwell clearly depicts the negative aspects of the post-war period and what totalitarianism would look like when taken to its absolute extreme.
An interesting aspect in this debate is that the system or the society we live in is not at all simple in terms of its dynamics and history; it has been through numerous events which has ultimately carved the system to the level of sophistication it is at the moment. Criticism or acknowledgement is not a purpose in this paper, rather a critical analysis of communist manifesto and its implications on the current society. If there would not have been a communist manifesto, I personally believe that there would not have been this level of sophistication in the capitalist system and the rights of proletariats (the working class) that they are currently
George Orwell’s horrifying novel entitled 1984 sets out what the end result of a totalitarian society may be. Orwell takes examples of inhumanity from past and existing totalitarian societies and shows the extremes that can be attained by the use of an all–embracing regime. Orwell accomplishes a sense of claustrophobia and inhumanity through a variety of literary techniques, his careful choice of language and by creating images in ones mind of this dull, intangible, sadistic world.
In the novel 1984, George Orwell elaborates on the idea of an autocratic government. This novel describes Orwell’s views on the dark, twisted form of government that he believes will develop in future years. The culture he created for this story was the most horrifying, troubling place a person could reside. The goals of the Party consisted of keeping the citizens squared away and oblivious to the unethical actions taking place around them. This unrealistic society gave Orwell the opportunity to create a vision of what a future communist nation might resemble. The purpose of this work is believed to be informative to citizens of how the government impacts our way of thinking, living, and believing. Fear from the citizens is used as manipulation by the government; this means the government shapes the citizens that will not conform to their society. Throughout this writing, the author remains in a dark, cold mood; thus, creating the feeling of negativity and opposition to the government. Ethical appeal is revealed in this
The 2006 film V for Vendetta, a cinematic remake of the classic graphic novel series by the same name, is the epitome of a Marxist fairy tale. The film is complete with a bourgeoisie government who spreads their ideology, via mass media, to a citizenry composed entirely of proletariats, and a hero who sets out to break said citizenry from the prison of false consciousness. If one examines the setting and environment of the film, and follows the main characters as they fight against, or break free from, false consciousness, evidence of Marxist themes are present throughout the film.
George Orwell creates a dark, depressing and pessimistic world where the government has full control over the masses in the novel 1984. The protagonist, Winston, is low-level Party member who has grown to resent the society that he lives in. Orwell portrays him as a individual that begins to lose his sanity due to the constrictions of society. There are only two possible outcomes, either he becomes more effectively assimilated or he brings about the change he desires. Winston starts a journey towards his own self-destruction. His first defiant act is the diary where he writes “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER.” But he goes further by having an affair with Julia, another party member, renting a room over Mr. Carrington’s antique shop where Winston conducts this affair with Julia, and by following O’Brien who claims to have connections with the Brotherhood, the anti-Party movement led my Emmanuel Goldstein. Winston and Julia are both eventually arrested by the Thought Police when Mr. Carrington turns out to be a undercover officer. They both eventually betray each other when O’Brien conducts torture upon them at the Ministry of Love. Orwell conveys the limitations of the individual when it comes to doing something monumental like overthrowing the established hierarchy which is seen through the futility of Winston Smith’s actions that end with his failure instead of the end of Big Brother. Winston’s goal of liberating himself turns out to be hopeless when the people he trusted end up betraying him and how he was arbitrarily manipulated. It can be perceived that Winston was in fact concerned more about his own sanity and physical well-being because he gives into Big Brother after he is tortured and becomes content to live in the society he hated so much. Winston witnesses the weakness within the prole community because of their inability to understand the Party’s workings but he himself embodies weakness by sabotaging himself by associating with all the wrong people and by simply falling into the arms of Big Brother. Orwell created a world where there is no use but to assimilate from Winston’s perspective making his struggle utterly hopeless.
Whilst in comparison the middle class, who were the indirect architects of the problem, continue to widen the gap between the two classes, a theme which is encapsulated by Marx as he writes ‘[the proletariat] are daily and hourly enslaved by the machine, by the overlooker, and, above all, by the individual bourgeois manufacturer himself.’
Orwell didn't just intend 1984 as an attack on communism or socialism; instead it is both an attack and a rather prophetic warning against any authoritarian structure, including the authoritarian structure of capitalist democracies. Often we do not equate "democracy" with totalitarianism, but thanks to the manipulation of language, we can have both "democracy" and a corrupt and oppressive regime simultaneously. How? Through the wonders of Orwell's newspeak and doublethink.
In conclusion, through Orwell’s uses of literary devices to imagine the abuse of power and living under a totalitarian government. Also to understand the theme of an indestructible totalitarian government throughout the novel. Orwell creates a different and a new world where there is limitation of freedom, expressing feelings towards others, and human qualities.