totalitarian society, and the protagonist Alex often spends his nights committing ‘ultra-violence’ with his droogs, and is eventually arrested for murder, and forced to deal with constant dehumanization by the State, as a result of his aversion therapy through the Ludovico Technique. This classical conditioning was an act of violence that the government attempted to use to
referenced various times throughout Anthony Burgess’ novel A Clockwork Orange; however, the phrase "a clockwork orange" is only mentioned in the novel when it is associated with government. From the very first page it is established that the main character, Alex, is a rebellious 15 year old whose interests include violence and classical music. However, his criminal tendencies do not sit well with the government. While being incarcerated, he is subject to torturous experimental conditioning by the government
fatuous to defend the novel as nonviolent; in lurid content, its opening chapters are trumped only by wanton killfests like Natural Born Killers. Burgess' Ted Bundy, a teenage Lucifer named Alex, is a far cry from the typical, spray paint-wielding juvenile delinquent. With his band of "droogs," or friends, Alex goes on a rampage of sadistic rape and "ultraviolence." As the tale unfolds, the foursome rob a small shop, beat the proprietor and his wife unconscious and then undress the old woman for kicks
efforts to seize the opportunity to be the authority in each relationship left him more frustrated and eager to control the downward spiral he called life. At the base of his family was Judaism. Their identity was firmly rooted in their religion. To Alex all he saw when he looked in the mirror or at other kids, at the furniture in people's homes, the way they spoke, was Jewish and not Jewish. His facial features and his name became sources of resentment and things he desperately wanted to change. Thoughts
incredible manipulation skills; they also fail to “conform to social norms,” are deceitful and aggressive, and seek to destroy with little remorse. Sex, cruelty, and dominance define parts of anti-social behavior, and the odd near-antithesis of a hero, Alex, exists as the beloved psychopath in this cult story. He vigorously goes on nightly rampages with his band of “droogs” after consuming spiked “moloko,” tearing down what society has morally built and ripping holes into the reasoning of random citizens
interaction with in the plot and the characters of a piece but they are the driving force of conflict which in turn makes a work interesting and have meaning. Two characters that are morally suspect but make the work engaging are Iago from Othello and Alex from A Clockwork Orange because they are engaging to the character and they drive the drive the story. Without Iago, the play of Othello would just be the cast of characters stationed at Cyprus. Though it is with Iago's deception which he does with
development of self-identification is frequently hindered by manipulation of societal institutions such as: justice system, religion, and media. Anthony Burgess, author of A Clockwork Orange, establishes the idea of freewill and how it is suppressed when Alex, the main protagonist, undergoes the manipulative Ludovico's technique, religious lectures, and social norms influenced by media- used to instill pain when Alex's desires violence/music and finding salvation, which is similar to the treatment of criminals
Burgess, the protagonist, Alex is faced with many opportunities to make choices. Although the majority of Alex’s choices are bad, they are still choices. Alex’s freedom of choice is ripped from him when he becomes the subject of an experiment that forces him to make good choices, however, he is still the same bad person even through this control mechanism. It is only when he is presented with the freedom of choice again, that he becomes a good person, is truly cured. Alex exerts his freedom of choice
Orange Research Paper The Clockwork Orange unfolds in the streets of a dark, mysterious, futuristic city. Alex, the 15 year old leader of a violent gang that goes on a rampage involving: mugging, a convenience store robbery, a rival gang fight, grand theft auto, gang rapes, vandalism, and arson. Alex who entice himself with all these violent acts eventually gets jailed for his crimes. Alex will undergo in a "reform" treatment called Ludovico's Technique. A behavioral-brainwashing procedure involving
gang leader is imprisoned and volunteers for a conduct aversion but it does not go as planned (IMDb, n.d.). The main character, Alex, has a horrific violence, yes is an aesthetically calculated fact of his existence; his charisma makes his treatment seem more negatively abusive than positively therapeutic (Rotten Tomatoes, 2018). The film analyzes the behaviors of Alex and his “Droogs” as they make very irrational decisions without carefully considering the consequences. In other words, the gang
ceases to be a person. This is the struggle confronting the protagonists in both A Clockwork Orange and The Crucible. The fifteen-year old rebel Alex and the respected farmer John Proctor refuse to conform to the rules of their oppressive societies, and as a result are denied the freedom to choose between good and evil, therefore becoming less than human. Both Alex and John Proctor live in highly oppressive societies from which they feel alienated, and therefore decide to rebel against. The futuristic
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
A Clockwork Orange We are first introduced to Alex (Malcolm McDowell) in the company of his posse, strangely sipping drugged milk in a freakish bar with anatomically indiscrete manikins serving as tittie-taps and tables. The ensuing scenes flash from Alex and his three droogs brutally beating an old man to a violent rape scene to a semi-chaotic gang-brawl. The story is of Alex and his love of the old ultra-violence, his act of murder, his betrayal and imprisonment, and his cure (twice). Adapted
Alex's Restaurant, an ethnography The Wiseguys (scene one): *These four old guys (definitely into their late sixties, early seventies) sell cars at one of the dealerships on the boulevard. I would bet fifty dollars that they all work for Cadillac. They come in once a week, on Friday afternoons. They love me. They like to give me a hard time, ask why I don’t love them anymore, when I’m going to run away with them, etc, etc. They are caricatures of car salesmen but are obviously unaware of this
Miss Maudie & Aunt Alex The Maycomb ladies provide an excellent example of racial prejudice, and a failure to see what it is like in someone else’s skin. They believe they are doing well by making money for missions, failing to see the hardship on their own doorsteps. Aunt Alexandra is very important to the novel, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ as she is a representative of these viewpoints, disapproving of Calpurnia and disassociating herself from the black community entirely. Miss Maudie however is
nadsat, a suffix for the numbers 11 through 19--the teenage numbers (Lund). The title A Clockwork Orange is derived from several sources. ... ... middle of paper ... ...uturistic tale of violence and reformation. Our subconscious mind wants to give Alex the freedom to kill and rape, while our conscious mind understands society's need for well-behaved citizens. A Clockwork Orange speaks to the philosopher, the theologist, and the psychologist in all of us, and its message becomes more relevant with
has set forth to maintain order. 2. He is caught and punished for his crimes against society. 3. He feels remorse for his violence and sexually deviance (although, at the end of the film, he’s back to his old, delinquent self). The main character, Alex, is shown as a typical juvenile offender. He is shown in such a comparable manner not because all juvenile offenders are out robbing, rapping, and murdering people (although an argument could be made that today’s offenders are as bad, if not worse)
ritualized and de-politicized) is made into a weapon, and the scene of her death is a nearly subliminal orgy of modern-art. Whereas she, as with the use of all high-art among the Bourgeoisie, finds only exchange value in the phallus, phallus as pure sign, Alex initiates the violent reversal of that commodification. He turns it into a tool, here a tool of violence; what she has done is to inject exhibition value into forms of art which have only exchange value, the work of art in the hands of the Bourgeoisie
with many social problems, not offering a solution, but pointing out obstacles in the way of the creation of a more perfect society. A Clockwork Orange is written in the first person by the main character, Alex. This makes the story more personable by allowing the reader to see into the mind of Alex as he goes through the many changes that he does. Three of his friends or droogs that help him in his crimes are Dim, Pete, and Georgie. Throughout the story the author creates his own language called nadsat
The grace of evil in A Clockwork Orange is a recurring paradox throughout the novel and also implies a deep religious connotation. The main foci are the several aspects of evil, violence, and sexual acts committed by Alex and his gang members. However, Anthony Burgess has cleverly incorporated similar paradoxes to that of grace and evil, along with a different dialect to aid in masking the true harshness that lies underneath the violence. The other paradoxes include the extremes of night and day