Essay fnal Module A Essay fnal Module A The inherent nat
The inherent nature o individuals to aure o individuals to attempt to rttempt to retain theiretain their
individuality through asserting personal values inevitably comes into individuality through asserting personal values inevitably comes into conict with the
conict with the ideals o opprideals o oppressive politicaessive political authorityl authority. . This isThis is explored in Frit !ang"s #$%& flm Metropolis' in terms o Freder explored in Frit !ang"s #$%& flm Metropolis' in terms o Freder ta(ing advantage o his position in the
ta(ing advantage o his position in the oligarchy to a)ect the socialoligarchy to a)ect the social transorm
transormation over ation over the capitalist oligarchy' representative othe capitalist oligarchy' representative o *olden Age o +eimar"s economic prosperity. ,n contrast' *eorge *olden Age o +eimar"s economic prosperity. ,n contrast' *eorge -rwell"s novel #$/
-rwell"s novel #$/ depicts +inston 0mith"s rebellion against thedepicts +inston 0mith"s rebellion against the suppressed individuality o his society' and ultimate deeat and suppressed individuality o his society' and ultimate deeat and destruction by the
destruction by the 1ar1arty"s monolithic totalitarianism' reecting thety"s monolithic totalitarianism' reecting the political context o -rwell"s
political context o -rwell"s disenchantment with 0talinistdisenchantment with 0talinist authoritarianism' and the apparatus o
authoritarianism' and the apparatus o state oppression.state oppression.
Assertion of personal values
Assertion of personal values
The oppressive nature of unmediated power within a society The oppressive nature of unmediated power within a society inevitably leads to tension in provoking the impulse
inevitably leads to tension in provoking the impulse ofof
individuals to assert their autonomous personal values and individuals to assert their autonomous personal values and retain individuality.
retain individuality. ,ntellectual curiosity
,ntellectual curiosity o Fro Fredereder
•
• 2uriosity o good Maria and children' leaving the Eternal2uriosity o good Maria and children' leaving the Eternal
*ardens *ardens
•
• ,nitial complacency as part o the oligarchy,nitial complacency as part o the oligarchy •
• Acts out o personal interest' to satisy curiosityActs out o personal interest' to satisy curiosity
Awa(ening o desire to help Awa(ening o desire to help
•
• 1lays upon 1lays upon humanity"s inherent empathyhumanity"s inherent empathy •
• 2hanges places with *eorge2hanges places with *eorge
o
o Emphasises moral action' rather than Emphasises moral action' rather than complacency'complacency'
wanting to do
wanting to do somethingsomething
•
• FFighting or ighting or the assertion o the assertion o personal values o personal values o wor(erwor(ers's'
fghting against dehumanisation o
fghting against dehumanisation o societal structuresocietal structure 3ealisat
3ealisation o the ability ion o the ability to help others less advantagedto help others less advantaged
•
• *oing into the cloc( machine*oing into the cloc( machine •
• 2onronting his ather2onronting his ather •
• 3escuin3escuing o g o the childrenthe children
o
o 3epr3epresentation o the esentation o the purity o the purity o the wor(wor(ers' neglect oers' neglect o
the children the children
o
o 1hysical conrontation' he has to save 1hysical conrontation' he has to save them romthem rom
themselves. 4e realises he has to
themselves. 4e realises he has to save people romsave people rom inside the social
inside the social structurstructuree
o
o !ang sees total rebellion as !ang sees total rebellion as the wrong directionthe wrong direction o
o 2hildren are most pure representation2hildren are most pure representation
•
• 4e is able to 4e is able to use this desire or others to retain individuality asuse this desire or others to retain individuality as
he is part o the
he is part o the capitalist oligarchycapitalist oligarchy
o
Analogously' ,n -rwell"s #$/' the 1arty"s unrestricted power over all acets o society creates t5ensions in terms o individuals desiring the a6rmation their humanist values in order to escape this control. 4owever' -rwell ta(es a more pessimistic view' seeing this as
impossible actors such as 0talinist dictatorship and the beginning o the cold war.
• ,nitial discovery o the possibility o assertion o personal
values
o +riting the diary
o 7i)erences to +inston8
Fatalist attitude
• 9The thought police would get him :ust the
same. 4e had committed ; would still have committed' even i he had never set pen to paper<
0exual 3ebellion
• 0mall and private rebellion' which is all he is
allowed. 0mall step to brea(ing suppression o individuality
• And what he wanted, more even than to be
loved,wastobreakdownthatwallofvirtue, evenifitwereonlyonceinhiswholelife.The sexualact,successfullyperformed,was
rebellion.
Their embrace had been a battle, the climax a
victory. It was a blow struck against the Party. It was a political
•
Tric(ed by -"=rien
• 7i)erent positions within society • +inston is on the oppressed side • Freder still has inuence
,nstead o 9saving the children<' reorming society'
he becomes a victim o the system' social transormation not possible
• 4e puts his trust in something and he is totally manipulated'
he is an outsider even though he thin(s -brien is an outsider. >ery minor rebellion' but he is still totally destroyed' the idea o actual social transormation is not going to be possible.
Unmediated power of an institution inevitably clashes with the desire of individuals to assert personal values.
• 2apitalist -ligarchy in power ; embodied as exploiting the
• Enorce oppression by8 they are dehumanised to cogs in the
wheel o a machine. The wor(ers are dehumanised so they are reduced to parts o a machine so that there is less chance o rebellion. The purpose is not dehumanisation but an added beneft is that the wor(ers do not rebel.
• Embodying the institution8
• Economic hegemony established by
• Freder"s ather or use mise en scene to demonstrate the tower
o babel ; modernist' light' in contrast to the gothic #$th
century underground to demonstrate the oppressive nature o the societal structure
• Tie into the moloch machine and the dehumanisation
#. 0omething embodying the institution' reder"s ather' architecture
%. Moloch ? technology @. 0cientifc paradigm
/. 1ossibility o overcoming the instititution' how the tension clashes etc
• 0cientifc 1aradigm
• ?wor(ing with economic paradigm' to (eep them distracted
and motivated' so they dont rebel ; rotwang and evil maria
• ?contextual point' in +eimar republic those who have the
economic power also drive the science and technology
• hope that the intellectuals and the enlightened bourgeoisie
could mediate between oligarchy and wor(ing class. Economic conditions allowed him to have hope
• started to become consumerist
• =ecause o that' the character is able to succeed in his
ultimate triumph in mediating between sel?interest and
division o the two groups' is predicated by his unction as the moral' intellectual leader' who can defne a social progressive balance reecting the unction o the bourgeoisie intellectuals in +eimar BcontextC
Idea 2 - 1!"
4owever ; restricted by totalised society
Totalised ; the complete construction o a ideological version o reality' through brainwashing' alteration o history
? o stalins idea o writers being the 9engineers o human souls< ; Duote
#$/
#. 0omething embodying the institution' inner party %. Telescreens ; technology
“Winstonkepthisbackturnedtothetelescreen.Itwassafer, though,ashewellknew,evenabackcanberevealing.”
@. Energy is not spent on science but totalising reality ; rewriting history' newspea(' or the way they switch wars or torture o +inston and orcing them to accept etc.
9to be conscious o complete truthulness while
telling careully constructed lies<
Day by day and
almost minute by minute the past was brought up to date.
/. 7estruction o individuals with conicting ideals
#. / Ministries and their paradox' the sense that they control all aspects o lie' and are predicated on 7oublethin( so that they are entering into heads and shaping reality ; clearly in contrast with the way the oligarchy' who have transormed the topography' but have not changed perception o reality
Through the oppressive party clutches on8 ? 4istory ? Thought ? !anguage ? 1rivacy ? 1olitics ? Emotion ? 0ex
Absolute power over individuals
7emonstrated through absolute power to alter all aspects o an individuals lie
? ree thought
? perception o reality ? emotion
? Truth
? 1ower over society' not :ust physically but mentally and psychologically
,nclude examples' telescreens' newspea(' ministry o truth etc 2ontrast with reder"s triumph
? despite winston"s utile attempts to rebel and :oin a rebellion against the oppressive 1arty' his ultimate ailure and total
destruction is representative o the inability or any competing ideology to even exist let along transorm any aspect o
society. ;
? this is because the 1arty is solely devoted to maintaining
power BtotalitariansmC and does not care about the indiviudals or the economy' and thus they will never let competing ideas emerge and transorm the society' as this will reduce the hold they have over the society
? Also totalisation o the society B control o reality in the headC' no attempt to engineer souls in metropolis
? -rwell"s comment on totalitarian states that individuals in those states are utterly powerless to rise up against the system' since the system actively shuts down the ideas as a threat against the power and control
? ,n contrast with Freder"s rebellion because the aim o the capitalist society was to grow the economy. =ecause o this' capitalist societies did not have the goal o oppression and thus are easy to transorm.
? Freder is rom the oligarchy itsel' in a better position Also remember the wor(ers are rom pre ++,' now the conditions are slightly better due to +eimar *ermany.