Power is created by the stratification of society which justifies the ability of the upper class to exert control over members of society with lower status. In Fritz Lang’s silent film Metropolis, power is maintained through class divisions which allow the capitalist class led by Joh to control the masses of workers. In contrast, George Orwell’s novel Nineteen eighty four shows how power is established politically through the workings of the party and how the hierarchical ranks within the party justify authority and control. The critiques of Metropolis can be described as a commentary on the political situation that existed in Germany at the time, but also served as a warning of where Germany was heading in the future. The film was made during …show more content…
Since the beginning of time, there has always been a division between the people with the ideas and the people that need to do the physical work, seen with the separation of the Elites and the workers. This social division is finally overcome by Freder who mediates between the head and the hands. The common unifying force between the seemingly dichotomous ideas of the head and hands is the heart, which Lang reminds can be used to overcome social inequalities. Lang’s evocative use of formalist techniques and visual narrative in the ‘shift change scene’ shows how the working class have been dehumanised, through the monotonous demand of their work they are stripped of any individuality, leaving them indistinguishable from their shared fate, suffering under the yoke of capitalist and autocratic power. Mid-shots which show the synchronisation of their seamless movements forward with their heads bowed and non-interactive the men are transformed into machines, shown in their rhythmic, mechanical steps. The 10 hour clock represents the constant control that is has engulfed all aspects of their life. Life revolves around industrial context and economic …show more content…
In 1984 power is dominated by the inner party and in Metropolis by the elites, contrasted by the power deprived outer party/proles and the working class. Authoritative institutions aim to shape an illusion of reality in order to eliminate individuality to ensure absolute control. In nineteen eighty four this is achieved through the use of telescreens, Orwell‘s authorial intrusion, “It was terribly dangerous to let your thoughts wander when you were in any public place or within range of a telescreen” This insight into the restrictions placed on the people of nineteen eighty four shows us the totalitarian structure of this society and how technology can be harnessed in a negative way to manipulate and control the
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,
The 1927 film Metropolis co-written and directed by Fritz Lang, director of M and Dr. Mabuse, It was the most expensive silent film ever created costing 5,100,000 Reichmarks which would equal to $21,420,000 in 1927. Its innovative cinematography and the use of technology to create another world unlike anything that had been contributed to the world of film at the time. . In the first part of my essay I will summarize Fritz’s Metropolis and his use of technology to elaborate on man’s fantasy of creating a machine-man, but I will be discussing Friz’s use of a woman shaped machine rather than a man. There is a quite apparent correlation between the use of story creating Adam and eve and Rotwang’s robotic being, it is creation without a mother. It is not only established the basis for science fiction movie’s in the future it established an idea of an image of the future and how technology will help us progress and advance but also can be a hazard and burden on the human race. Machines are either helpful or they are a hazard. As displayed in the film the above ground Metropolis is a beautiful lush city of advancing technology and the drones that are slaves to the very technology that they thrive upon. The lack of female presence other than Maria in the movie is a point I will be establishing upon will relate to the interesting correlation between sexuality, femininity, and technology that is established through the creation of the machine man. Fritz has displayed in his film. Maria, at a time, acts like the mother to all of the men down underground promising them salvation and freedom from the torment of the catacombs and tiny houses that they suffer and work to the bone in day in and day out. Maria is almost like a savior, but th...
David R. Morrow stated in his article, When Technologies Makes Good People Do Bad Things: Another Argument Against the Value-Neutrality of Technologies, “the use or invention of technology is not wrong it is the users who have ‘‘vicious’’ or condemnable preferences that will affect the outcome.” Orwell used technology in a way that many people of that time would never have imagined possible and created a fear of the future for his readers. How could a man, who was unaware of what the future would hold, be so acute and on point with how the world would be today? In his last interview Orwell said, “Always there will be the intoxication of power and always and every moment there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on the enemy who is helpless.” Orwell tried to warn people not of the technology but of the danger technology might cause in the future if it landed in the wrong hands. In this paper, I will be exploring how the world of technology mimics that of Winston’s world and how “privacy” has lost its meaning due to technology just like in 1984 but the biggest issue I will research is why do we allow it the government to monitor our
In the dystopian text, 1984, by George Orwell the reader is exposed to an environment where the government or ‘party’ exerts complete control over the public. They maintain this power through the use of technology and depriving the public of any privacy or personal opinions. Throughout the novel we experience different character’s views and uses of technology; O’Brien’s use of technology to establish control, Charington use of technology to prevent rebellion against the party and Winston and Julia’s avoidance of technology to try to establish their own lives, away from the control of the government.
While this is a dramatized statement regarding the plight of the worker under the new machine driven industrial system, rhetoric such as this did represent the fears of the working class. Over time, as industrialization appeared more common, there emerged more heated debates between the working class and business owners. The struggle between the two opposing classes of labor was the embodiment of the argument for national identity, according to Trachtenberg. His attention to detail of the divide between the lower class workers and the rich upper crust industrialists, serves to illustrate the varying changes which occurred across the country.
...en into organizations that brainwashes and encourages them to spy on their parents and report any instance of disloyalty to the Party much like Orwell’s experience in the Civil war. The fact that a portion of the populations suffered poverty while others bathed in wealth reinforces the strong hierarchal system imposed. Orwell’s attitudes surrounding sociocultural context are prominent throughout 1984 and strengthens the invited reading that power is problematic.
Fritz Lang's Metropolis is a very powerful movie with various underlying meanings that allow the viewer to determine for himself. The movie itself is extremely difficult and hard to follow, although the essay "The Vamp and the Machine: Technology and Sexuality in Fritz Lang's Metropolis" written by Andreas Huyssen provided many helpful insights to aid in understanding the movie. Many of Huyssen's idea's are a bit extreme, but none the less the essay is very beneficial. His extreme views include ideas of castration and how it relates with the female robot, and sexulaity and how it relates technology. Although these ideas are extreme he does also provide many interesting ideas.
Ruppert, Peter. “Technology and the Constructions of Gender in Fritz Lang’s Metropolis.” (2000) [Accessed 18 December 2012]
When audiences think of Lang's Metropolis they almost unanimously think of the same image: that of a golden, mechanical being brought to life. It is one of the most recognizable images in German expressionist cinema, on par with the spidery shadow of Max Schrek's Nosferatu creeping up the stairs in Murnau's vampire film, or that of Cesare the somnambulist sleeping upright in Weine's The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, yet what separates this i...
The divide between Jon Fredersen, the city master, and the lower class of underground-dwelling workers is a result of having nothing to prevent one another of gaining too much power. The result is a swing of power, where both sides experience the effects of having too much of it. Both Jon Fredersen, and the workers lose track of what is important while they have the power. Jon is unable to keep track of his son, Freder, who becomes upset after chasing his working class love into the underground, and seeing how workers have lost their lives as a result of his father’s conditions. Freder acts on an opportunity to fill the void as the mediator, switching lives with one of the workers in the underground.
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.
When George Orwell’s epic novel 1984 was published in 1949 it opened the public’s imagination to a future world where privacy and freedom had no meaning. The year 1984 has come and gone and we generally believe ourselves to still live in “The Land of the Free;” however, as we now move into the 21st Century changes brought about by recent advances in technology have changed the way we live forever. Although these new developments have seamed to make everyday life more enjoyable, we must be cautious of the dangers that lie behind them for it is very possible that we are in fact living in a world more similar to that of 1984 than we would like to imagine.
Ultimately, common ideas found in the novel 1984, totalitarianism, surveillance, and lack of privacy are also ubiquitous in modern society and government. Big Brother and modern day government have been able to control its citizens through surveillance equipment, and fear all for a little more power. There is much to learn from such an undesirable form of society much like the one of Oceania in 1984. Examining Big Brother government closely, alarming connections can be made to real-world government actions in the United States and the cruel world within Orwell's book.
Nineteen Eighty-Four, by George Orwell, is a superb novel with outstanding themes. One of the most prominent themes found in this novel is psychological manipulation. Citizens in this society are subject to ever present signs declaring “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU” (Orwell 1). Along with psychological manipulation, physical control takes place. The Party not only controls what people in Oceania think, but what they do as well. Technology is another important theme. Without the constant telescreens, microphones, and computers, the Party would be all but powerless. Big Brother is the main figure of the Party. The main symbol that drives these themes is the telescreens. It is representative of the party always watching and controlling everyone at all times.
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.