Government's Effect on Free Will in A Clockwork Orange
The term "clockwork orange" is 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 in an attempt to rid him of his violent impulses and ultimately his free will. When being presented in front of an audience as evidence of the Ludovico
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technique's success, he protests and questions, “Am I just to be like a clockwork orange?" (Burgess 177). When Alex refers to himself as a "clockwork orange”, it suggests that he is an organic being - like that of an orange- wound up -or, conditioned- by an authoritative government which shows that a government limits the potential of human beings by suppressing their free will. The title for Burgess's novel originates from the British slang phrase "as queer as a clockwork orange". when Burgess heard the phrase, he was instantly inspired to use it as a title of his novel. Burgess elaborated on the meaning of the phrase in his book through a metaphor: "I’ve implied an extra dimension. I’ve implied a junction of the organic, the lively, the sweet — in other words, life, the orange — and the mechanical, the cold, the disciplined. I’ve brought them together in a kind of oxymoron"( "A Clockwork Orange"). Burgess's life experiences heavily influence the events, themes, and motifs in A Clockwork Orange. After a trip to Malaya in 1961, Burgess returned to England and noticed a change in the youth culture with the rise of teenage gangs, drugs, and milk bars. Alex's love for motiveless violence can be explained by an attack suffered by Burgess' wife from a group of World War II soldiers in 1944. A similar situation happens in chapter two when Alex and his droogs break in into a writer's house to beat and rape his wife right in front of him. Anthony Burgess had a particular interest in dystopian novels: "The dystopian writings of George Orwell (Nineteen Eighty-Four), Aldous Huxley (Brave New World Revisited), Diana and Meir Gillon (The Unsleep) and Yevgeny Zamyatin (We) all provide literary context for A Clockwork Orange”("A Clockwork Orange"). Although Burgess writes of an authoritative government, he focuses more on the effect that it has on an individual instead of a society as a whole. Raised Catholic, he also incorporate the ideas of the two men that shaped Catholicism - Pelagius and Augustine. Both thinkers represent different stages of the government in A Clockwork Orange ranging from the liberal end of the spectrum to the authoritative. Pelagius was a monk that believed that people are not born with sin and Christian resurrection would not guarantee eternal life. He believed that "redemption [was] somewhat [a] useless gesture" and suggested that "humanity could save itself" (Newman 64). Augustine's beliefs contrasted greatly with those of Pelagius; he believed that "free will has been granted to the human being by the deity, but (s)he cannot be saved without divine help” (Newman 64). In the beginning of A Clockwork Orange the government is responsible for the crime and violence in the streets by not taking adequate action to prevent the gangs that act not only at night, but even in broad daylight. This lack of authority would represent a Pelagian based government, as it values individual liberty and personal freedom. However, when the Pelagian government demonstrates inefficiency, a more authoritative and Augustinian approach is incorporated. There is a drastic shift from concern for the individual, to concern for the stability of the government. This new Augustinian government exhibits a total neglect of the dignity and safety for the individual - Alex's torturous conditioning, for example. Burgess also wrote A Clockwork Orange as a sort of response to behaviorism, more specifically, to B.F. Skinner, an american psychologist and behaviorist. Behaviorism, by definition, is the theory that human behavior can be explained in terms of conditioning, without appeal to thoughts or feelings, and that psychological disorders are best treated by altering behavior patterns (oxford dictionaries). B.F. Skinner believed that free will was an illusion and that actions are shaped by consequences. Theoryfundamentals.com provides a description of Skinner’s theory regarding behaviourism: Skinner thought the best way to advance the field of psychology was through application of the scientific method based on observable experiments not Speculation or theoretical musings. Skinner held firm to the logical positive position that all we can really know is that which we can learn through direct observation using our senses. He was not inclined to speculate about things nor to hypothesize about why something might have happened. He conducted experiments, observed, and recorded the results. Nothing else. He did this because of his belief that the only stable knowledge comes from direct observation, not from speculation about internal matters or things that are not directly observable. ("View of Learning") Furthermore, Skinner believed the complexity of the human mind can be explained by observable actions, not thoughts and feelings. Skinner concluded a total of four consequences that alter behavior: positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, punishment, and extinction. The basis of punishment is the only consequence that is used in A Clockwork Orange when Alex is conditioned by the government. Free will is one of the major themes in A Clockwork Orange the components of this themes, however, are the different views of the concept of free will. Alex's view on free will reflect that of Burgess. Both believe that humans have a right to choose regardless whether it's morally right or wrong: “When a man cannot choose, he ceases to be a man” (Burgess 93). Alex's character takes this philosophy and brings it to the light of reality. the name Alexander means “defender of men” ,and in this case, Alex is fighting for a man's right to choose (babycenter). Alex understands that violence Is Seen as evil yet he continues to practice it. He has no trouble Recognizing The difference between Good and Evil but he also knows that the two are not completely separate , meaning something can't be completely good nor completely evil. For example Alex himself despite all his violent tendencies is not completely evil.Even though he has a love for violence he has a passion for classical music more specifically The Works of Beethoven Showing that violence and art can go hand-in-hand. When burgess states: ¨ delimitation is always difficult. the world is one. life is one. the sweetest and most Heavenly of activities partake in some measure of violence - the act of love, for instance; music, for instance¨ He's saying that Even things that are perceived as Pure and beautiful, like art, can Still be associated with evilness (Burgess page 130). When The scientist experiment on Alex by conditioning him to become ill at the sight of violent or sexual scenes on screen, Alex recognizes a piece by Ludwig van Beethoven playing in the background. because of this, Alex reacts Not only to violence and sex in an ill manner, but also to classical music- the one thing that Alex truly enjoys. LAter in the book, F. Alexander locks alex up in a room and blasts classical music, driving alex to suicide. F alexander uses this to demonstrate that the technique is corrupt as it allows the weaponizing of music. Ironically, the government scientists’ goal was to erase the world of evil, but while doing so they also rid the world of good. Alex demonstrates that people are can choose to be good or bad.
Burgess states: “The important thing is moral choice. Evil has to exist along with good, in order that moral choice may operate. Life is sustained by the grinding opposition of moral entities” (Burgess XIII). The government will always try to maintain order, but alex still has the right to live his life how he pleases. every criminal act that alex does, he chooses. This perplexes the government leading them to question alex’s home life. If alex’s home life is unsatisfactory, it would explain his criminal tendencies. However, there are no factors of alex’s homelife that would explain his nature. P. R. Deltoid says to alex, “ You’ve got a good home here, good loving parents, [...] [i]s it some devil that crawls inside you?” P. R. Deltoid is trying to figure out why alex is the way he is but what he doesn't understand is that there is not “cause”, alex is the way he is because he chooses to be. Even so, alex is not destined to stay evil. In the final chapter of a clockwork orange, one of alex’s former partner in crime, pete, tells him that he has settled down and started a family leading alex to reflect on his life, realize that he is no longer happy living a criminal lifestyle, and decide to mature and change his
ways. The government believes that a good citizen is one that Acts like a Christian. The government tries to achieve this by implementing a “new view” involving the ludovico technique: “The new view is that we turn the bad into good” (Stanley Kubrick). Designed to teach criminals to behave appropriately in society, the ludovico technique does more than simply coach an individual. Since the technique forces - basically brainwashes - Alex to become ill at the site or thought of violence or sex , the government believes they have cured Alex and have made him a true Christian composed of a pure nature. Alex can no longer decide For himself as he has become a Machine: “If he can only perform good or only perform evil, then he is A Clockwork Orange - meaning that he has the appearance of an organism lovely with colour and juice but is in fact only a Clockwork toy to be wound up by God or the devil or [...] Almighty State this is. It is as inhuman to be totally good as it is to be totally evil.”(Burgess xiii). Consequently this leaves Alex unable to function in society Because he has been stripped of his free will. once Alex returns to the Streets of London fairies victims of Alex's gang days recognize him and attack him. Because of the treatment, Alex's unable to Fight Back to defend himself. Even if the government believes this is the best way for people, Burgess disagrees through the characterization of alex; It is better to have free will and think for yourself than to be mindlessly obedient, answering to the government or a higher power. The government goal is not about trying to fix the problem, it's about conforming to the government, doing your job to fulfill a role in society. The government's prefered approach is to punish those who act out. Unless the citizens can put their aggression to use, the ludovico technique does not remove the urges of violence but removes the ability to act on such urges. Alex’s former droogs have found a way to use their aggression in a way that benefits society - by becoming policemen. By adopting this career, they now have the excuse to punish and beat those that break the law as shown in part three when Dim and BIllyboy beat alex to a pulp. Taking an organic being and striping it of it’s freewill to force it into one dimensional thinking and obedience results in a clockwork orange. Burgess stresses that the existence of freewill is of paramount importance to oneself and to society as a whole. Whether it is used in an evil way or a pure one, it is better for an individual to think for themselves rather than have another decide for them. Burgess also points out that nothing is entirely good or entirely evil, rather that is is a mix of both.alex represents all of mankind to show that the human mind is a complex mystery and that thoughts, emotions, and free will are what defines a human being.
to read. A Clockwork Orange is an interesting book, to say the least, about a young teenager, named Alex, who has lost his way, so to speak, and commits several serious crimes. These crimes that Alex and his “droogs” commit include: murdering, raping, beat downs, robbery, etc.
Free will is a right given to us when we are born as human beings. However, depending on different circumstances that right can be easily taken away based on where you live, or the actions that one can do to them. In A Clockwork Orange, and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, the characters throughout both novels and films have controlled free will because of different circumstances.
Anthony Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange frequently employs irony for a variety of purposes. While much of the irony Burgess uses is situational, and is mostly meant to deconstruct the reader’s pre established sense of morality, he also uses dramatic irony to frustratingly detach the reader from the novel. In the second chapter of the book, Alex and his “droogies” break into the cottage of an author named F. Alexander, severely beating the man and raping his wife. During the break-in, Alex stumbles across a manuscript titled A CLOCKWORK ORANGE which states:“The attempt to impose upon a man, a creature of growth and capable of sweetness...laws and conditions appropriate to a mechanical creation, against this I raise my swordpen”(25). It should be painfully obvious to the reader that this
The significance of evil as well as good in human nature was a central aspect of the novel. Alex is despicable due to his irrational and reckless acts, but that sense of freedom is also what makes him human, as “The important thing is a moral choice Evil has to exist along with good, in order that moral choice may operate. Life is sustained by the grinding opposition of moral entities.” Consequently the freedom of individuals to make choices becomes a problem when those choices undermine the safety and stability of society. This essential need of evil as well as good in human nature is a significantly controversial issue in modern society; this controversy allows the readers to ponder their own role in society. Thus, engaging the readers. In A Clockwork Orange, the government is willing to protect society by taking away freedom of choice through the Ludovico Technique that eliminates the evil aspects of an individual, therefore Alex becomes less of a threat to society, but he becomes nothing more than a thing as “When a man cannot choose, he ceases to be a man”. Burgess believes that the freedom to choose is the greatest human attribute, meaning that the presence of moral choice distinguishes human beings from other machines and animals. This belief allows the readers to build their own perspectives on the novel’s plot and
Throughout time people have tried to prove and disprove God, all part of free will. Free will allows people to believe based on faith but can allow people to demand proof. It also allows people to decide who they are, their identity. It’s what gives people the opportunity to build relationships with people. Some relationships can cause problems with God including going against what He tells people not to do, and betraying family. Lastly, it shapes civilization to one day become a great city or it fall and be destroyed. God gave people the free will to worship Him freely instead of being forced, but being able to choose a path to follow can lead to destruction.
A Psychological Analysis of Alex in A Clockwork Orange & nbsp; In A Clockwork Orange, Alex is portrayed as two different people living within the same body of mind. As a mischievous child raping the world, he was as seen as filth. His actions and blatant disrespect towards society are categorized under that of the common street bum. However, when he is away from his evening attire. he is that of suave.
A Clockwork Orange follows a teenager by the name of Alex, who teams up with his hoodlum friends in the night hours to commit a little bit of the old ultra violence. After one of Alex's droogs challenges his leadership and loses, all of his friends turn on him, and our humble narrator is arrested and sent to prison for murder. In prison, Alex volunteers for a radical new treatment, which can cure him of his evilness, in exchange for a shortened sentence. Alex is released back into society, only to have the people he has wronged take their revenge on him. He finally finds redemption by living a normal life in society.
The modern field of cognitive science combines research from fields such as computer science, psychology, linguistics, and neuroscience in order to study the processes of the mind. Using a framework of representational structures and operational procedures, cognitive science has been able to make significant contributions to the study of cognition and information processing. This interdisciplinary approach has been so successful that its application has been extended to areas like metaphysics, which was once considered to be outside the realm of empirical study; theorists hope that cognitive science may provide insight into questions related to the fundamental nature of existence, such as the debate between free will and determinism.
Freedom and liberalism are catchwords that appear frequently in both philosophical and political rhetoric. A free man is able to choose his actions and his value system, to express his views and to develop his most authentic character. What this kind of idealistic liberalism seems to forget, however, is that liberty does not mean a better society, better life or humanistic values such as equality and justice. In his novel A Clockwork Orange (1962), Anthony Burgess portrays an ultimately free individual and shows how a society cannot cope with the freedom which it in rhetoric so eagerly seeks to promote.
Was it Fate?... Not Really. Some people may think that their lives are governed by fate but that’s not the case. People are responsible for the decisions that change their life path. They can make a good decision that will change their life for the better, but they can also make a bad decision that can change their life for the worse.
Psychopathic and Hyper-Violent Tendencies in Anthony Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange Since it was published in 1962 Anthony Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange has been a staple in psychological literature. With the use of main character Alex; a teenager driven by psychological illness, as a plot motivator, the novel offers insight into the mind of the psychotic.
In the novel A Clockwork Orange, the author Anthony Burgess tells a story about a young man name Alex and his friends, every night they go around and start committing violent acts. In the novel Alex expresses his freedom of choice between good and evil. The freedom of choice is a decision that every person must make throughout his life in order to guide his actions and to take control of his own future. This Freedom of Choice, no matter what the outcome is, displays person power as an individual, and any efforts to control or influence this choice between good and evil will take way the person free will and enslave him. In this novel the author uses this symbolism through imagery. He shows that through the character of Alex, and the first person narrative point of view to prove that without the ability to choose between good and evil person becomes a slave.
The behavioral scientists at the prison, including Dr. Brodsky and Dr. Branom, emphasize the significance of free will on humanity in A Clockwork Orange. The protagonist, Alex, is characterized by his violent tendencies. After they subject
And a Clockwork universe is comparing the universe as a mechanical clock, it’s a perfect contraption, but every aspect of it is science controlling it. So, I asked questions after each paragraph about Alex. With Alex being a deviant criminal in the beginning due to his environment which wasn’t his fault for being the way he was to being put through “treatment” that cured him to be a perfect citizen, he still wasn’t fully “cured”. Once Alex was put into the real world he became the perfect victim, and he was put through horrific acts just like he used to do to his victims and tried to commit suicide. With jumping out a window Alex’s new conditioning isn’t a thing anymore, he doesn’t get ill when subjected to violence and is able to listen to his favorite song by Beethoven without getting sick also.
Human nature is about free will, and using one’s free will for good acts. We know free will exists because living things are being changed day after day. Any act, from walking across a room to deciding to eat a meal, is because of free will. We are given free will and with that, the ability to create our own, unique path in life. Free will provides human beings with freedom, judgement, and responsibility. Every human being is born with the capability to live a good, just life. However it is just as possible to live an immoral life led by bad choices. This notion of endless options in life is made possible by God’s gift of free will. No two human lives will ever be the same, because no two people will ever have the exact same experiences their entire lives. Every human being is shaped by experience, which comes from our actions, which are results of free will.