Hey there, this is an essay I've written for Module A (1984 and Metropolis) in preparation for trials!! Just wondering if someone could please have a look over it and see if it makes sense? It's also way too long at the moment, so if you think anything is unnecessary please let me know!!! Thankyou so much
Spoiler
Whilst control is fundamental to gaining power over individuals and groups in society, it has often been deleterious throughout history, resulting in repression and dehumanisation. Metropolis, directed by Fritz Lang and George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) explore this excessive control at the extremes of autocratic and totalitarian regimes. As the film and novel elucidate the context of Weimar Germany and Britain's post-WWII environment respectively, responders can gain a greater appreciation of how social and historical perspectives held at the time, shape and influence meaning within the didactic texts. By means of a comparative study, audiences further enrich their understanding of unrestricted control as a destructive influence on society, especially when paired with technology.
The abuse of power by means of control has often lead to social divisions and instability, as illustrated by Metropolis. Lang’s 1927 silent film draws parallels to the composer’s era following WWI, where authoritarian powers created economic and political inequalities. Influenced by German expressionism, the art-deco set design of the upper echelons of society incorporates bright opens spaces and bold geometric shapes whilst the conditions underground are dark, bleak and overcrowded. Through this clever cinematography, Lang establishes a strong juxtaposition between the classes and enables audiences to visually conceptualise how the decadence of the city is built, quite literally, on inequality. Whilst such a futuristic metropolis was not seen in Germany at the time, the film sought inspiration from the vast physical dimensions of expanding western cities, such as New York. To Lang, the city of the future was synonymous with exploitation and power at the expense of others. This is evinced by the worker’s exhausted bodies trudging in stylised and synchronised columns to repetitious non-diegetic music. Furthermore, the biblical iconography of the “Tower of Babel” is used to establish Fredersen’s omnipotent status and subsequently aid in Lang’s criticism of capitalist values. The intertitle of “Great is the world and it’s maker! And great is man” mirrors Fredersen’s characterisation, and enables audiences to identify man’s hubris at the forefront of an autocratic leadership. Whilst the struggle between the classes is made apparent, Metropolis depicts a romanticised view of industrialisation through the repetitive motif of the “hands that build” and “minds that plan.” As Freder eventually becomes the mediator, the film’s optimistic ending reflects the ideology of mutual cooperation that was beginning to take shape in Europe. Hence, Lang gives an insight into the changing values of his society as the imperial government was replaced by a form of representative democracy (Weimar Republic). This offers audiences a sense of hope in the struggle against power imbalances as oppressed individuals actively attain some control over their lives. Thus, Metropolis provides a strong case for how context can influence meaning and deepen audience's understanding of control.
Similarly, Orwell’s 1949 prose novel, enriches audiences understanding of how control can impact negatively on society. However, 1984 does not provide any effective redress to the rigid society as Lang’s film, produced 20 years prior, does. Following the fascist and totalitarian regimes of Hitler’s Nazi Party and Stalin’s Soviet Union, Orwell captures a society of satirical extremes in which every aspect of an individual's life is subject to manipulation and overt control in the name of Big Brother. Whilst a symbol of trust and protection in the eyes of obedient individuals, he comes to represent oppression and absolute power. Humans rights are exchanged for state stability, security and hierarchy. The indoctrination by the Party is evident through the distortion of language, known as “newspeak”, in order to suppress any freedom of thought. As a result, readers are confronted by the authoritarian regimes and their ability to weaken the strength and independence of individual’s minds. Orwell’s use of chiasmus in “who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past” cements the image, as reflected in Metropolis, of a domineering and powerful world. Furthermore, the emphatic language in “the ordinary people, the workers… were their slaves” warns how the excessive use of control contributes to the repression and subjugation of the masses. As Orwell reflects upon the happenings of WWII, he highlights how the fear within individuals and “herd mentality” was often too strong to question the imbalances of power and control. This is communicated through the imperative and emphatic language of the propaganda in 1984 - “WAR IS PEACE. FREEDOM IS SLAVERY. IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH” - which no individual dares to refute, despite being blatantly oxymoronic to readers. This representation can be accounted for by Orwell’s observation of propaganda in mass media as well as the corruption of language for political power during his time. Furthermore, “the horrible thing about Two Minute Hate was not that one was obliged to act a part, but that it was impossible to avoid joining in… turning into a grimacing, screaming lunatic” vividly describes the unavoidable nature of indoctrination by the stronger powers, reminiscent of the events of WWII. and reinforces the oppression of individuals. With a climate of fear in London and states run by totalitarian dictators prevalent during Orwell’s era, 1984 mirrors an oppressive regime as inherently dangerous for societal relations and individuals as leaders employ absolute and incessant power. Therefore, both 1984 and Metropolis, despite different contextual foundations, have enriched responder’s understanding of excessive control to be a detrimental influence on society, dividing the hegemonic forces and repressed.
Such ramifications of injurious control are only seen to be exacerbated through technology, as explored in Metropolis. Whilst the technological advances represent 20th century achievements, Lang illustrates his deeper concern for humanity. A low angle shot makes viewers feel intimidated by the monstrous Moloch machine. The ancient deity that was honoured with human sacrifice takes shape with the assistance of increasingly dramatic music. As workers are devoured to appease the autocratic leadership, the confronting scene evokes an emotional response from audiences. Lang communicates the merging of the pagan past with a capitalist present as the masses are still exploited to meet the needs of the powerful elite and fuel the industrial progress. The workers become dehumanised and degraded as their movements within a mid shot continue to be as robotic as the machines they tend, blurring the line between man and machine for audiences. Hence, the repressive nature of control and its ability to eradicate individualism through technology is conveyed. Additionally, as Lang dramatises the Marxist struggle of the underclass, the dangers of technology become a contextual trigger for moral degradation and social revolt. Cyborg Maria, created by Rotwang, the archetypal mad scientist, symbolises how the authority of man and “workers of the future” may be usurped by machines. The montage of amourous hands and eyes of men as they observe her dance sequences convey society’s desire for such technology, and its ability to corrupt individuals by controlling their actions. When Cyborg Maria incites a chaotic revolt amongst the suppressed workers, wide angle shots capture the destruction to the city and effectively communicate the potentially ruinous force of technology. As such, Lang’s contextual perspective on rebellion and lack of individual power as a result of technology in Metropolis have been able to enrich contemporary audiences understanding of control.
Comparably, Orwell develops readers understanding of control to have a dehumanising effect when exercised through technology in 1984. The stark and oppressive posters of Big Brother - that some have interpreted to resemble Hitler or Stalin - serve as a constant reminder to individuals that every aspect of their lives is monitored for “Big Brother is watching you.” The government’s ability to control and manipulate society is seen through advancements of tele-screens, microphones and cameras. Orwell’s utilisation of a simile in “[they] had watched him like a beetle under a magnifying glass” effectively conveys the overwhelming presence and scrutiny of the Thought Police, enabling responders to feel empathy for the subjugated and repressed masses. Orwell’s fear for technology, prompted by his era, was that governments would seize the power to peer into people’s private lives and there was no way of knowing whether citizens were being watched at any given moment. This is communicated through the emphatic and direct language, “technological progress only happens when its products can in some way be used for the diminution of human liberty.” As such, the total lack of freedom as a result of increasing technology forces the regimented society to essentially become “the dead.” Similarly to Metropolis, the controlling nature of technology acts as a catalyst for Winston’s rebellion. However, it is quickly undermined through torture and the Party’s “victory” over the protagonist is confirmed as “he loved Big Brother.” As Winston repeats “2+2=5”, audiences understand that he has lost touch with the reality he once defended, revealing the fragility of human resilience in the face of a ruthless, totalitarian regime. Therefore, readers enrich their understanding of the detrimental and implicit ways control can be employed through technology in 1984, resulting in the dehumanisation of man, as similarly explored by Metropolis.
Lang and Orwell evidently promote values that are derived from the societies of their time through contextual perspectives. As such, Metropolis and Nineteen Eighty-Four explore the abusive and dehumanising exercise of power under an autocratic leadership in which the populace is deprived, repressed and alienated. Responders are able to enrich their understanding of control, and it’s employment through technology, to be a powerful and often damaging influence on both social relations and the nature of humanity.
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Topic: English Advanced Essay Marking (Modules Only) (Read 747908 times)