A Clockwork Orange Film Experience Analysis - Literature Essay Samples

A Clock Work Orange is considered one of the greatest films made by critically acclaimed director Stanley Kubrick. Based on the 1962 book by Anthony Burgess, the film tells the tale of the disturbed psychopath Alex and his violent gang of thugs he calls the droogs. Alex and his gang engage in a series of violent assaults and rapes, which they call â€Å"ultra violence,† in a not so distant dystopic future. The turn of the film occurs when Alex is arrested by police for a particularly violent murder and is forced to undergo a process of forced rehabilitation. The absolute brilliance of Kubricks film is that he forces the audience to feel pity and empathy for the what would otherwise be a truly disgusting character as Alex is tortured and made to suffer. The film uses standard science-fiction conventions to investigate several interesting topics, including the nature of justice an free will. Stanley Kubricks 1971 masterpiece A Clock Work Orange is a brilliant cinematic masterpie ce due its ability to not only feel revulsion towards their own prejudices, but also for its ability to make the viewer empathize with a truly barbaric and disgusting character. A Clock Work Orange greatest effect is the sense of moral revulsion that it creates in its viewer. The film does a magnificent job of challenging the viewers cultural assumptions about morality by juxtaposing a brutal character like Alex with the torture that he endures after undergoing the Ludivico Technique. Within the first 20 minutes of the film Alex steals a car, cripples a man, rapes his wife, has sex with two underage girls, and finally murders a woman in cold blood. In every conceivable manner, Kubrick molds Alex as the despicable villain character type. He kills, steals, and rapes without regard to any human life other than his own. Even when he enters the prison system, he attempts to adopt religion to manipulate the Chaplain into giving him time off for good behavior. His only goal is to make it seem as if he has been reformed, that way be can be released and continue his sadistic campaign of â€Å"ultra-violence†. The audience is made to feel disgust for the charac ter by Kubrick, which slowly turns into a desire to see Alex receive his just deserts for his actions. Kubrick then turns the audiences disgust for the character against them when Alex is forced to undergo a torturous process that makes him unable to engage in either sex or violence. As Alex faces retribution for his previous evil actions in satiation of the audiences blood lust, something begins to change in the viewer. They begin to feel a sense of sympathy for the character. Alex is completely vulnerable in his conditioned state, unable to defend himself from the mercilessly vicious attacks perpetrated by those he had previously wronged. Alex is driven to such desperation that he even attempts to end his own life by jumping out of a window. The film forces the viewer to endure another bout of ultra-violence, but this time it is directed at Alex, and the viewer finds that it is not as fulfilling as they thought it would be. Thus the viewer is faced with two ethical dilemmas. The first being whether it is justified to make a human suffer due to the suffering they have caused others, and the second being whether if goodness that is not done by choice is truly goodness at all. The film does an excellent job of making the audience confront these two issues and answer the questions themselves. At the end the viewer is shown that if Alex is allowed to revert from his conditioned state, he will simply return to the violent and sadistic lifestyle that he engaged in before. This forces the audience to explore their feelings along two diametrically opposed extremes. Should an individual be free to make their own decisions even if those decisions are the wrong one? And is revenge truly justice? And this is the brilliance of the film, Kubrick forces the viewer to intellectually engage with the film by shocking their sense of right and wrong. For me this technique was highly effective. As the film began I found myself absolutely disgusted by Alex. I wanted the film to hurt him as much as he had hurt others, and the film was more than happy to satiate my blood lust. Yet as I watched the absolute brutality of how Alex was treated, I became disgusted by someone else, myself. I, like the angry mob in the film, had wanted to subject pain and suffering to another human being. I thought that it would be justice, but it served as little more than revenge. This is a highly powerful effect that I have never before seen used in a movie. The film turns your own prejudices against you, and this allows you to truly listen to what the film is trying to say to you about the nature of justice and free will The film also uses recurring motifs to expound and expand on its themes. One of the recurring motifs in the film is the use of Nadsat. Nadsat is a slang that is made up of a combination of Russian and Cockney English, Alex uses nadsat to describe the dystopic world and situations that he finds himself in. As the viewer is introduced to the strange lingo of the droogs, nadsat seems confusing and lacks meaning. It creates a sense of alienation between the viewer and the films characters, as the use of heavy lingo makes it difficult for the audience to relate. The words lack easily definable meaning. As the movie progresses the viewer is given a better look at the world of the droogs, a world of random chaos and violence, a place where bad things happen to good people for no particular reason at all. The senselessness of the nadsat language perfectly captures the nihilistic violence inherent in the film, Kubricks adaption of a Clockwork Orange is not only brilliant for its engaging philosophical themes and subject matter, but also for its technical and innovative use of camera angles and special effects. In one particular scene the movie shows from a first person point of view Alex jumping from a window. This unique effect was achieved by tying a camera to a box and dropping it from a three story window. In one of the films most famous scenes, there is a close-up of Alexs face as he is surrounded by his droogs. He is drinking milk as he unblinkingly stares at the camera. This scene is incredibly powerful, as it strongly implies Alexs malevolent ability to manipulate and control those around him for his own personal pleasure. The look in the characters eyes as he sips milk is truly chilling due to the strong juxtaposition between the milk and the violent droogs. Interesting use of camera angles such as these are what make A Clock Work Orange such a great film. Genre wise, A Clock Work Orange is mostly science-fiction. While science-fiction movies tend to involve futuristic or alien technologies, their main focus is to use these technologies to either challenge conventional thinking or to illustrate something about human nature. A Clock Work Orange uses the science-fictionesque Ludivico Technique as a convention to challenge the viewers conception of what is right and wrong. If such a device were to exist, would forcing an individual to commit good deeds make that person good? Is making a person be good against their will evil? The film doesnt answer these questions, instead forcing the audience to come to terms with the ethical implications of such technology. And thats exactly what a great science-fiction movie should do. In that regard A Clock Work Orange is very much like the movie Blade Runner, even though it lacks many of the heavy futuristic science-fiction elements. Blade Runner asks the question, what makes a human human? If a mach ine can feel, cry, and love, is it alive? The move is not about the technology per-se, but about the ethical and moral considerations brought up by the existence of such technology. Like Blade Runner, A Clock Work Orange does a terrific job of using science-fiction conventions to challenge the viewers assumptions about themselves and the world. Stanley Kubricks 1971 film A Clockwork Orange is one of the greatest cinematic masterpieces to ever be put to film. The film never insults the intelligence of its viewing audience, instead making their experience an integral part of the film. The character of Alex is used as a tool to force the viewer to confront their own ideas on freewill, justice, and revenge. Though Alex is shown as an unrepentant psychopath, the film asks, â€Å"Are the other characters justified in taking away his freewill? If free will is removed, than can any of Alexs actions truly be called good? Is it justice to inflict pain and suffering on an individual just because they have done the same to others?†Ã¢â‚¬  The film provides the viewer with no sure answer to any of these questions, instead trusting the viewer to be intelligent enough to grapple with these issues themselves. The film perfectly uses the conventions of the science-fiction genre to challenge the viewers conventional thinking on morali ty. Not only is the film philosophically engaging, but it is also technically interesting as well. Kubrick pioneered several unique technological methods to create interesting and engaging scenes. One of the most standout examples is Kubricks technique of throwing a camera in a box out of a three story building to capture the first person view of falling. The film is a considered one of the greats of cinema for good reason, it lives up to its potential as one of the greatest science-fiction movies of all time.

The Anti-Free Speech Movement on Americas College...

The Anti-Free Speech Movement on Americas College Campuses The nations leftists, whether in academia or the news media tout themselves as advocates of free speech. Back in 1964, it was Mario Savio a campus leftist who led the Free Speech Movement at the Berkeley campus of the University of California, a movement that without question played a vital role in placing American universities center stage in the flow of political ideas no matter how controversial, unpatriotic and vulgar. From the Nazis to the Stalinists leftists have always supported free speech rights, at least initially. Why? Because speech is important for the realization of leftist goals of command and control. People must be propagandized, proselytized and†¦show more content†¦According to a Washington Post (11/21/02), Harvard Law School is considering a ban on offensive speech. Members of its Black Law Students Association has called for what they call a discriminatory harassment policy that would basically punish or at least give the administration some way to review harassing behavior. Harvards Committee on Healthy Diversity - made up of six faculty, six students and three law school staff members - will make its recommendations in the spring. It might be that Harvards black law students, like so many other students, have come to believe that they have a constitutional right not to be offended or have their feelings hurt. Universities that have been trying to quash free speech have encountered some court reversals of their attempts. But campus leftists have not given up. The newest university gambit to limit speech mirrors the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidelines concerning sexual harassment in the workplace, (creating a hostile environment) or they attempt to base their speech code on the fighting words doctrine enunciated by the Court in Chaplinsky v. New HampshireShow MoreRelatedThe Framers Of The Constitution Essay1797 Words   |  8 PagesThroughout the 20th Century, American colleges and universities gained the reputation of being bastions of free speech and the discussion of ideas. While universities in Europe became less and less free, cowering to political correctness, American universities fiercely debated every major issue that faced the country. Most importantly though, liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans, Atheists and Christians, all believed in the spread of ideas, and free expression. However, while our institutionsRead MoreBanning Speech Codes On Campuses1811 Words   |  8 Pagesviolence activists arose in college campuses the culprit being unregulated speech. Many campuses are forming regulations on speech codes on campuses, others choose to remain unregulated. The decision is not put at ease with the first and fourteen amendment conflicting between the citizens’ rights to freedom of expression, and the right for equal educational opportunities. Is there a middle ground that allows individuals continue their education in the sanction of a college campuses while not infringingRead MoreBanning Of A College Campus1845 Words   |  8 Pagesactivists arose in college campus the culprit being targeted is unregulated speech. Many campuses are forming regulations on speech codes, others choose to remain unregulated. The decision making process is not put at ease with the first and fourteen amendment conflicting between the citi zens’ rights to freedom of expression, and the right to equal educational opportunities. Is there a middle ground that allows individuals to continue their education in the sanction of a college campuses while not infringingRead More Offensive Speech Should be Allowed Essay2753 Words   |  12 PagesAmericans treasure the right to freedom of speech above all others. Yet, as we stand here in the birth of a new millennium, this right has become endangered. College campuses across the nation are embroiled in a heated debate over what, exactly, constitutes free speech. At the heart of the debate is the issue of hate speech, or speech that offends, threatens, or insults a person because of some trait such as gender or race (McMasters). 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This new generation, which would come of age during the 1960’s, grew up with a different perspective for America. In such a prosperous time, more people went to college than ever before. People had more time and money to begin analyzing social issues with a greater sense of criticism. Following the victories of the U.S., Britain, French, and Russian troops, Europe quickly became re-divided. The war torn countryRead MoreAmericans Attitude Change in the 60s2293 Words   |  10 Pagesentire generation was born into one of the most prosperous times in American history. This new generation, which would come of age during the 1960s, grew up with a different perspective for America. In such a prosperous time, more people went to college than ever before. People had more time and money to begin analyzing social issues with a greater sense of criticism. Following the victories of the U.S., Britain, French, and Russian troops, Europe quickly became re-divided. The war torn country

Theme Of The Tell Tale Heart - 782 Words

The Symbols of Guilt â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† In â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart,† the poet, Edgar Allan Poe, writes of several different themes. Some of them include time and human nature. However, the most prevalent themes remain as the themes of guilt and insanity. The poem revolves around a man that lives with an old man that has an eye that the narrator fears. He calls it the vulture eye. He believes that it is evil, so he plans to murder the old man. Edgar Allan Poe expresses the themes of insanity and guilt by using the symbols of the beating heart, the vulture eye, and the lantern throughout the poem. In the poem, the beating heart represents the narrator’s extreme guilt and remorse for the murdering of the old man. After the narrator murders†¦show more content†¦In the poem, the lantern represents the narrator’s defense against the old man and his evil eye, yet it proves that he has a mental incapability to see the insane murderer that he is. Because the narrator is in complete control of where the light shines, he feels more confident in himself and his plans of murdering the old man. The lantern also shows how he is not able to recognize that he is a mad man because the lantern only shows life as he wants to view it. The lantern expresses the narrator’s lack of insight and helps him to go through with the old man’s murder because he only sees the evil eye when he sees the old man. Throughout â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart†, Edgar Allan Poe, tries to convey the central themes of guilt and insanity to the audience. How the narrator tells the story proves the theory completely. He tells his audience how he plans to kill the old man, and he takes them with him every step of the way. While telling the readers how he murders the man, he also assures them that he is not mad or insane. However, the readers know that he is crazy because he kills a harmless old man, that he claims to love, solely because he fears his eyeball. He is trying to convince himself of this, as well as, trying to convince his audience. Though he proves to have a mental incapability, he still shows signs of morality and guilt. The beating heart demonstrates this human quality that he obtains. When the narrator uses the lantern in his plan, he shows signs ofShow MoreRelatedTheme Of Guilt In The Tell Tale Heart975 Words   |  4 Pagesso great that it not only brings that horrible feeling of th at what has been done is wrong, but also brings physical anguish to the person who has it. Such is the case with Nathaniel Hawthorne in The Scarlet Letter, and Edgar Allen Poe in â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart,† Hawthorne uses excruciating diction while Poe uses frantic diction, and Poe uses sporadic and stagnant syntax while Hawthorne uses enduring syntax, to contemplate both of characters guilt. Primarily, Hawthorne uses a use a diction in whichRead MoreTheme Of Grotesque In The Tell Tale Heart987 Words   |  4 Pages With such a copious amount of connections it is not difficult to imagine that some if not most Gothic characters act as though they are mad. In â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† by Edgar Allan Poe Gothic elements are used to convey the madness of the narrator to the reader. The grotesque and an unreliable narrator appear which shows that â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† can be considered within the Gothic genre. First of all, the narrators use of grotesque descriptions shows how truly mad he is. His infatuation withRead MoreAnalysis of Themes in the Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe543 Words   |  2 PagesThere are themes in every piece of fictional literature ever written. A theme is the central idea of a story that is fictional. A theme can be everything from good verse evil to as simple as light and darkness. In any story there may be more than one theme in it. Some stories have numerous central ideas that can be seen in the one. Most people only focus on one while there may be five that are important to understand to understand the story. The Tell-Tale Heart like some has numerous themes that areRead MoreThe Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe879 Words   |  4 PagesIn between guilt, paranoia and obsession The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe uses several literary elements to support the themes of the story. The story is based on a gruesome murder of an old man. The author uses ma dness, obsession and guilt as themes to prove how the narrator is truly twisted and insane. Madness is the first theme of the story; in the beginning the narrator tries to convince the audience he is not mad (insane). â€Å"TRUE!... nervous very, very nervous I had been and am; but whyRead MoreThe Tell Tale Heart And The Premature Burial915 Words   |  4 PagesThe Tell-Tale Heart and The Premature Burial are two short stories by Edgar Allan Poe. The Tell-Tale Heart is about the narrator killing an old man. The Premature Burial is about a mans fear of being buried alive. The theme of the two works are closely related to fear and guilt. Poe’s stories have terrifying plots, solid themes and literary criticism. The Tell-Tale heart starts as An unknown narrator says he is nervous but not mad. Then he informs the reader that he will be telling a story aboutRead MoreThe Gothic Theme of Edgar Allen Poes Work1357 Words   |  6 Pagesgenre within Poe’s work such as The Tell-Tale Heart, The Black Cat, and The Raven, arouse the pervasive nature of the dark side of individualism and the resulting encroachment of insanity. Gothic tales are dominated by fear and terror and explore the themes of death and decay. The Gothic crosses boundaries into the realm of the unknown, arousing extremes of emotion through the catalyst of disassociation and subversion of presence. Gothic literature utilises themes of the supernatural to create a broodingRead MoreThe Tell Tale Heart And The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow1690 Words   |  7 PagesThe Themes â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† and â€Å"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow† One of Washington Irving’s short and most famous stories ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’ has become a ghoulish characteristic yet an individual might still be unaccustomed with its idiocy (Hoffman, 425). Based on the real legend of Ichabod Crane, the story reveals how he disappeared. For that reason, the story revolves around the themes of wealth, appearances, truth, warfare, supernatural, gluttony and greed. On the other hand, TheRead MoreThe Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allen Poe934 Words   |  4 Pagesmadman (39). In Edgar Allen Poe’s short story, â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart†, the themes are vital for readers to identify with the madman’s reasoning of every single action he executes. Such events as in the first sentence would be difficult, if not impossible, to grasp without the knowledge of any themes. While some individuals may feel that themes are merely add-on elements in similar tales, this analysis will establish quite the contrary. T he themes are crucial to the comprehension of this narrativeRead MoreRebecca- Tell Tale Heart Comparative Essay842 Words   |  4 PagesRebecca and the Tell Tale Heart Comparative Essay Alfred Hitchcock successfully incorporates Gothic conventions within the film Rebecca, based on Daphne De Maurier’s novel written in 1938.Likewise, Edgar Allan Poe’s ability to incorporate Gothic themes within his short story ‘The Tell Tale Heart’, published in 1843, has been a success. Although both their abilities to create Gothic Compositions has been successful, their techniques used to incorporate Gothic conventions within them are both similarRead MoreEdgar Allan Poe s The Tell Tale Heart1538 Words   |  7 PagesPotentially Mad, Potentially Genius: Edgar Allan Poe’s Style â€Å"True!—nervous—very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad?† Poe wrote this line in his â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart,† and he very well could have been speaking about himself. Many generations have debated on whether or not Edgar Allen Poe was a mad. Reviewers and readers have looked at Poe’s work for nearly two centuries, trying to pick it apart and see if it’s the ramblings of a mad man or well pieced

Rock N Roll free essay sample

American culture is defined by rock n roll music and race, sexuality and generational conflict was a major factor in culture definition. Rock and rolls complex relationship to race might best be illustrated by the ways black performers bleached their music in order to get heard by America. Altogether uses the term bleaching to describe how music was made white to be heard by white audiences and sold to white audiences. Bleaching included selling the rights to their music or by earning royalties from record sales to white performers (p 51).White artists would make changes to black musicians music and make it into number 1 hits. An example, of this is Willie Mae Big Mama Thornton who first recorded Hound Dog (p 52). According to Altogether, Elvis Presley made some changes to the tempo and lyrics and his version made it to number 1 on the country and charts (pop). Often independent labels would take black artists songs and put white pop singers on the covers or have them sing the songs. The first set of graphs to be drawn show concentration against time,   and were used to calculate half-lives for the various reactions   (Graphs 1 and 2). The second set of graphs drawn were identical to the   first set, but rather than calculating half-lives, they were used to   find the gradient at five points along each graph (Graphs 2 and 5). Calculating the gradient at these points gave the rate of the reaction   at five different concentrations. From this a final set of graphs were   drawn showing the rate of reaction against concentration (Graphs 3 and   6). After studying the results gained, and drawing these graphs, it was   found that out of all of the results recorded, all were included in   the final graphs and used to draw conclusions from. There were no   significantly anomalous results recorded, as all of them seemed to   follow the same pattern when plotted on the graphs. I felt that there   was no reason to ignore or discard any of these results. For H2O2, Graph 1shows that the half-life increases very gradually,   which initially might suggest that the reaction is second order with   respect to H2O2. However, this increase is very gradual, and when   Graph 3 is studied, it is clear that the rate of the reaction is   directly proportional to the concentration. After studying Graph 1   carefully and checking its accuracy alongside the actual results, I   have decided that because the increase in the half-lives is only   gradual and Graph 3 clearly shows that the rate is proportional to the   concentration, this reaction is first order with respect to H2O2. Graph 1 holds a number of possible areas where errors may occur and   this could explain why the half-life is not constant. The actual   process of drawing the graphs provides a number of sources for error. Drawing an accurate curve freehand is quite difficult requiring a   steady and smooth action, and although this skill can be improved with   practise, it still provides sources of error. Also, the calculating of   the half-lives requires further drawing using a ruler that is only   accurate to the nearest millimetre. Therefore, after studying the results gained from the experiments,   using chemical knowledge, and considering where any errors could have   occurred in this analysis, it can be deduced the order of the reaction   with respect to H2O2 is first order. For KI, the results shown in the graphs 4, 5, and 6 show a similar   problem as found with H2O2, Graph 4 shows a gradually increasing   half-life, and Graph 6 shows clearly that the rate is proportional to   the concentration of KI. Therefore, for the same reasons as already   stated above for the reactions concerning H2O2, I deduce that the   order of the reaction with respect to KI is also first order. It is now possible to express these results in the form of a rate   equation, this will show the order of the reaction with respect to the   individual reactants, but will also allow us to determine the overall   order of the reaction.