One of his biggest triggers is the milk from the Korova Milk Bar. His drink of choice, milk plus, by his own admission “will sharpen you up and make you ready for the ultra-violence” has a detrimental effect on Alex and his thought process. Once consumed, as various other drugs Alex’s self-control is lost deep inside his mind and the conditioned response of violence comes to the forefront in dramatic fashion. Alex’s has conditioned himself through his consumption of milk plus to act out his violent impulses. It is plausible that his conditioning is a direct reaction to the socialistic society that shows very little respect to the disenfranchised youth during that time period. The ultra-violent outbursts Alex displays could be a statement on his struggles against the oppressive society he is a part of. Alex and his droogs’ ultimate goal are to make the victims of their crimes appear to be the lowlifes of society and that they are being punished for their role in perpetuating the socialist agenda. Moreover, Alex has convinced himself of the delusion that he is a freedom fighter or the savior of a pre-socialist society…
Anthony Burgess’ dystopian novel, A Clockwork Orange, takes on the theme of free will and why it's highly crucial to people in society. In his novel, Anthony Burgess explores the absence of free will from a government project leading the main character, Alex, to become sick whenever he thinks of violence, leaving him defenseless, and having suicidal tendencies. After the undergoing the experiment, Alex finds the violent acts that he once loved are now unenjoyable and sickening whenever they are upon his mind. After his release from prison, Alex is left alone in the streets unable to fight back without getting sick. Lastly, realizing the effects of the experiment on his body, Alex concludes the experiment…
Firstly, Alex’s mentality radically changes as he faces one hardship after another. One instance where his mentality is challenged, is when he has to use his taekwondo skills to brawl for life or death. He had not known that he would ever have to use his expertise of taekwondo for self-defense, especially when his opponent wants to end his life. For one example, after Darla’s mom is brutally raped and…
Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt and A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess are two books with a similar environment. The books environments are influenced by a lack of humanity, lack of civility, and human spirit. Salman Rushdie quotes, “Literature is where I go to explore the highest and lowest places in human society and the human spirit.” Salman Rushdie’s quote and the books that have been mentioned above share the idea that we can explore and learn from these fictional or nonfictional situational environments. Both of these books teach and portray the cruel parts of human society and also relates to the quote from Salman Rushdie.…
In the novel A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess, the main character and narrator Alex undergoes a series of trials as he strives to figure out life. He starts out as a young delinquent who does whatever he pleases whenever he does. There is no one controlling him or enforcing rules upon him. He has complete and udder freedom over his own life, and it affects others in a negative way. His crimes catch up to him one day, and he is charged with murder and thrown in prison. While in prison, Alex must obey rules and regulations set by the prison guards, especially when he undergoes Ludovico’s Technique, a cognitive therapy technique to sensitize Alex to crime and violence. By this therapy technique, Alex is completely deprived of his free will. After he is released from prison, his lack of freedom drives Alex so far as to try to commit suicide. After his near fatal fall Alex’s want, and free will to do violent acts returns and he reverts back to his original ways. By the end of the story he has committed heinous crimes but eventually becomes a good person. Throughout the novel, free will and free choice are the main controversies. Free will can be described as “the doctrine that the conduct of human beings expresses personal choice and is not simply determined by physical or divine force” (“Free will”). Alex goes through periods of having total free will and having no free…
In reading the assignment and the article provided, I understand the norms associated with his decisions, and understand how he believes ignorance was bliss, as the politicians would say “Plausible Deniability”. Alex knew what he was doing was wrong, but chose to do it based on the environment he was in, he cannot honestly believe young and dumb will work.…
The case study presented is a young immigrant couple striving to better their lives in a country of opportunity. This couple has endured a hard-working life style to begin a new life as a young married couple in their own home. The problem that they encounter is that the young wife discovers she is pregnant, which may have been a joyous surprise to the couple, but an ultrasound revealed that the fetus has an abnormality of the absence of bilateral arm development and a 25% chance that the fetus may have Down syndrome. The dilemma is how the physician and young couple and family have differing beliefs of what it means to be human.…
The different pathways used by an individual when moving “into the world” are always framed by the societal context in which they exist. These pathways provide opportunities for the protagonist to experience a wide variety of growth and change. The process of moving away from the past and entering a new world is a complex one that involves sacrifice, change and a sense of unknown. The protagonist can be both willing and forced to make their transition into the world, as can be both prevented and encouraged by the opportunities and pathways they are given. The Novel, “Tom brennan” by J.C burke and the film “Billy elliot” directed by Robert Luketic explores the growth and changes that each protagonist must face in order to gain a new sense of knowledge, attitude and beliefs toward society.…
The book The Adventures of Huckleberry finn written by Mark Twain focuses on the character Huck and he had to fake his death and now hm and jim are run a ways.…
In the book The Age of Innocence, Edith Wharton shows the struggles of a man to choose between the safety that following social rules provides, and the adventurous dangers of choosing what is regarded as "morally incorrect."…
The Millicent’s who beat Alex up are just as bad as Alex. Yet they do it in the name of the state therefore their abuse is acceptable. One of the Millicent’s who treats Alex bad is actually one of Alex’s old friends that he used to raise all kind of Cain with Alex. Alex thought it was horrible when he was beat and raped but he never thought how bad it must have felt to the people he was raping and beating up. For a brief moment in the book it seemed as…
The metaphor and imagery of the title, a clockwork orange, symbolises what conformity does to a man. If we cannot choose where to belong we cease to be human but clockwork, or some type of deterministic mechanism. We need to be able to choose where we belong for if it is not chosen, its authenticity ceases. The novel ends with Alex choosing the path of goodness, the established normality of society. He states; “Perhaps I was getting too old now for the sort of life I had been leading, brothers” Alex chooses to belong to society, thus allowing a connection to be formed between him and the world. This sense of belonging is authentic as he has…
Is ignorance bliss? Or can true happiness come only from knowledge? In Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451, the protagonist, Guy Montag, lives in a futuristic, dystopian version of the United States in which knowledge is frowned upon, ignorance runs rampant, and uniformity is imperative. To fit in with the societal assumption that sameness equates to happiness, Guy feels he must conform and play the part of a contented citizen. However, Guy frequently finds himself questioning the validity of his society’s mindless, materialistic approach to life. This disharmony between inward thought and outward action catalyzes Montag’s desire for change, leads him to deeper introspection, and contributes to the novel’s central message that if one remains ignorant, one cannot truly be happy.…
One of the most important themes in O Pioneers! is the notion of morality. Alexandra's reaction to the murder certainly suggests that Cather is commenting on "morality" in some way. After the homicide of Emil and Marie, Alexandra has to reevaluate what the meaning of her life is. Alexandra has been working all this time to give Emil the freedom to do whatever he wants after their father passed away. Emil’s death gave her the green light to finally think about her needs. That doesn't mean it is easy for her; Alexandera can not forgive Marie for betraying her husband because that led to the death of her brother. Alexandera then shows sympathy towards Frank, Marie’s husband, and went to visit him in prison. She went to tell Frank that she wants…
Lastly, in our world today authors that write dystopian novels are trying to educate the new generation that the world that we live in is in fact dystopian. The author is sending a message that the emotion of fear drives choices. The thing someone fears losing the most becomes their reality and is a consequence of a fear made choice. There is always more to the story like how Mika believed Helen is a psychiatrist but when she tells him the truth she is taken and her apartment is raided. Children are bullied because of their differences like Mika was bullied. People don’t always think of consequences before making a choice or they think they can bypass the consequences. Doing the right thing sometimes means. As discussed, we live in a dystopian…