Oppression In Metropolis

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, Metropolis by Fritz Lang and the provided images use a variety of techniques to convey oppression and rebellion. However, the ability of a text to represent oppression and rebellion is impacted by the historical context of the text and the personal context of the audience. Oppression is when authority or power is misused in a cruel or unjust manner and rebellion is resistance against authority or control. Different contexts provide different meanings to each text although they represent the same basic ideas of oppression and rebellion.

Nineteen Eighty-Four was published in 1949 and utilizes the fear surrounding World War Two and Hitler to warn against totalitarian society, under which fascism is a key
The purpose of Newspeak is to simply language so much that it is not possible to think a rebellious thought, because there are no words for it. “But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought” this quotes shows the Party’s final intention is to limit language so that no citizens could possibly rebel or think about rebelling against the Party. Language is not often thought of as something that can affect a person’s thoughts. However, an explanation of Newspeak soon reveals otherwise, which alarms readers as they believe that thoughts can not be controlled. This is especially true at the end of the novel where in a juxtaposition to his beginning thoughts Winston and the readers learn that the Party manipulate their citizens into loving Big Brother. Therefore, the control of language creates a way for the Party to oppress the citizens of Oceania because it limits the thoughts that they can think and that shocks
Music informs the audience about what is happening and who the scene is concerned about. Musical motifs are used and manipulated to provide information about the character but also to convey the emotions of the character. The first motif that the audience hears is the motif for the city of Metropolis, however it is soon followed by the workers motif. Fast paced, high-pitch sequences are used to represent the eternally moving machinery that the workers operate. A plodding brass drive accompanies and accents the sounds of the machines. Dissonant chords are used to create unease and tension, but also unkemptness. However, the plodding brass drive is heard again when the audience are introduced to Joh Fredersen, thus, creating a connection between the workers and Joh. Consequently, the audience realise that Joh and the workers are similar but also different and that something is missing between them. Freder’s motif, however, is played by light instrument, such as wind and string instruments. His motif creates a sense of majesty, which although it may be shaped to show different emotions, still remains. Thus, motifs in the music influence alter to fit the situation and the characters that are involved to create a deeper engagement between the movie and the