A Clockwork Orange Sociological Analysis Essay

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The 1971 film A Clockwork Orange recreates the occurrences within Anthony Burgess’s 1962 novel of the same name in a manner which allows for in-depth sociological analysis based upon factors such as symbol, language, and meaning in relation to human communication. Symbolic Interactionism— a theoretical perspective in which society is viewed as composed of symbols that people use to establish meaning, develop their views of the world, and communicate with one another— may be utilized as a sociological lens from which to view the classic film.
Throughout A Clockwork Orange, The main character, Alex, interacts with his friends, or “droogs,” through use of a fictional Russian-influenced English slang known as Nadsat that includes words or phrases such as viddy (view) well, appy polly loggy (apology), eggiweg (egg), eunuch jelly (gutless coward), baboochka/soomka (old
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The Ludovico Technique involves the conditioning of criminals to avoid discouraged behaviors based upon their reactions to nausea-inducing drugs in combination with footage of macro (or large-scale) tragedies and (in Alex’s case, at least) compelling musical fare. Good counters evil once more with the film’s inclusion of Alex’s Christ-figure collection and subsequent montage in which the figures seem to perform a somewhat sacrilegious kickline to the tune of Ludwig Van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. The film frequently juxtaposes culturally profound musical pieces (such as Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony or Gene Kelly’s Singing in the Rain) with Alex and his droogs’ ultraviolence (violent acts seemingly lacking justification.) Consequently, the contrast between society’s beloved music and despised violence is dissolved to create further obscurity of good and