1984 Metropolis Essay

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Pages: 6

The quote “The object of power is power” is heavily supported by George Orwell’s 1949 novel ‘1984’ and Fritz Lang’s 1927 film ‘Metropolis’ through their intertextual connections and shared perspectives. Both texts were composed around the context of pre and post World War 2 which is clearly evident through their settings, characterisation, themes and ideas. Through Orwell’s and Fritz’s use of dystopic societies, empowerment of women and detrimental dictatorship rule it is blatant that George Orwell’s quote “The object of power is power” is quite strongly supported by the intertextual connections and shared perspectives of Orwell’s ‘1984’ and Lang’s ‘Metropolis’.

Through the use of Orwell’s and Lang’s intertextual connections of
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The female protagonist in the novel, Julia, however is not as suppressed as she leads the organisation into thinking and begins to rebel against them. This is seen within dialogue between her and Winston when she says “I’m corrupt to the bone.” This juxtaposition between her and the suppressed masses outlines her rebellion against the tyrant power of the organisation. This links in with the contextual connection to the empowerment of women during the post World War 2 period as a result of women refusing to give up the power they had acquired during the war. Correspondently, Lang also uses this shared perspective of the rebelling of women in his film, depicted through the character of Maria. Maria is displayed as neither a citizen of Metropolis nor a worker in the depths but as a source of optimism and rebellion for the suppressed workers of the depths. Lang uses lighting to juxtapose her from the workers in the depths, illuminating her whilst keeping them in shadowed tones. This juxtaposition emphasises the rebellious mentality of Maria against the dictator of metropolis, Joh Frederson. Even though Maria’s rebellious nature is far more peaceful than Julia’s, she still epitomises the contextual connections of the empowerment of women as a result of refusing to give up the power they had acquired during World War 1. Through Orwell’s and Lang’s use of juxtaposition, it is evident that the shared perspectives of the rebelling of women and the intertextual