The fear of a dystopian future explored in both Fritz Lang's film Metropolis and George Orwell's novel 1984 reflects the values of the societies of the time and context of the authors. Since the authors are considered conduits of their societies and their historical period, it could be said that both Nineteen Eighty Four and Metropolis are themselves didactic pieces of history. This is expressed through how they effectively articulate the aspects of life that were particularly valued by Weimer Republic Germany and post-World War II England, and the authorial choices and themes of each that arise as a direct result of the context in where both texts were conceived. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Concepts of power and authority within both Nineteen Eighty Four and Metropolis explore the values and attitudes of each of the societies from which the lyrics come. Metropolis, conceived in the years of the Weimar Republic, allliterates the fear of a dystopian future through a totalitarian corporate regime. Germany's transition from empire to republic and from monarchy to presidency also promoted a ferocious capitalist drive to increase economic profit. This is clearly visible in the absolute capitalist domination that Joh Frederson exercises over the city. 1984 features the fear of absolute power in domination that is established throughout the novel in references to The Party and details of Oceania's hierarchical system. Both of these post-war speculative texts were created as commentary on their respective political contexts and previous wars. Nineteen Eighty Four focuses particularly on the consequences of introducing an all-powerful government and allowing the development of socialism such as Orwell's fictional government system, "Ingsoc" which stands for English Socialism and is a commentary on the National Socialist Party in Germany during the World War II. The content of both Fritz Lang's Metropolis and George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty Four encapsulates the dystopian vision of the imbalance of power that was the result of the values and attitudes of the societies from which they were conceived its impact on society and politics are central to both Metropolis and Nineteen Eighty Four and are often used to represent the shortcomings of the nature of the societies of both texts. Technology is a central theme in the science fiction genre and is extremely important in both Metropolis than in Nineteen Eighty Four. Postwar societies were interested in the advancement of technologies stimulated by the First and Second World Wars respectively for each text. The policy in place in 1984 encapsulates this way of thinking in one of the Party's slogans: "WAR IS PEACE" as warfare often requires retaliation in the development of technology for further advanced forms of warfare. Where technology in 1984 is used to maintain oppressive government regimes and the Party's absolute power, technology in Metropolis is supposedly used to improve the lives of citizens. In the Moloch scene, Freder imagines machines consuming people, ironically showing the true beneficiaries of the city's technology. This is further evident later in the film when the workers go on strike and the city collapses into chaos. Orwell and Lang's contemplative visions of technology in a dystopia encapsulate the fear of the unknown, particularly with technologies that people cannot control or may lose control of in the future. A lack of freedom and choice is depicted in both.
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