"Arrowsmith", "Metropolis" and "Modern Times"

Paper Summary:

This paper takes a look at Sinclair Lewis' book "Arrowsmith", Fritz Lang's film "Metropolis" as well as Charlie Chaplin's film "Modern Times". The author reviews and summarizes all three works and comments that they all have one thing in common as work of arts: Each one has science and technology and the effects of both on society at the forefront of their stories. The author also notes that the three works are ahead of their time while being socially relevant to their time at the same time. Today we face many of the same dilemmas and feelings as are depicted in the works: feelings of displacement, lack of attachment to our jobs and society, and feelings of being powerless.

From the Paper:

"Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times", set in 1930s Great Depression era is a film that is especially relevant today as our economy sees the worst financial crisis since the 1930s. The film is poignant in that it speaks for the people of that time who were unemployed, hungry, and living in poverty. The film is valid today because it speaks to a society that lives to work. In the film, we see people racing out of the subway station to get their work. Anyone who has lived in a city like New York or London knows the feeling of trying to get to the job on time, everyone in the subway pushing through the doors at the same time. One feels almost like a cow in a herd. This is the feeling of "Modern Times"."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Lewis, Sinclair. Arrowsmith. Signet Classics: March 4, 2008.
• Maland, Charles J. Chaplin and American Culture. Princeton University Press: February 1, 1991.

More papers on "Arrowsmith", "Metropolis" and "Modern Times":

• Analytical Essay # 44183 : "Frankenstein" and Modern Times"
• Analytical Essay # 144548 : "Roger and Me," "Modern Times" and the Philosophy of Labor"
• Analytical Essay # 148154 : "Sappho's Poetry: Implications For Classical Greece And Modern Times"

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