Abstract A critical analysis of the controversial novel, "A ClockworkOrange" by Anthony Burgess. The writer examines the issues of morality vs humanity and how the character in "A ClockworkOrange" manages to swing back and forth from good to bad. The paper examines how this piece of literature still manages to shock people until today because people are amazed at how much they can identify with the main character.
From the Paper "Throughout history authors have used their works to explore various aspects of society. One of the most controversial yet analyzed works of literature in history is, A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess. The work has inspired and provoked many literary conversations around the world, and treated its readers to a uniquely brutal look at the dark side of human nature. In A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess portrays how man deals with conflict, which leads to the understanding and acceptance of differences through the use of conflict, theme, and philosophy."
Abstract This paper examines two great works, "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens and "A ClockworkOrange" by Anthony Burgess, as novels that fall under the Bildungsroman genre, which is a genre of novel that deals with the growth of the protagonist. The paper explains that the Bildungsroman novel chronicles the life of the hero from childhood to adulthood and the conflict that he meets and resolves on his way to wisdom. The paper then points out that some novels come under the umbrella of Bildungsroman but may contain few deviations such as Burgess' "A ClockworkOrange" and Dickens' "Great Expectations". The paper also looks at how compared to "A ClockworkOrange", "Great Expectations" is certainly a more conformist form of Bildungsroman but the one place where it deviates from tradition is the choice of narrator. The paper analyzes each novel in relation to Bildungsroman, and concludes that both novels are masterpieces in their own right, but Dickens's work is a better example of a true English Bildungsroman than Burgess' work.
From the Paper "Dickens has used an adult voice to narrate the experiences of a child which is starkly different from other examples of the genre where narrator is either a third person or is the protagonist himself who grows with the novel. Buckley, in his book, Seasons of Youth explains the origin of Bildungsroman and its three distinct categories. He further adds that English Bildungsroman tradition was different from that of German's since the former was "in its broadest sense . . . a convenient synonym for the novel of youth or apprenticeship" (13). Buckley's intensive research indicates that English bildungsroman was not always completely autobiographical."
Abstract This paper discusses how on the surface, the two movies "Sleeper" and "A ClockworkOrange" have absolutely nothing in common. One is a comedy fraught with amusing skits, while the other lacks any such light moments and is not an easy movie to watch. However, this paper shows that both movies are unarguably political in nature, and their themes are darker than they appear to be. They deal with subjects that are at once controversial and significant. What the government tells us may not always be true, and "politics is indeed a dirty game", are the two important themes that emerge from "Sleeper" and "A ClockworkOrange".
From the Paper "There is an element of deception in illustration of stories, which might make the movies appear simpler than they actually are but for regular moviegoers, it is easy to unearth the darker undertones. For some odd reason, both movies leave you with a negative feeling and a heavy heart despite Allen's movie being a comedy. Its slapstick humor fails to remove the thick clouds of political messages that are bombarded at the viewer and similarly Clockwork Orange doesn?t even attempt to mitigate the heavy impact. It wants you to see the movie in its true light and understand the gravity of its messages."
Abstract The novel, "A ClockworkOrange," by Anthony Burgess, is quite intriguing and also a little strange. It speaks of a world where violence lurks just around the corner and where large amounts of crime take place on a nightly basis. In this story, some people simply seem to do as they please without questioning whether their actions are right or wrong. This does not just occur in the story, but it also happens in real life. This is so because people have the power to choose. In other words, people have free will. Along with the power to choose, people also possess flaws in their character, which can have a very negative affect on a person's life. This paper discusses how Anthony Burgess's "A ClockworkOrange" is a story about a boy and his downfall, overconfidence, love of classical music, and the importance of free will.
From the Paper "The narrator's second downfall, which becomes obvious by the end of this passage and chapter, is his love for classical music. When Alex is inside the old woman's house, he suddenly sees a bust of "Ludwig van himself," which becomes the sole focus of his attention for a moment (Orange 62). This shows how the protagonist's passion for music distracts him so much that he slips on the milk saucers and falls down. When this happens, the old lady takes her chance and begins to hit him. The struggle between Alex and the old woman gives the police enough time to arrive and for Alex to be arrested. This is a perfect example, and there are many more throughout the story, of how the narrator's love of music disrupts what he is trying to accomplish. This particular downfall is partially the reason he ends up in prison."
Looks at how Stanley Kubrick's film, "A ClockworkOrange" deploys aestheticized violence as a means of exploring not only social control, but also relations among men and women in society.
Abstract This paper explores early feminist readings of Stanley Kubrick's film, "A ClockworkOrange", and, in examining their dismissal of the film for its supposed misogyny and anti-feminist message, shows that the film's ultimate "message" may in fact be a lot more subversive than early feminist readings would attest to. The paper maintains that Kubrick is showing us a rather extreme, aestheticized reflection of the relations between men and women in society, as the artist perceived them. What "A ClockworkOrange", then, presents us with is an aestheticized version of violence that comes about not merely as a means of social control, but as the result of relations between men and women that have been strictly codified by norms of gender that are then left unquestioned.
From the Paper "Rather than beginning by exploring the role that women play in "A Clockwork Orange", I would like to ask another question that is more pointed: What role does feminism play in "A Clockwork Orange"? Before we begin to answer that question, a brief overview of the film's plot: "A Clockwork Orange" follows the misadventures of a gang of young male hoodlums, or "droogs," led by anti-hero Alex. The gang's sole pleasures include "ultraviolence," listening to classical music - especially Beethoven, and raping women."
Tags: misogyny critics droogs anticulture, phallic symbol
Abstract This paper explains that, in Anthony Burgess' novel "A ClockworkOrange", the protagonist "criminal" Alex is portrayed as a victim of British colonization or having to live the right way. The paper relates the purely nonsensical colonization process by which puritanical Britain believes that it can save a criminal or a nation from savagery and turn them into humans. The paper argues that, in the novel as in real life, the British government fails because identity cannot come from colonizing or the Ludovico's technique but rather from growing up and being able to see youth as something other than a piece of clockwork.
From the Paper "After the treatment, Alex becomes the epitome of what it means to be colonized. With no identity of his own and a confusion of being pulled between the desire to return to how he once was, but unable to break the physical inability is not uncommon to colonies who have completed their treatment. Wanting to move away from the British culture and become sovereign, there is still a physical barrier and the British culture being only they really know. Everything becomes "committed to socially acceptable acts, a little machine capable only of good." "
Abstract This paper provides an analysis of Anthony Burgess' novel, "A ClockworkOrange". The author discusses the plot, setting, language, themes, and pays close attention to the psychological aspects of the book-morality pitted against absurd practices in a society that needs change. The paper examines Modernist literature, and categorizes Burgess' novel as a social satire, much like Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal".
From the Paper "All the literature that has ever been written can be reduced to a few essential plots ? perhaps indeed merely two plots. There is the story of the quest ? for everything from the Holy Grail to the maiden whose foot will fit inside the enchanted crystal slipper. And there is the story of the battle of good versus evil and which of these forces may win in the end. Anthony Burgess's 1962 novel A Clockwork Orange is an especially creative version of this latter archetype. This paper examines the author's use of plot, characterization and setting to demonstrate both his inventiveness and the ways in which he is pouring the new wine of this dystopic world into the old bottles of Good versus Evil. "
Abstract This paper explains the differences between good and evil, the idea of forced moral perfection, and the question of reality as portrayed in the movie "A ClockworkOrange". The paper also summarizes the movie and analyzes some of the most important scenes .
From the Paper "Moral freedom has been defined as the ability to perform both good and evil actions. It is possessing the ability to choose right from wrong and act the way that you alone choose to act. Without the presence of evil, one does not have the moral freedom to choose good, and vice versa. In A Clockwork Orange, Alex personifies moral freedom. Throughout the movie, Alex is never without the ability to choose between good and evil. Although the government conditions him to feel ill when he encounters violence, he does not choose this feeling, so in fact, he still has moral freedom. With Alex's narration of the film, one can see that he tries to put the blame of his actions onto others, but, he in fact, is to blame for his actions because he alone has to make the choice between performing evil or performing good."
Abstract This paper compares the role of punishment and its significance in the two novels "A Handful of Dust" by Evelyn Waugh and "A ClockworkOrange" by Anthony Burgess and creates the implication that it was just intervention for the characters that deserved it.
Abstract This paper examines examples of operant conditioning in "A ClockworkOrange" by Anthony Burgess. The paper discusses those examples in terms of Burgess's interpretations, as well as in relation to behavioral psychology as a whole. The paper presents Burgess's view of operant conditioning and behavioral psychology as a dangerous, deadly pursuit of sameness and control over mankind.
From the Paper "First, it is important to discuss what is meant by conditioning. In the mid-twentieth century, psychologist B.F. Skinner, in the footsteps of such scientists as Pavlov and Watson, sought to examine ways to achieve the ideal society. According to Skinner, the way to achieve this was through the restriction of personal freedoms through behavior modification. This modification included the use of systematic rewards or punishments, and the use of those rewards and punishments with behavior association. As Skinner described, humans could be modified to act in specific ways by encouraging those behaviors through rewards. Conversely, humans could be just as easily manipulated away from given behaviors through the use of punishments. If the stimuli were presented consistently in association with any given behavior, Skinner theorized, those behaviors would become intertwined with the stimuli (Zimmer, 1999)."
Abstract This is a comparison and contrast paper on the work of author Anthony Burgess and the film of Stanley Kubrick in "A ClockworkOrange" to the early 1970s movement in punk rock. In the film, the main character, an anti-social "punk" named Alex, is as memorable for his unique and exaggerated appearance as he is for his horrible behavior and crimes. In particular, the paper compares the novel/film main character of Alex, to "The Sex Pistols'" Sid Vicious.
From the Paper "A Clockwork Orange has received little, if any, credit for either ushering in, or serving as the original concept for all things "punk." Rather, that distinction has gone to the Sex Pistols; although it is easy to visualize Sid Vicious and girlfriend Nancy Spungen lounging in a drug induced and wasted way in an expensive hotel room, appropriately trashed to punk pleasure by the pair, watching Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange. However, the horror and disgust of the Burgess/Kubrick character was played out on screen, not in life, as were the misguided antics of Sid Vicious. "
Abstract This analysis of Anthony Burgess' "A ClockworkOrange" focuses on the character of Alex and his "badness." The argument presented suggests Alex's "badness" stems mostly from a repressive state that uses violent measures to control its citizens which undermines the capacity for free will.
From the Paper "There are a number of explanations for Alex's badness that can be offered after a reading of Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange. One explanation could be that his dysfunctional family motivates him to express his frustration..."
Tags: violence, drugs, choice, free speech, Ludovico Technique
Abstract This paper discusses "A ClockworkOrange: The Visions of Anthony Burgess and Stanley Kubrick". The paper suggests that while the original and the screen adaptation both masterfully capture the troubled and violent life of Alex de Large, both versions do have some strong variations on points of emphasis that a person familiar with both will most certainly vividly notice.
From the Paper "A Clockwork Orange: The Visions of Anthony Burgess and Stanley Kubrick As an example of Twentieth Century Novel writing and Cinema, A Clockwork Orange stands as a classic in both genres. While the original and the screen adaptation both masterfully capture the troubled and violent life of Alex de Large, both versions do have some strong variations on points of emphasis that a person familiar with both will most certainly vividly notice. On the other hand, if an individual were to only experience one and not the other, the basic thematic structure would still be experienced from either work in itself."
Abstract This paper discusses the book "A ClockworkOrange" by Anthony Burgess. The paper discusses the concepts and issues presented in the book, specifically whether man consists of good and evil and whether he has freewill. It then discusses whether man's freewill can overcome conditioning and make him the man he never really was in the first place. The paper discusses the story in the book and concludes that man should be able to maintain his own freewill without interference from others.
From the Paper "The aversion therapy consists of Alex's exposure to videos of constant violence, crimes similar to those Alex committed with his pals. The scenes of violence are then paired with overwhelming nausea, meaning that if Alex performs violence himself, he will become deathly ill. Alex is then released into the world, considered to be a reformed man, no longer capable of the horrors which had previously defined his life."
