Conditioning and Mind Control Essay
An Orange, a Tomato, and Mind Control:
A comparison between Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange; Jonathan Demme’s The Manchurian Candidate; and George Orwell’s 1984 in relation to mind control and human conditioning.
Mr. Robinson
ENG 4U
Nykki Armstrong
January 10. 13
The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse – Edmund Burke
Muammar Gaddafi, Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler all have one vital thing in common; these men all had an overwhelming greed for power and control. It was through fear and subtle conditioning that they won their power, and it was at the height of their power that the societies they had oppressed rebelled. Just as Edmund Burke says “the greater the power the more dangerous the abuse”, it was their abuse of power that led to their demise. This idea of how achieving complete power over society and the individuals therein through conditioning cannot last forever, and will inevitable lead to a rebellion and retaliation is explored by the novels 1984 by George Orwell and A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, as well Jonathan Demme’s film The Manchurian Candidate. Both A Clockwork Orange and The Manchurian Candidate develop this theme through the use of an unlikely anti-hero (who is also the spokesperson for the authority attempting to gain control), the individual struggle to maintain the most basic control (while the authority counters their every effort), and the juxtaposing symbols (that mirror how society is violating the natural order).
In Burgess’ novel the protagonist, Alex, is a typical delinquent; he breaks any and all rules without any concern for the repercussions. Naturally, the reader comes to dislike him. Unexpectedly though, Burgess makes the reader feel Pathos for Alex, as he becomes a test subject for the government’s new Ludovico Technique. In an attempt to rid the streets of teenagers like Alex, they select him – being the worst of them all – to become their spokesman of sorts. The doctors
A comparison between Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange; Jonathan Demme’s The Manchurian Candidate; and George Orwell’s 1984 in relation to mind control and human conditioning.
Mr. Robinson
ENG 4U
Nykki Armstrong
January 10. 13
The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse – Edmund Burke
Muammar Gaddafi, Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler all have one vital thing in common; these men all had an overwhelming greed for power and control. It was through fear and subtle conditioning that they won their power, and it was at the height of their power that the societies they had oppressed rebelled. Just as Edmund Burke says “the greater the power the more dangerous the abuse”, it was their abuse of power that led to their demise. This idea of how achieving complete power over society and the individuals therein through conditioning cannot last forever, and will inevitable lead to a rebellion and retaliation is explored by the novels 1984 by George Orwell and A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, as well Jonathan Demme’s film The Manchurian Candidate. Both A Clockwork Orange and The Manchurian Candidate develop this theme through the use of an unlikely anti-hero (who is also the spokesperson for the authority attempting to gain control), the individual struggle to maintain the most basic control (while the authority counters their every effort), and the juxtaposing symbols (that mirror how society is violating the natural order).
In Burgess’ novel the protagonist, Alex, is a typical delinquent; he breaks any and all rules without any concern for the repercussions. Naturally, the reader comes to dislike him. Unexpectedly though, Burgess makes the reader feel Pathos for Alex, as he becomes a test subject for the government’s new Ludovico Technique. In an attempt to rid the streets of teenagers like Alex, they select him – being the worst of them all – to become their spokesman of sorts. The doctors
Cited: Burgess, Anthony. A Clockwork Orange. London: Penguin Books, 1972. Print. Orwell, George. 1984. London: Penguin Books, 1987. Print. Demme, Jonathan, dir. The Manchurian Candidate. 2004. Paramount Pictures. DVD-ROM. Olsen, Bruce. "A Clockwork Orange." Masterplots, Fourth Edition (2010). Journal. Freedman, David H. "The Perfected Self." Atlantic Monthly June 2012: 42-52. Literary Reference Center. Web. 9 Jan. 2013. .