Summary of Future Almost Lost: Dystopian Science-Fiction Film essay

The essay Future Almost Lost: Dystopian Science-Fiction Film discusses the apocalyptic features present in many science-fiction dystopian films. It analyzes the themes, narratives, settings and feelings in those films that warn the audience about certain pathways that could be taken in the future. It analyzes a wide variety of films and topics, including alien invasions, annihilation of the human race, destruction of the environment and a struggle to survive, totalitarian governments, etc.. A number of films are discussed in this essay, several of which we have watched in the class such as THX 1138, The Road, Nineteen Eighty-Four, Minority Report, Gattaca, and Soylent Green. 

The Road

The Man and The Boy must survive through a post-apocalyptic earth on their way to a hopefully warmer southern climate in The Road. Although it is not clearly stated what caused the earth’s decay, the Man’s narrations and flashbacks allude to some sort of nuclear war and environmental destruction. The mass destruction of their environment leads The Boy and his father towards the south, searching for food and warmth while avoiding cannibals, of which there are a lot of with the lack of resources.  

The Man becomes extremely sick, but clings on to his life just to get his son to the ocean. He believes the closer he gets to the ocean, the closer the boy will be to safety. Upon reaching the coastline, The Man dies leaving the boy to remember the things he has taught him, and to continue on southward. A man and his family find The Boy on the beach and take him in as their own soon after The Boy is left on his own, making The Man’s will to survive all the more worth it

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The earth’s lack of light and the brown filter used in the filming emphasize the decaying planet. In contrast to this, the “fire inside” term the two use a lot display hope and warmth. The lack of colors is depressing and highlights how generally hopeless and devastated the world they are trying to survive in is. Light is so scarce in this world that the bright flashbacks are a stark contrast to the now dying earth. The essay Future Almost Lost: Dystopian Science-Fiction Film agrees with the effect of the filter and lack of color, stating “In The Road, the power and force of the uncanny landscape and the burned-out, abandoned homesteads and homes, and the power and force of the bodies that wander and hope and hunt and cannibalize one another, bring one to an experience of the future as painfully intimate, physically present, and overwhelmingly sensational.”

A strong theme I found in this film was the idea of the dignity of death, and with that, the right do die. The Wife, seen only in flashbacks, tried to kill herself, and eventually does, just to avoid being eaten by cannibals and her awful fate otherwise. The Man tells her “We have to. We will survive this. We are not gonna quit,” to which she responds “I don’t want to just survive. Don’t you get it? I don’t wanna. Why won’t you let me take [The Boy] with me”.  She reasons that "Sooner or later they will catch us and they will kill us," she says. "They will rape me. They'll rape him. They are going to rape us and kill us and eat us and you won't face it. You'd rather wait for it to happen." The Man knows she is right, and when they stop at a car in the road in the beginning of the movie, The Man explains to his son how to kill himself the right way with the gun. Furthermore, The Man is prepared to shoot his own son to protect him from the cannibals. Anything would be better than what the cannibals would do to them, yet The Man still holds out hope. 

The Man knew that if there was any chance of getting eaten, he would have to kill his son and himself, but still had the hope of getting his son to safety up until his very last breath. All he had was his son, and although there was nothing else to live for but him, he had to make sure he was safe. The Man had hope that there was safety somewhere, and had hope that The Boy would live to see a better future. 

Feminism in The Hunger Games

Following a time full of destruction, the continent of North America became the super-country of Panem. Separated into 12 separate districts, it exists under the rule of the totalitarian President Snow. We learn that a thirteenth district had once existed, but was completely destroyed during a brutal national rebellion. This was the beginning of the development of the annual Hunger Games, where one boy and one girl, between ages 12 and 18, are chosen by lottery from each district as tributes to fight to the death. The Games serve as a reminder as to the power of the government. I believe the film was a wonderful display of feminism, though there were many other themes touched upon as well.

The main character and heroine of The Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen played by Jennifer Lawrence, volunteers herself as tribute during the Reaping in place of her younger sister Prim who was originally chosen by the lottery. In doing this within the first 10 minutes of the movie, she defies gender roles by exhibiting “masculine” and “feminine” traits. Her “feminine” traits include that she is family-centered and selfless, seen when she volunteers herself as tribute. Her selflessness, compassion and family-centeredness are seen alongside with her overwhelming courage to volunteer as tribute and composition afterwards show the mixture of both “feminine” and “masculine” traits. 

Another example of her clearly “feminine” and “masculine” traits is her behavior in the household and outside of it, from the beginning of the film. It is evident by how Katniss provides for her mother and sister by hunting and the dynamics between her and her mother. In this case she is both the “bread-winner” or authority in the household more then her own mother, as is she family-centered and caring.

Moreover, at the age of 16, one would expect her to have a keen interest in the opposite sex, yet she does not. In fact, she has two suitors throughout the movie, Gale and Peeta. Yet despite both of their efforts to win her over, she is clearly not interested. Though she must fake being madly in love with Peeta over the duration of The Games, it is just for the sole purpose of getting sponsors. Her rough attitude can be understood as “masculine”, however I believe her behavior comes from her own sense of self. She has the brains, the beauty, and a goal of her own that she must achieve. 

Katniss is not a “man-hating feminist” by any means, yet she displays many characteristics that empower women, and have empowered many young girls who have seen this film. She becomes a strong, yet nurturing woman in the film, while being fiercely independent. Katniss is a very complex character that many young women today can identify with. This was not one of those films where the helpless female character needs saving by a man, but where she can rely on herself. 

A World at Risk: Unreliable Media and the Culture of Fear

In essay A World at Risk: Unreliable Media and the Culture of Fear, Monica Martin discusses several dystopian films that warn against global threats, as well as increased political and media  presence. Among these films are V for Vendetta, Children of Men, and  Nineteen Eighty-Four. The films presented in the essay display fear of being exploited by the government, she says, as they refer to “ongoing military conflicts and social debates”, which “position these narratives at the centre of a politically conscious cinema”.  

Gattaca

Imagine a world where you are discriminated against not by your appearance or skin color, but by your genes. If you have bad eyesight, a gene for a predisposition to heart disease, or even for a tendency towards the reckless, you are at a disadvantage. In the world of Gattaca, this is the struggle that many natural born citizens must deal with because their genes were not genetically engineered to be nearly perfect. The film showed a different look at discrimination, where the main character Vincent was limited before he even began his life and found out who he really was. 

Vincent had wanted to work at Gattaca as an astronaut since he was a child, but because his parents wanted to leave some things to chance regarding his genetic makeup, he was born inferior to others who were “pre-ordered” genetically. Vincent was born with a high chance of heart failure by the age of 30 and bad eyesight, yet he quickly learned that by staying healthy and athletic he could avoid heart failure.  In order to get into Gattaca’s program, he must pass all of the genetic tests they throw at him, including but not limited to urine tests, blood samples, or one of his eyelashes. Because of his “In-valid” genetic composition, he has no chance but he does have the drive and determination to go after his dream. Although completely illegal, Vincent “borrows” ex-athlete and now paralyzed Jerome Morrow’s perfect set of genes in order to move ahead and get into the program. 

  Vincent has a few things going against him in his situation, though with his “perfect genes” he was able to fly through the ranks at Gattaca. With a murder investigation taking place and increased security measures, Vincent must avoid being discovered. Towards the end, he does end up being discovered by the Gattaca doctor, Lamar, who says “For future reference, right-handed men don’t hold it with their left. Just one of those things.” Yet Lamar alters the test results to let Vincent proceed regardless. 

The film was very powerful and insightful with genetic engineering already occurring today to avoid certain complications. The degree of discrimination that occurred in this film was on point with discrimination that occurs today, though the basis of it were completely different. Additionally, it shows that despite being given every possible advantage, Jerome was unable to succeed. He took advantage of the gifts he had and did not have any willpower to try harder and win in his athletic career. On the other hand, Vincent had such willpower and spirit to break the law just to achieve his dream and succeed in his journey despite all of the obstacles he faced. 

The terminology of “valid” and “in-valid”  showed how bad the discrimination could be should we take science further in determining the fates of our children. Many of the issues about genetic engineering were addressed in Gattaca, and poses many important questions. Vincent’s pure spirit allowed him to not play the victim, and overcome his genetic disadvantage.

The Truman Show

The Truman Show was one of those rare films that are both disturbing and delighting at the same time. Jim Carrey stars as Truman Burbank, a 30-something year old man who has lived in the town of Seahaven all of his life. 

The big secret is, however, that the town of Seahaven is completely made up for the purposes of a reality TV show. All of the people in Truman’s life, including his closest friend and wife, are hired actors. The film is not blatantly a dystopia, however it warns against media influence throughout the entire movie.  The essay Unmasking the Real? Critique and Utopia in Recent SF Films states that The Truman Show focuses “on the television’s role in the production of an illusory reality”. These messages are relayed through a dark sense of humor that support the message of falseness of reality TV. 

The same essay compares the film to reality TV shows that actually exist such as Survivor and Big Brother, where hidden cameras are aplenty. Although the people in these shows know that they are being filmed, the concept is relatively the same. When Truman starts to become suspicious that he is being watched, actors that he knows as friends or family are sent to try and ease his conscience. Despite their efforts, Truman still escapes from the utopian world he was set up to live in. We see Christof and his crew manipulating Truman’s world throughout the entire movie, where we see how much of a false reality his life really is. When he finally tricks them and gets to the edge of the dome, he simply escapes. We as the film’s audience do not see him having any larger self-realization, just like the essay says. 

What I found to be really compelling about this film was how it displays many of the ideals that occur in reality television today. As I said before, we see Christof manipulating Truman’s world and attempting to adjust and deal with Truman’s own life choices in order to still be in control of the outcome the producer’s want. In order to keep the show running and entertaining, the outcome must be something the audience wants. Then, the audience feels like the show is authentic, while it is completely staged by the producers despite the “characters” free will. 

Additionally, the film shows the power of the media. The Truman Show is televised 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, for the duration of Truman’s life since birth. People are truly addicted to this show, even sleeping with the TV on while Truman sleeps as well. His life inspires audiences, therefore making a huge impact on their lives because they think what happens in the show is real and authentic. Like in the reality TV shows that are broadcasted in our homes, The Truman Show fakes reality and influences audiences based on false premises. Unfortunately, these things work because humans accept so many things without a question. 

When Science Fiction Writers Used Fictional Drugs: Rise and Fall of the Twentieth-Century Drug Dystopia

The essay by John Hickman, called When Science Fiction Writers Used Fictional Drugs: Rise and Fall of the Twentieth-Century Drug Dystopia,  analyzes the use of dictional drugs in several novels that have been published in the past. One of the novels he analyzes that I have previously read is Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley. John Hickman discusses the effects of the fictional drugs in these novels, and how come this subgenre has pretty much died out. These drug dystopias “served as vehicles for their authors to warn about the utility of pharmacology to tyranny either by the reduction of entire populations to docility or by assaults on the integrity of individual minds”, he says. These ideas were clearly seen in the films THX 1138, as well as in Fahrenheit 451. 

Children of Men

Children of Men was a very powerful film that made quite an impact on me. There were many references in this film to the theme of hope, as well as religion and world peace. Although they were not completely obvious, those references would have been very powerful to any worldly educated audience. The issue of infertility is presented once again in the film, like it was in The Handmaid’s Tale, however the approach to it was much different. 

The film brought out the anxiety about declining birth rates in the world today, like the essay When Science Fiction Writers Used Fictional Drugs by John Hickman says, unlike The Handmaid’s Tale, where there was a solution proposed. In this case, no solution existed except the hope provided by the Human Project. Other then that, despair is seen throughout the film due to the inability to reproduce. It switches the infertility from male to female but does not explain the cause of these unfortunate circumstances. No matter the cause, however, the issue in the film brings upon a complete anarchy, where guerrilla violence and bombing become an unsurprising occurrence.

Another reference in this film was to religion, that I noted with the title itself. “Children of Men” sounded biblical to me, so I looked it up. "Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men,” Psalm 90(89):3 is the exact passage. Additionally, the guerrilla British terrorists were named “Fishes”, who protected the rights of refugees in the film. Kee also jokes that she is a virgin, when she is carrying the first baby to be born in almost two decades, an allusion to the Virgin Mary. Despite these clearly Christian references, there were other religions referenced that I found extremely interesting. In the final credits, the words “Shanti, Shanti, Shanti” appear. I am half Indian, so I understood completely what these words signified, although many might not. The word  means “peace”, but also references rebirth through an end to violence. The amount of violence seen in this movie superimposed with the sacredness of new life was perplexing, yet the words “Shanti, Shanti, Shanti” further drive the point home. 

The Miracle Cease Fire scene really got to me, and also helped point out the paradox of this society. The cease fire occurred when everyone heard the baby crying, yet once they had gotten to safety with it, they kept taking more lives. What was the point? If they had such respect for innocent young human life, how come they did not have it for each other? Rebirth was such an important concept in this film, although I’m not sure that many people understood it. Hope and faith went hand in hand with birth, yet they were unachievable if society was so willing to take lives like that. I do not know if faith in humanity would have been restored should fertility had been restores as well, because the humans in this film had no regard for life. I believe the theme of rebirth had more to do with the adult human generation in this film than it had to do with producing future generations. 

Minority Report

Having not already seen Minority Report, I was quite impressed with the its’ concept. The storyline was quite complex, yet I’d really like to focus this week’s paper on the philosophical and moral questions posed in this film. Based in future Washington D.C., murders are prevented by “PreCogs”, three gifted, mutant humans who can see crimes that will occur in the future. It is very effective in Washington, where they have been using this method to reduce the murder rate by nearly 100 percent. The main concern is, however, how can people be arrested before they have actually committed a crime? Is there a difference between premeditation of a crime and the actual carrying out of a crime?

The setting is one week before the vote for the National Precrime Initiative, which would make precrime the  standard all over the continental United States. Lieutenant John Anderton, played by Tom Cruise, has complete faith in the system to begin with. It is not until he finds out about a murder about to occur within 36 hours, with the perpetrator as himself, that he tries to find any holes in the existing system. Because he does not know the victim the is supposed to murder, he believes there is something amiss.

        What is very troubling is that he finds out that the Precrime program is not one hundred percent accurate all of the time. He learns about the Majority report, or the two visions of the future that are most similar out of the three. The one vision that deviates from the others is ignored, however that vision (the Minority report) still has a 1/3 chance of possibly occurring. We realize that the flawed system is responsible for the arrests of many innocent people because the only report that was taken into consideration was the Majority report.

This now brings up the classic question that has been debated for thousands of years if not more: free will versus fate, and whether or not free will can alter the future. Another question to be pondered is, does the knowledge of ones future begin a chain of events that lead to that future? These questions have been asked in Greek stories, especially ones by Sophocles including Oedipus Rex and Antigone. In these tragedies, not only does fate cause the hero’s downfall, but so do his or her own actions which further supports knowing ones future can still lead to that future. 

In the film we see that free will in fact can alter the future when Burgess shoots himself, when the precognition was for him to shoot Anderton, instead.  I truly believe that although this film was dystopian science fiction, it truly brought up important questions completely relevant to today. Not only the moral questions, but questions as to how much surveillance is too much? Retina scanning is something that already exists and that was a major technology in the film.  The government already monitors our web browsing, the stores we visit by tracking our email subscriptions, and there are video cameras everywhere. How long until what we are thinking could be incriminating as well? 

Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale: Critical Reception

In Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale: Critical Reception essay, the author analyzes the major concepts of the novel, including feminism, religious fanaticism, and pollution. It both critiques feminism at the same time as it critiques misogyny by both questioning and respecting feminist ideologies. The author considers the postmodern elements to the novel, providing connections to the feminist theme. Additionally, the author discusses how much the novel is actually classified as dytopian sci-fi or not. “Just as the novel does not offer a conventional dystopian vision, neither does it offer a simple feminist solution to complex problems,” is an excellent quote that summarizes the purpose of the essay.

Conforming by not conforming: Fight Club

“The first rule of Fight Club is: You do not talk about Fight Club. The second rule of Fight Club is: You do not talk about Fight Club.” Even if you haven’t seen this movie until now, you know that quote from everybody else having said it at one point in their lives. This film was received well among audiences and critics, rated at an 8.9 out of 10 on IMBD. However, many critics expressed concern that the film would start copycat behavior with all of the violence displayed in it. The film could be misinterpreted as an endorsement of violence instead of a warning against what could happen when men get sick and tired of day to day life to the extent that they get a little crazy. 

The Narrator is one of those men, tired of the drudgery of his life. He travels often for his job, feeling the effects of jet lag constantly, and is an insomniac. He defines himself by his possessions, as we can see with the view of all his stuff in his apartment.

 This consumeristic mindset he is in is is line with the mindset of his society, yet he is empty. He is not complete. Because he is so dissatisfied with his life, he goes to his doctor seeking help. All the doctor says to do is to visit a support group, where the Narrator finds great solace in others misery.

 The connections he makes at the support group help him sleep, and he becomes a support group ‘tourist’, jumping from group to group to find peace. He notices another woman doing the same thing, Marla, where he is then disturbed and disgusted that the therapeutic support groups no longer help him. 

The Narrator meets his alter ego, Tyler Durden on a flight home from one of his business trips. Though he does not know it yet, he is both men. He starts Fight Club, in search of something more substantial than his daily life. In order to break out from the confines of society, the men in Fight Club can unleash their anger and really connect with another person by beating each other to shreds.

 This was a key example of non-conformity, however it was taken to another level. In not conforming to the day to day life of living in a consumeristic society, the Fight Club still conformed to Tyler Durden’s philosophy. And his philosophy is somewhat correct, he just takes in to the complete next level by destruction and terrorism. He says in the film, “We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our great war is a spiritual war. Our great depression is our lives. We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars, but we won’t.” He is completely correct in his philosophy, that “The things you own end up owning you,” as we have seen in the Narrator’s own empty and unfulfilled existence. 

It’s no wonder that critics were concerned about copycat behavior, as when this film was released, these feelings did exist among many men. The film takes these feelings and thoughts to the extreme, however it wasn’t so implausible. The message of the film was clear to me, yet I can see why critics were still concerned if people didn’t think about it. Consumerism and material goods are not important, and what is important is that humans need to feel connected to one another. Beating each other to the pulp is probably not the best way to do that, yet especially with the fact that Columbine had recently happened when this film was released, the copycat effect was a legitimate concern. 

A Handmaid's Tale

“Remember you are not her equal. You are her Handmaid. That is your role in life.” That is one of the most important messages an Aunt gives Kate on her way to her placement. In this future version of the United States, called Gilead, war is rampant and society is ruled by puritanical extremists. Although this country is male-controlled and oppression is dominant, there are really only two male characters that we see throughout the entire movie. In fact, because the men are holding positions of power or fighting in the war, the society has created a hierarchy of women, though they are still being oppressed. 

Aunts, dressed in brown robes, teach moral values and enforce the law. On the other hand, Handmaids are dressed in red and have been stripped of all rights they have as human beings. Their only role is to breed babies, as pollution has caused most of the population to be infertile, and buy groceries. In one scene, at the ‘Handmaid training school’ so to speak, we see one Handmaid-to-be put on display in front of the others. The Aunt instructs the Handmaid to tell everyone what happened to her. The Handmaid tells the story of how she was raped by six boys, whom she thought were her friends. The Aunt proceeds to tell the young girl how it was her fault, how she led those boys on, and that she was a whore. This is how the oppression of women thrives in this film, although men are rarely present. 

Kate, who loses her husband and daughter at the beginning of the film in an attempt to escape the country, is placed to the military Commander and his Wife, Serena, where her duty is to conceive a child for them. Throughout the film, the Commander does not seem like a bad person at all, but his role in oppression and the background plot forces him into the role of an enemy towards the end of the film. Though her role is to bear a child for the Commander and his Wife, she does not become pregnant after several months. Serena encourages Kate to try conceiving with someone else they trust, choosing Nick the chauffeur. Kate is shocked, proclaiming “But you can get hanged for that!” Shockingly, we see the reality of it at a prosecution, where public hanging occurs. Like long ago, this seemed like a form of entertainment for the crowd, seen as many of the women were cheering in the film.

           

        After Kate starts getting involved with Nick, things move pretty quickly, and Kate’s character really goes from one thing to another. She goes from widow to Handmaid, to secret lover of the family chauffeur, to rebel, to assassin in the matter of an hour and fourty-five minutes. Luckily, after all that happens, she has the resistance to help her escape to the mountains after she murders the Commander.

          As a viewer of the film, the plot towards the end really jumped around. The saying “that escalated quickly”, really applies to this. If I barely could keep up with these changes that truly seemed random, the character Kate definitely not. Her character seemed passive throughout, barely showing any true emotion. 

This film truly had no substance. It’s concept was good, and from what I read about the book, it had a lot of potential. “The novel’s complexities and ambiguities have encouraged constant rereading and reevaluation,” The Handmaid’s Tail, Critical Insights author claims. Unfortunately, the film turned a challenging book into a film simply about how ridiculous women can be and how to keep them in line. 

They Got Me a Long Time Ago”: The Sympathetic Villain in Nineteen Eighty-Four

The essay “They Got Me a Long Time Ago”: The Sympathetic Villain in Nineteen Eighty-Four by Tony Something analyzes what he calls the ‘sympathetic’ villain. The ‘sympathetic villain’ is “implied to have been, in his younger days, something of a failed rebel himself and thus may be termed a “sympathetic” villain in both meanings of the word: each has some measure of sympathy for the dissident protagonist, and each, by virtue of his own tragic lost potential, receives more sympathy from the reader than a mindless drone ever could,” according to the essay. He examines the fact that although O’Brien savagely tortured Winston Smith, he still felt sympathy for him. Smith even felt friendship towards him. The essay analyzes O’Brien, and shows how sane he is compared to the rest of the society around him. 

THX 1138

The film THX 1138 was created by George Lucas, the director of the famous Star Wars. In his world where sex and love are outlawed, Lucas’ use of visuals and sounds greatly enhances the plot. His use, or disuse of color demonstrates the truly mechanistic theme of the film. The characters and extras in the film are all dressed in identical white clothing, heads shaved completely bald whether man or woman, and are all named by a 3 letter prefix and a 4 number suffix instead of a real name. 

All of the rooms and hallways are completely white as well, except the surveillance rooms which are darkened for viewing purposes. This imagery gives off the impression of a sterile, identical environment where everything should be the same. In those darkened surveillance rooms, screens show everything and we can understand that everyone is constantly being observed. This further supports how this society is seemingly completely under control and mind-numbing the already robot-like population.

The mind-numbing is taken to a whole new level in this film, where taking drugs is mandatory. In fact, all THX-1138 has to do is go to his medicine cabinet, which we see in the first few seconds of the film, and tell it “what’s wrong”. The purposes of these drugs are to inhibit feelings at all.  When THX asks the medicine cabinet for “something stronger” to keep his feelings at bay, we see how truly controlling the society is.

 Even more astonishing is that ‘drug evasion’ is a crime. THX’s roommate LUH-3417, seems to have feelings for him, though she shouldn’t. While he watches disturbing but methodical TV, she switches his pills. The visuals on the TV include a police robot beating a man and pornography, which further shows conformity and how whoever is in charge in this society wants its citizens to not be able to think for themselves. 

THX-1138 falls for LUH-3417 as he gets off his previous pills and onto the new ones. They make love, the ultimate crime in this society, and are only caught when he is at work and slips up. THX is arrested and held in custody. The visuals and sounds here are interesting, as we see him in another large white empty room.

 LUH finds THX to tell him that she is pregnant, but we find out later on that the baby is survived while she is not. THX manages to escape alone through quite a long car chase through a maze of tunnels. 

          I believe the ending scene is one of the most powerful scenes of the film. THX climbs out of the city and emerges to the view of a sun setting, and a bird flying. Everything he had understood and been told was a lie. His entire society was built underground, and whoever was in charge of this society kept almost everything from its citizens. 

Two Minutes Hate - 1984 - Opening Scene

The film 1984’s first scene opens with a giant movie theater, full of silent and attentive people. Called ‘Two Minutes Hate’, this is a daily period in which members of Oceania’s Ministry of Truth are forced to watch a film showing their enemies: Emmanuel Goldstein, Eurasia and Eastasia, and express their hatred for them.

  We see Winston Smith, a man who secretly hates Big Brother and a “thoughtcriminal”, sitting quietly for awhile among his coworkers. 

As the film calls for yelling and screaming, almost every person in the entire crowd participates, including Winston a few seconds behind the others. The purposes of this daily display of hatred are to minimize individualism at the start of workers’ days through crowd psychology, and to redirect frustrations and negative feelings towards Oceania’s enemies through brainwashing.

Crowd or mob psychology studies how people succumb to this mob mentality and how their behaviors can often turn violent, as seen mildly in the film where Julia throws something at the screen. 

According to South University, “When people are part of a group, they often experience deindividuation, or a loss of self-awareness.” This was evident in the majority of the crowd immediately, and I believe this is the goal of the totalitarian government of Oceania. Because thinking for oneself is outlawed in this nation, the loss of self-awareness every morning is quite a good tactic for minimizing individualism. Additionally, “Groups can generate a sense of emotional excitement, which can lead to the provocation of behaviors that a person would not typically engage in if alone.” When Winston Smith had just arrived, he was not participating. However, by the end of the short film, he was participating along with the rest of the crowd, ritualistically chanting “B…B”, meaning Big Brother. The power and high energy of the crowd overwhelmed him, and for a brief period it seemed as if he truly agreed with the film. 

              Another purpose for this brief, daily display of hatred is also for brainwashing purposes and redirecting pent up negative emotions. Because citizens of Oceania are so controlled in this film and novel, the government knows they are frustrated. The totalitarian government is completely aware that by outlawing individualism, the ability to think for oneself, and the ability to do what one wants instead of what one is told to do, the citizens are not exactly content. However, by forcing them to watch this film at the start of every day, they are able to redirect these emotions towards the country’s enemies. 

I believe this scene was a great opener to this unforgettable film. The forces of the totalitarian government in the film can even be seen today in our world, which is extremely frightening. So many people in the world believe anything they read on the internet or see on TV, when more often then not the entire story is not being told. The ‘Two Minutes Hate’ film plays on the audiences fears, which is something that very well happens today as well in all forms of media. It is imperative that we learn from this to think for ourselves, and question the media, as Winston Smith and Julia did until they got caught. 

Source: http://source.southuniversity.edu/examining-the-mob-mentality-31395.aspx

Fahrenheit 451, Soylent Green, and Compare/Contrast by Booker

Beginning with the mysterious opening credits, the eerie sounds throughout the entire movie enhance the feeling that something is not right in this world of Fahrenheit 451. We continuously see how truly dystopian the world is as the plot really develops. The oppressive government of this world has placed a ban on books, of which the Captain of Fahrenheit 451 says makes people “unhappy”. He even says, “The only way to make people happy is to make people equal, therefore, we must burn the books!” 

The “firemen” who burn the books, the consumption of colored, unnamed pills dispensed by the government to control citizens emotions, and how citizens like Linda Montag feel like part of The Family broadcasted on their TV, all demonstrate the mind-numbing, media-filled, consumeristic society they live in. 

The movie begins with the main character Guy Montag and the rest of the firemen crew finding books in somebody’s house and demonstrating the burning of them for the public to see. Before he meets Clarisse on their version of a subway, Montag sees nothing wrong with the burning. He only starts questioning it once he meets her, someone he describes as “quite like [his wife]”. Clarisse, unlike Linda, asks many questions which starts Guy Montag questioning  his already doubtful beliefs, and begins reading books. Despite Montag’s change in ideals, the firemen continue to do their duty. The music when Montag is sneakily reading books is uncomfortable, displaying the fact that he is doing something he shouldn't be. By burning these books, the government attempts to eliminate the imagination of the public and their ability to think for themselves. Few do, in this Fahrenheit 451 world. 

Not only does the elimination of books diminish the ability for citizens to think for themselves, but so does the government dispensed pills many people take to control their emotions. In fact, once Linda Montag overdosed on these pills. Apparently it happened quite often, according to the people who basically pumped her stomach. Another man was seen taking a “stimulant pill” to give him courage. 

During the scene above, where Linda overdoses, the music is somewhat frightening and uncomfortable which only supports the disturbing theme of the film. Finally, Linda’s addiction to the TV demonstrated how mind numbing the consumeristic society was. She considered the people on the broadcast as her family, and even called them Cousin. When she shut off the TV, she brought a little radio version of it to the bedroom and watched that.

          It was blatantly clear that the effects of the pills and the broadcast numbed her mind so much that it seemed as if she couldn’t think for herself at all. The only things that ever really came out of her mouth were things she had been told by the government. 

Evidently, the oppressive government was affective in suppressing individual and independent thoughts. By the end of the movie, Montag is found out, but he and Clarisse escape the dystopian society and join the “book people”, who commit books to memory. 

Soylent Green takes place in an overcrowded version of New York City in 2022. Unlike Fahrenheit 451, this version of the world is quite similar to our own, and could even be a plausible look into our future. The film shows a future in which this city is essentially decaying and the environment is collapsing. As Solomon Roth, the investigating assistant to Detective Thorn says, “How can anything survive in a climate like this? A heat-wave all year long—a greenhouse effect! Everything is burning up!” 

              However, like Fahrenheit 451, I believe that what happens in Soylent Green is a result of the past and present consumeristic United States of the film.This is demonstrated by the present Soylent Green business itself, and the present socio-economic difference between the select few elite in the film, and the rest of the citizens of New York City who are struggling to survive in the environment they live in. 

The socio-economic difference between the elite and the rest of the citizens of New York City is, what I believe, drives the horror portrayed in this movie. Though the plot revolves around Detective Thorn  and Solomon Roth, and their discovery of what Soylent Green actually is, there are many other horrors seen in the film. The biggest horror of them all is finding out that Soylent Green is actually processed human bodies. 

The poverty and destruction seen in this film also causes social unrest. Due to the population size, 40,000,000 people in one city, food, which is mainly Soylent Green, is rationed. Even so, the company could only produce so much, thus not having anymore available. We see in the film the riots and how the police, including protagonist Thorn, use “scoopers” to pick these rioters and place them essentially in the garbage.

           Like Harry Harrison says in his essay “The Wretched Refuse of Your Teeming Shore”: Overpopulation and Social Breakdown", the situation we see in the film is "horrific". We also see many homeless people left to the forces of nature to fend for themselves. 

Furthermore, we see the Soylent Green business profiting from human death, specifically the elderly. In the film, they say they cannot risk losing their profits, and along with that their power. They would instead try to murder those who investigate their business. The governor of New York City ends up telling a hit man to target Detective Thorn, endorsing his murder. 

I believe that the entire root of the situation presented in the film, however, as Solomon Roth said in the beginning, is the past consumeristic United States and how it majorly contributed to global warming and environmental destruction. If not for that, Soylent Green would not have been produced, and the business side of it would have never come to be, even with such overpopulation.

The past of the United States in the film being the consumerism that fueled environmental destruction greatly contributed to the Soylent Green business and the socio-economic gap between classes of society. The Soylent Green business and the gap between classes of society furthermore created a horrible dystopian version of the world we live in today.

To summarize “Compare/Contrast: Media Culture, Conformism, and Commodification in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit451”, Booker compares Farenheight 451  to Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World as well as other dystopian novels. He adds the time period the novel Fahrenheight 451 came out in, during the Cold War. Booker compares the banning of books in the novel to the Nazi Germany, where the burning of books did actually occur. He continues his essay on the similarities to Brave New World’s consumerism. He analyzes the “crucial role of the media” in “every aspect of American life” as well. The title of his essay really says it all.