Animal Farm, by George Orwell Essay -- Animal Farm Essays

The main purpose of satire is to attack, and intensely criticise the target subject. This is superbly carried out in the classic piece of satire, Animal Farm. The main targets at the brunt of this political satire are the society that was created in Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, and the leaders involved in it. George Orwell successfully condemns these targets through satirical techniques such as irony, fable, and allegory. The immediate object of attack in Orwell's political satire is the society that was created in Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. The events narrated in Animal Farm obviously and continuously refer to events in another story, the history of the Russian Revolution. In other words, Animal Farm is not only a charming fable ("A Fairy Story," as Orwell playfully subtitles it) and a bitter political satire; it is also an allegory. The main target of this allegory is Stalin, represented by Napoleon the pig. He represents the human fr ailties of any revolution. Orwell believed that although socialism is a good ideal, it could never be successfully adopted due to uncontrollable sins of human nature. For example, although Napoleon seems at first to be a good leader, he is eventually overcome by greed and soon becomes power-hungry. Of course Stalin did too in Russia, leaving the original equality of socialism behind, giving him all the power and living in luxury while the common pheasant suffered. Orwell explains: â€Å"Somehow it s...

A Clockwork Orange: Political Impacts

A Clockwork Orange: Political Impacts When A Clockwork Orange was released in the early 70's it was instantly seen as controversial sparking huge amounts of criticism in America and Britain from renowned film critics, government officials and members of conservative groups. In the late 60's Western society and culture was changing along with Western Cinema as a result of the old studio system collapsing, signalling the end of Classical Hollywood films.With the rise of television into popular culture and a drop in box office successes, running from 1947 to the late 60's, it was made apparent a new and fundamentally different product was needed. A younger audience for cinema was developing, interested in films that reflect their generations experiences, resulting in the creation of the anti-hero. Films like Easy Ryder (67), Bonnie and Clyde (67) and The Wild Bunch (69) didn't show traditional values and ideologies usually seen in Hollywood films. Instead it showed outlaws as the protag onists fighting against the older generations dated views through violence.When A Clockwork Orange was released in both Britain and America it was given an X-rated certificate as well as limited distribution in spite of the films box office success and various awards. Upon the release of the film in America, conservative forces protested against the film being showed and a number of American newspapers refused to advertise it. In august 1972 Kubrick withdrew the film from American distribution for 60 days resulting in a reedited version, cutting out 30 seconds of the most violent material. The MPAA then promptly changed the rating from X to R although both versions continued to circulate as the hysteria died down.However in Britain the controversy of A Clockwork Orange started before its actual release. In the Mid 60's the initial script, written by Terry Southern and Michael Cooper, was rejected by the BBFC, under government pressure, who stated ‘there is no point reading the script because it involves youth defiance of authority and we're not doing that'. This generally showed the British attitude towards censorship at the time and pathed the way for the films future problems. The BBFC however eventually accepted a later version of the script on the grounds that the controversial materials were justified by the story.The controversy continued near its release with the Conservative Home Secretary Reginald Maulding demanding to see the film to assess it's dangers to British society and a right-wing censorship group ‘A Festival of Light' petitioned for the film to be banned completely. In 1973 the Hastings council banned A Clockwork Orange on the grounds that it was ‘violent for it's own sake' and had ‘no moral' . In 1974 after a series of supposed ‘copycat' killings inspired by the film caused Kubrick to withdraw the film completely from British distribution. It remained withdrawn for 27 years until Kubrick's death in 1999.

Similar Gothic Elements in the Work of Edgar Allan Poe and...

Similar Gothic Elements in the Work of Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe are considered masters of American gothic fiction. They used similar gothic elements in their writing and used it to build up a sense of impending doom. Even today numerous readers enjoy, study, and discuss the gothic elements both utilized in their work. Gothic writing is a style that is concerned with the dark side of society, an evil that lies within the self. Poe and Hawthorne contributed stories which contained dark struggles between characters and society with its rules of order of the time. Gothic writing is fantasy meant to entertain despite the fact that it depicts the political and social problems†¦show more content†¦For it is only within the context of this nightmare that one can explain why â€Å"Usher,† occupies such an important place in the 19th century development of the Gothic genre. With great attention to economy of expression and unity of effect, this pattern would be revisited by countless other Gothi c stylists† (Dougherty 6). This means that Poe used the fantasy of impending doom in â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† to change it from being just an upper class dream, to a tale of horror which brought together some of the political situations in the nineteenth century such as those of race and class. Hawthorne and Poe successfully incorporated gothic elements in their writing which provides greater insight to the meaning and interpretation of their works. Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe utilized specific literary elements to bring their stories to life for their readers. For instance, Poe uses imagery to transform â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher,† into a rebellion of inharmonious elements. The house has the same structure as a human head, with windows shaped like eyes, and as it begins to fall into disrepair so to do the humansShow MoreRelatedGothic Literature : The Dark Side Of Romanticism1518 Words   |  7 PagesGothic literature is the d ark side of Romanticism. The theme of Gothic stories is either mysterious, horror, or even death. Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe are authors that demonstrate Gothic literature. Some of their work include, â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† written by Edgar Allan Poe and â€Å"The Birthmark† by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Cask of Amontillado tells how the narrator Montresor seeks revenge on his acquaintance, Fortunato. Montresor to desperate measures and did not catch. However, inRead MoreGothic Fiction Of Hawthorne And Poe Essay1919 Words   |  8 PagesGothic Fiction of Hawthorne and Poe When discussing gothic fiction many early authors come to mind, Mary Shelley, the Bronte Sisters, Bram Stoker, and Oscar Wilde, to name a few, were all exceptional European writers of this style. As for American authors, there are two names that hold top places of honor, Edgar Allan Poe, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Poe, with his talent for lyrical, poetic prose and conveying the macabre, is considered by many to be the master of gothic fiction. However, HawthorneRead MoreHistory of the Development of the Short Story.3660 Words   |  15 PagesThe Short Story. Basic Literary Elements of The Short Story. 1.1.History of The Development of The Short Story. 1.1.1.Early Forms.Origins. The short story refers to a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, usually in narrative format. This format or medium tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas (in the 20th and 21st century sense) and novels or books. Short story definitions based upon length differ somewhat even among professional writersRead MoreSupernatural in American Fiction Essay2928 Words   |  12 PagesGhost hunting clubs, alien-searching satellites, and psychics are only a few of the many outlets available to Americans in modern times. Media plays a large role in arousing the publics interest in the fantastic.21 The novels of Anne Rice, a gothic-horror writer, appeal to a large audience, and her three book series have quite a cult following. Her two main series are The Vampire Chronicles and The Mayfair Witches.22 The Vampire Chronicles portrays modern vampires through a vampires eyesRead MoreANALIZ TEXT INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS28843 Words   |  116 PagesAny literary work is unique. It is created by the author in accordance with his vision and is permeated with his idea of the world. The reader’s interpretation is also highly individual and depends to a great extent on his knowledge and personal experience. That’s why one cannot lay down a fixed â€Å"model† for a piece of critical appreciation. Nevertheless, one can give information and suggestions that may prove helpful. PLOT The Elements of Plot When we refer to the plot of a work of fiction, then