The language used in literary compositions serve functional purposes that portray the author’s intensions (Simpson, 1997:8). Barrère (1889:xiii) defines Argot as a bastardized language used villains, whom enjoy sinful or bloody acts of human anguish, disguised by veiled humour. The author, Antony Burgess named his Argot- Nadsat. Defined in Burgess’ novella by Dr. Branom as "Odd bits of rhyming slang,” "a bit of gipsy talk, too. But most of the roots are Slav. Propaganda. Subliminal penetration” (Burgess, 2011:86). In Burgess’s novella, A Clockwork Orange, the Argot is used for alienation, to buffer the violence and to characterize the protagonist. In this essay it will be proven that in Stanley Kubrick’s film adaption of the novella, Kubrick …show more content…
For instance, Alex rapes two 10 year old girls and comments, "They looked like they had been in some big bitva, as indeed they had, and were all bruised and pouty….They were creeching and going ow ow ow as they put their platties on, and they were like punchipunching me with their teeny fists as I lay there dirty and nagoy and fair shagged and fagged on the bed.” (Burgess, 2011:51). The Nadsat buffers the violence in Alex’s acts and makes it obscure to the reader, however realization will set in (O' Keefe, 1999:33).
To achieve the same buffering affect in the film, Kubrick uses a variety of techniques specifically in the above noted rape scene. Kubrick casted two girls closer to Alex’s age to disconnect the viewer from the violent rape as the novella describes. Additionally, Kubrick accelerated the scene on top of the Allegro Vivace composition, William Tell Overture, by Gioachino Rossini to tone done the violence even further (McDougal, 2003:14). The scene concludes before the viewer has realised the
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All the teens use that… "(Burgess, 2011:120) When it comes to Nadsat proficiency, Alex speaks it superlatively in comparison to the droogs. After imprisonment Alex continues to address the reader in Nadsat. Ravyse (2014:5) believes that the intent of this is to create a ‘brotherhood’ with the readers and in return they sympathies with Alex and his ill treatment. In agreement with Kohn (2008:10) Alex may be a teenager using immature language, however he is an exceptionally intelligence teenager using language to manipulate not only to the fellow characters but also the readers.
Kubrick (1971) introduces the viewers to the juvenile protagonist in the opening medium close-up of Alex’s devilish face, one eye lashed and all, thereafter the camera moves backwards to display Alex in the middle of the droogs drinking drugged milk. Alex is portrayed as the devilish leader of group being situated in the centre. During the Lodovico treatment the viewer witnesses how Alex is strapped into a straightjacket, his eyes being forced open with metal clamps in a close up shot (Kirby, 2015:300). Kubrick manipulates the viewers with this frame to pity and sympathies with
“Analyse, evaluate and compare the techniques used to dim the horror of the real life events discussed in the novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and the film Life is Beautiful.”
When describing Anthony Burgess’s invented language Nadsat, the writer and psychologist Theodore Dalrymple stated that “as a linguistic invention, it is an equal of Orwell’s Newspeak” (Dalrymple). Newspeak, the language in 1984 sponsored by the government Ingsoc, and Nadsat, the Russified English spoken in A Clockwork Orange, are both meant to be devolved forms of English that are inferior to those spoken in the real world. Both dialects are prominent throughout their stories, showing the importance of conveying their themes. Newspeak and Nadsat are very effective in making their respective points on the dangers of devolving language and stifling free will, but the ways in which they do so differ significantly. Orwell uses the storylines in 1984 as an expression of beliefs on the devolution of language, while Burgess uses the devolution of language to enhance the storyline of A Clockwork Orange.
The use of the phrase “viddy him swim in his own blood while we counted the takings”, shows how criminals such as Alex and his “droogs”, can get away with such vicious acts of crime so often that it has become a hobby for them as they take so much enjoyment from the acts. Also the casual tone depicted from the text suggests the careless nature that Alex has towards the vulgar acts. These combined together add to the theme of corruption in society in ‘A Clockwork Orange’.
Burgess' A Clockwork Orange, a critically acclaimed masterstroke on the horrors of conditioning, is unfairly attacked for apparently gratuitous violence while it merely uses brutality, as well as linguistics and a contentious dénouement, as a vehicle for deeper themes.
The cinematography of this film features numerous close-ups of its adolescent protagonists as well as point-of-view shots acquired predominantly from their perspective, thus making the viewers position themselves firmly on the boys’ side of
Not only does A Clockwork Orange present Burgess' view on behavior science, but it also contains an invented language mixed in with English. Being well educated and having a background in languages such as Russian, German, and French, Burgess created a language known as Nadsat. Nadsat is influenced by Russian, German, English, Cockney Slang, and it also contains invented slang. The language has a poetic feel to it and Burgess' writing contains context clues that help the reader determine what the unknown language means. The history of what
Anthony Burgess's writing style in his most famous novel, A Clockwork Orange, is different to say the least. This novel is praised for its ingenuity, although many are disturbed by Burgess's predictions for the future. However, for many, it is close to impossible to comprehend without outside help. This is because Burgess created a language specifically for this novel, called Nadsat. This Russian-based language forms conversations between the narrator, Alex, and his teenage, delinquent friends. There are many assumptions as to why Burgess chose to complicate A Clockwork Orange by filling it with the confusing Nadsat language. Some opinions are that the language shows A Clockwork Orange readers
The use of music as a motif in (Stanley Kubrick, A Clockwork Orange 1962)] creates a lens so that the viewer is able to recognize the trend that violence has to destroy an individuals identity. Although Alex (Malcolm McDowell) clearly associates violence with his own individual identity and sense of self, he consistently reveals the impossibility of remaining an individual in the face of group-oriented violence. The images that music create coincide the destruction of Alexs identity, either through compliance to a groups style of violence or through failure to embrace the similarity of group actions associated with violence. As the movie progresses, musical imagery follows the exit and return of his personal identity as a role of his
“The Validity of Restraints on Alienation in an Oil and Gas lease” explains whether the new clause in oil and gas lease should me made enforceable or not. Under the existing law when landowners are approached by the companies offering for oil and gas lease, landowners make an assumptions that they have prevent their unwanted transfers of lease interest, however it is still unclear under existing laws. “The reasons that privately-imposed restraints on alienation are sometimes invalidated simply do not apply to a restraint within an oil and gas lease. Rather, the relationship created by an oil and gas lease justifies enforcement of restraint clauses that have been bargained for by the
Window, by Alfred Hitchcock. This male gaze idea is present in most forms of media that
The film ‘O’ directed by Tim Blake Nelson is a recognised contemporary interpretation of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy Othello, which addresses a number of issues that are relevant to a modern day audience compared to that of the past. The director of the film has changed crucial parts of the play which makes the play such a classic, which has essentially ruined the literary value of Othello. This is evident for a number of concepts including, the overt links between the play and film, the power of words and language and Iago and his motives
The film ‘Boy’ (2010) uses a range of techniques to construct an effective mise-en-scene. Taika Waititi (director) has been able to create aesthetically pleasing scenes to communicate to the audience about the setting, characters, story and themes. The sequence at the beginning of the film is an appropriate example of the good use of mise-en-scene.
In part one of the novel, we witness the ability of free will that Alex possesses and his ability to choose between good and evil through contrast presented by darkness of night and lightness of day. At the beginning of the novel, Alex and his droogs (friends), Pete, Georgie, and Dim are at the Kovova Milkbar, roaming the streets and committing violent acts during night. Alex and his droogs encounter an old man who is drunk and is singing a sentimental song. Alex instantly chooses the path of evil with the free will that he encompasses, and along with his droogs they beat the old man while laughing at his misery. The old man complains about the “stinking world” and says, “It’s a stinking world because it lets the young get on to the old like you done, and there’s no law nor order no more.” (Part 2, Chapter 2, Page 12) At night, Alex uses violence and chooses to beat, rape, and murder innocent people because it shows that he has freedom of choice and has authority and power in society. Alex’s interpretation of darkness and night is, “The night belonged to me and my droogs and all the rest of the nadsats (teenagers), and the starry bourgeois lurked indoors…” (Part 1, Chapter 4, Page 33). In contrast,
“Nevertheless, when the first American edition of A Clockwork Orange was published in 1963, it had not only a glossary but an afterword by Stanley Edgar Hyman. The glossary confirms the preponderance of Slavic-based or more particularly Russian-based coinages, and the afterword still stands as the most comprehensive discussion of nadsat. Even though Hyman surprisingly confesses himself unable to read Burgess's book without
In Depth Character Analysis on Alex Besides the protagonist in A Clockwork Orange, who is Alex? Many times we only look at main characters with an outsiders perspective. The characteristics of a character are important, but the main characters are often made to be so much more in the inside by the author. Most simply, from an outward perspective, who is Alex? What shaped Alex to be violent?