1984 And Metropolis Essay

The use of technology in Lang’s Metropolis and Orwell’s 1984 highlights the dystopian society, and how technology can (affect identity/challenge the future of humanity/reflect contemporary values. {Answer the question}. The Industrialisation of Europe after World War I enabled the use of new technologies that were rapidly appearing in the workplace, assisting and even replacing human labour. Technology is utilised in Metropolis as a means of control for the lower class. They are seen being treated like machinery, integrating with the equipment and becoming appendages of the machine, further dehumanising and stripping them of (humanity/identity). The workers walk in unison with each other, resembling the machinery they work with. They trudge …show more content…
After Germany’s loss in World War I, the Weimar Public assumed control, forming a democracy. Corruption and capitalism are strong themes in Lang’s film, mirroring the culture of Germany in the 1920s. There is a strong sense of class structure in Metropolis, which is characterised by the opening intertitles that are shaped in a triangle. The geometric shape exemplifies the distinct contrasting classes of the working-class and the elite. The bottom of the triangle is significantly larger, representing the overly large labouring class. This hierarchal structure is seen in Orwell’s 1984, with the overly large population of the uneducated proles. Furthermore, in the finale of the film, the workers are seen walking towards the cathedral in their orderly, triangular shape just after the rebellion that occurred. The symbolism of the triangle represents the oppression the workers are under in their hierarchal society, even after the mediation between the head and the hands. The future of the workers is uncertain, causing them to stay in the lower class. Therefore, Lang uses strong symbolism in his film to portray