The silencing of language by autocratic dictatorial leaders is an abuse of power that has brutal consequences on society. The consequent destruction of creativity and individual expression leads to submission and a collective inability to revolt against such despots. The displays of corruption by these leaders is demonstrated through their mass manipulations of the collective, which are enforced by oppression and dehumanisation. Throughout the twentieth century, there was significant social and political upheaval as a consequence of rapid industrialisation, war, and extreme class disparity. The dangers of such regimes are explored in the futuristic, dystopian worlds of Fritz Lang’s, Metropolis and George Orwell’s, Nineteen Eighty-Four. Despite contrasting textual forms, these texts present a resounding message of the imminent dangers of the changing social …show more content…
The historical context and textual form of Metropolis enrich the responders understanding of the dangers of total state control over the individual through propaganda, panoptical surveillance and loss of creativity in 1984.
The devastating impact of industrialisation and its effect on the erosion of liberty and compassion is effectively explored in both Metropolis and 1984. Lang specifically examines the negative consequences of technological advancement with no due consideration for the welfare of the individual. This is clearly represented through the paradoxical heart machine and Maria’s doppelganger Maschinenmensch. The Maschinenmensch is a gynoid of Maria that was created by the irrational scientist, Rotwang who was building a replica of Hel, “Let 's all watch as the world goes to the devil!” The symbolism of Hel’s replica is linked to the devil by the large satanic