Summary Of Government Propaganda In 'The Quietus'

In the novel by PD James, government propaganda is expressed through a first hand account by Theo in his diary. At one point, Theo goes to visit Jasper, an old professor of his. After chatting about other matters, Jasper asks Theo if he has ever heard of the Quietus, a government program of mass suicide of the elderly. Theo responds with, “Only what I read briefly in the newspapers, or see on television” (James 47). He also recalls a peaceful commercial of an old woman being helped onto a ship and drifting peacefully towards a sunset. Unlike in the movie where one can see and hear these messages of conformity, the reader must rely on Theo’s account in order to experience this element. This reveals to the reader that Theo is definitely exposed to propaganda

One technique was the long shot where the main subject can be fully seen with a background. For most of these shots, while something is going on in the foreground, a viewer must turn their attention to the background in order to notice any messages. In the film, the Quietus is not specifically talked about like it is in the novel. Instead, there is a scene that shows Theo waking up, and in the corner of the room, a commercial for the Quietus, very much like the one described by Theo in the novel, is being displayed. A viewer might miss this if they were not paying close attention. Cuaron continues this technique throughout the film, putting messages on billboards or commercials in the background of seemingly mundane scenes. Much of what the viewer can learn about how England’s government influences its citizens is only shown in the background. This way, none of the films limited time is wasted explaining governmental control, but it is still apparent. Eventually, the governmental pressure seen in dystopian fiction becomes very clear to the audience watching the