36194537 How do texts composed in ‘Worlds of Upheaval’ emulate their sociopolitical contexts to showcase the aspirations and motivations of individuals? Texts composed in ‘Worlds of Upheaval’ emerge in direct dialogue with their zeitgeists, significantly showcasing the aspirations and motivations of individuals and society. Where the complexity of individual and collective lives in times of socio-political upheaval activates change in the attitudes and perspectives of readers. This is exemplified through Franz Kafka’s 1914 absurdist novel, The Trial as a way of reflecting his Austro-Hungarian context which was under the power of the corrupt Soviet Union. The use of this narrative form explores how the motivations of a corrupt judiciary …show more content…
Scott’s Blade Runner draws upon the late 20th century’s neoconservatism and the scientific innovation of the information age to evoke the upheaval caused by the motivation to exploit technological advancements for one's personal gain. The predicament of the abuse of technology for the benefit of higher-class corporations is established through the Voight-Kampff test, a measure of the bodily functions and emotive responses to visual stimuli to differentiate between replicants (androids) and humans. This is an example of the way in which technology can be used to dehumanise and control individuals and society with the “belief that mind can furnish the formula for controlling the dynamics of change… and that political power can transform society into a community tinged by truth”. Thus, this reflects Scott’s concern about the ways in which corporations and governments use technology to surveil and control people in the post-modern world, relinquishing their privacy and autonomy. The consequences of such are established when Leon, a minor character, destroys his ‘tester’, demonstrating the skewed power dynamic between Holden and Leon. The low camera angles in this scene, positioned from Leon’s perspective, establish Leon as a more dominant character and his subsequent murder of Holden solidifies this theory. This in conjunction with the use of slow motion highlights violence, chaos and upheaval in the dystopian world and promulgates the beginning of the rebellion against corporate power from the lower individuals. Within the future-noir style of the film, the replicants, bioengineered androids who are exploited by the Tyrell corporation, act as a metaphoric motif throughout the film for the way in which many corporations prioritise profit over people and exploit works and resources