Social Manipulation: A Comparison of 1984 and Metropolis Anonymous 12th Grade

Dystopian speculations of the future reveal the ill-kept promises of capitalism, and apprise the responders of repercussions of social manipulation that jeopardize human welfare. This notion is evinced within Fritz Lang’s German expressionist film Metropolis (1927) and George Orwell’s polemic 1984 (1948) to which both texts convey insight to the dangers of totalitarian regimes and treatment of social manipulation that occurs under the leadership of authoritarian rulers. Despite being contextually divergent, both texts illustrate how oppressive and manipulative constructs are capable of invading into the lives and behavior of humans, ultimately threatening the necessary freedom that individuals are entitled to as well as the loss of morality within societal divisions. Lang draws upon the Machine Age and the development of industrialist ideologies within a capitalist paradigm which motivated sacrifice for the sake of economic growth. However, Orwell presents the fascist leadership of European rulers such as Mussolini who manipulated despotic rulings for the absolute control of society. Both composers project their anxiety about the paths of corruption paved by various forms of social manipulation in the 20th century.

The rapid...