Modern Times Essay Questions

What does the closed circuit television tell us about the working conditions in the factory and during this time period?

The closed circuit tv (CCTV) had not yet been invented when the film was made, and the surveillance system set up in the factory which uses it was a futuristic detail in the film. However, it is intended to be a realistic extension (and indeed the technology was developed for commercial use about a decade later) of the oppressive environment in the factory, in which workers are constantly under supervision to ensure that they are working hard enough. It conveys a sense that the workers are always afraid of losing their job if they are caught slacking off, and gives the audience an idea of the attitudes of factory owners and managers at the time, who had little respect for the workers’ well-being or privacy.

How does Chaplin address communism and government crackdowns on communist activity in the film?

After the Tramp is released from the hospital, he inadvertently becomes part of a workers’ march. As he chases after a truck that dropped a flag, waving the flag in the air to try to get the truck to stop, the marchers round the corner behind him and begin to follow him just as the police come to break up the protest. The Tramp is arrested as a communist leader for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and Chaplin works an implicit criticism of anti-communist policies into the film—he argues that it is ridiculous that someone can be arrested simply for waving a flag. The idea that someone can be targeted by law enforcement or arrested for their beliefs is undemocratic, according to Chaplin, and throughout the film he continues to portray anti-worker police actions and policies as excessively violent and misdirected.

What does the Tramp’s desire to stay in prison tell us about life for the unemployed and the state of welfare in his society?

While the Tramp is in prison as a communist leader, he foils an escape plan and is rewarded by the sheriff and the guards for his good behavior. On the surface, it may seem that he wants to stay in jail because his luck has turned around and prison has become quite comfortable for him. On a deeper level, however, this storyline brings up an argument for improving welfare that existed at the time and is an ongoing problem to this day—for the unemployed and impoverished, prison is often a better option than living on the street. In prison, the Tramp knows he is guaranteed a roof over his head and regular meals, while out in the real world he will hardly be able to feed himself. This idea is first suggested when the Tramp is shown reading the paper, which contains startling headlines about the struggles of the unemployed, while he sits comfortably in the prison. Once he is released, he tries to get back into prison by first taking the blame for the Gamin for stealing a loaf of bread, and then finally succeeds in being arrested when he eats a massive meal in a cafeteria and explains to a police officer that he cannot afford to pay; both times, he uses his theft of food and his need to eat in order to get brought back to jail, highlighting one of the main reasons he would want to go back to jail.

How does Chaplin combine slapstick humor with political commentary? Provide an example.

In Modern Times, Chaplin’s extended slapstick sequences are often imbued with a political message, as he uses such scenes to draw out injustices that befall the Tramp. In the feeding machine scene, for example, a drawn-out slapstick sequence shows the Tramp being slapped around by the machine as it malfunctions, while the President of the Electro Steel Corp. and the salesmen seem not to notice or care that he is being abused. Here, the slapstick scene simultaneously shows the Tramp’s low position within the factory system and society, and criticizes the company’s lack of concern for his well-being.

What are some of the moral questions that Chaplin uses the Gamin’s character to address in Modern Times?

Chaplin uses the Gamin’s desperate situations to question bourgeois ideas of morality throughout the film. He often shows the very poor and unemployed characters in the film stealing food to survive, which raises questions about situations in which stealing is not necessarily immoral. The Gamin is portrayed stealing a loaf of bread, which is often a scenario for a classic moral philosophy question (is it immoral to steal a loaf of bread to feed yourself or your family?), and she is reported to the police by a wealthy woman who ignores her desperate circumstances. The scene, and the wealthy woman’s insistence on the Gamin’s arrest, seems to criticize the wealthy woman and the police and argue that it should be permissible to steal bread if you are starving. Chaplin also criticizes the child welfare officers who seem more focused on removing the Gamin and her sisters from society’s sight than they are actually concerned for their welfare.