Free Essays - Anthony Burgess A Clockwork Orange :: Clockwork Orange Essays

"A Clockwork Orange" is a very different movie. It has everything a movie should have, but the plot is quite disturbing, especially for the time it came out. I have personally watched this film several times to find the meaning, and every time I watch it I come up with a different one. I am going to try to explain what this film contains as well as try to explain the plot. "A Clockwork Orange" is a story of a young man whose principle interests are rape, ultra-violence, and Beethoven. It's about a teen named Alex (Malcolm McDowell) who torments people in Britain in the near future. He is then betrayed by his friends and caught by the police, after he had murdered somebody. He was sent to live in a Juvenile Facility where he had to endure a strange torture of being forced to watch horrific movies. When Alex gets home, all the people that had done him wrong had their revenge on a weak, recuperating Alex. I'll let you find out what happened at the end =). "A Clockwork Orange" is a cult classic. It was Stanley Kubrick's 2nd Critically acclaimed film (the first being "Spartacus"). I was first interested in the book by Anthony Burgess (which in my opinion, is equally as good as the movie). "A Clockwork Orange" contains only a few of the element that can make a good film. One of them is the makeup. Alex and his gang (droogs) all where a makeup when they go out and do there thing. It gives them all a look of insanity and makes them look disturbed. I think that this was well done because it gives you a feeling of fear. Being afraid of a character in a movie is an excellent way to get to know them. Another element used is the script. Stanley Kubrick used the same special language used in the book. A lot of the words have no real meaning and you still know what they mean. The context the words are used in is very much like the book. Doing this, the book comes to life on the screen. I always enjoy watching a movie the follows the book so close because it doesn't change the story. Another is the theme. The theme of "A Clockwork Orange" is very hard to explain. However, it still has one if not many. As I stated before, every time I watch it I get something else out of it.

Native American Movement

To most experts, the 1950’s was a defining period for the Americans; one which saw the emergence of the United States as a global superpower, whose clout and influence extended to the far reaches of the globe. America’s glorious victory in World War II has paved the way for a leadership role that the United States took to with effortless skill. This newfound sense of economic and political power changed the lay of America’s land. While World War II ended successfully for the United States, its end meant the beginning of a new struggle for the Americans, or to be more accurate, the continuation of a struggle that started when the Pioneers first settled in America. The Native Americans, as first settlers of the United States before it was called as such, have always been reluctant to welcome the Pioneers. This has led to several violent battles, but eventually to an uneasy compromise. This tenuous peace was threatened once again after the war, as renewed prosperity encouraged the United States government to attempt the re-assimilation of the Native Americans into mainstream society. This brought about an upheaval among Native Americans as they considered this move a threat to their culture and way of living which they have furiously fought for. Most of the uprooted Native Americans were unable to adapt to urban life, and ended up worse than where they started. Clearly while the United State government meant well, the move to urbanize Native Americans failed miserably. The 1960’s brought with it a legacy of â€Å"assimilation and cultural legitimization† (Benham, 2002, 3), and it left on its heels a nation of Native Americans who are more aware of their rights and became more assertive in pushing for those rights. The 1960’s saw the Native American Movement taking off led by a new generation of well-educated leaders fighting to restore Native Americans lands that have been taken away from them. All across the United States, these Native American leaders disputed violations and successfully negotiated for expanded rights for the American Indians. This movement culminated in the establishment of the American Indian Movement (AIM) in 1968 which was founded with the initial purpose of placing state-mandated subsidies in the hands of locally-controlled American Indian organizations, and then channel these funds to Native Indians who needed them the most. However, in the 1970’s the American Indian Movement evolved into a secessionist group which aggressively promoted â€Å"self-governance and return to tribal ways† (Patterson et al, 2005, 77) This fervor spread like wildfire across the United States. American Indians took their cause to the streets, to the courts, to the media, and to all other possible venues where they can express their indignation and press for their rights. In an effort to recover ancestral land, they sued the states that have forcibly taken American Indian territories. They have also been able to protect their land against development. Needless to say, all of these militant protests paid off, with the government granting them concessions. In the 1970’s, there was a succession of legislation passed ensuring better treatment for the Native Americans. In 1972, the Indian Education Act gave Native American greater options over the schools that they can choose to send their children. In 1976, the Indian Health Care Act was passed to provide better health care for American Indians. In 1978, in acknowledgement of Native Indian ways, the Indian Child Welfare Act was enacted which gave Indian tribes the authority to deliberate and decide custody issues involving Indian children. (Mintz, 2007) Indeed the late 1960s and early 1970s was a period of political enlightenment and activism, not just among Native Americans, but among disenfranchised groups such as the African Americans and women’s rights groups. In the case of the Native Americans, the activism was spurred by poverty and lack of support from the government. By the 1960s, while most of the United States was experiencing prosperity, American Indians have remained among the poorest of the country’s minority groups, and the government has remained largely indifferent to their plight. This resurgence in Native American Nationalism resulted in armed confrontations and death, but it managed to bring desired results as well. Sometimes it does take militant action to compel a government to pay attention and take action. Other Americans, who did not know any better, became more aware of Native Americans and their plights, and some became active supporters to their cause. Elected officials such as senators and congressmen were compelled to support legislation that protected the rights of the American Indians and ensured their equal protection. Indeed it might be said that the Native American movement was a movement that has been a long time in the making. But when it did take place, it did so at the best possible time. The movement came at a time when Americans were becoming aware of the rights of others, and thus American society was only too willing to heed the call of a people who have been in the land long before anyone else did. References: Benham, K.P. (2002). The Renaissance of American Indian Higher Education: Capturing the Dream. Edited by Wayne J. Stein. NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. P. 3. Mintz, S. (2007). America in Ferment: The Tumultuous 1960s. The Native American Power Movement. Digital History. Retrieved October 10, 2007 from http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=387 Patterson, J. T., et al. (2005). The Oxford history of the United States. Oxford University Press. p. 77.   

Destroying Our Homes. The Lifestyles Around Us Are Constantly

Destroying Our Homes The lifestyles around us are constantly getting destroyed thanks to us humans. According to National Geographic, in the article â€Å"Global Warming Fast Facts† states that â€Å"2500 scientists have concluded that humans have caused all or most of the warming(par.1).† This was suggested because of the types of jobs that deal with working within the environment, such as industrialization which release harmful gases into the air and deforestation which destroy trees. The main argument was that these jobs need to be limited and lessen the use of harmful gases or else the ecosystems not just in the Arctic but in the entire world can be ruined. In the article â€Å"Arctic Climate Change† written by the Greenfacts Scientific Board†¦show more content†¦Even though humans may not be the only cause of global warming, they still contribute to it and they don t seem to realize that it is ruining their homes. With the rising temperatures, homes of animals and humans are getting ruined. This is said because the sea levels are rising due to the ice melting and the gases that are being released are killing the trees and plants that are used as food and oxygen. The gases can also make everyone sick, not helping in the depopulation of the area since people are already moving out of the area. Just like every cause has an effect, everything that contributes to global warming has bad outcomes too. With the help of global warming, the ice is melting as well as the snow in the Arctic. With temperatures rising, approximately 1.4-5.8 degrees celsius, things are heating up causing everything to melt which results in the rising sea levels. The unfairness comes from the people living there having to deal with these everyday problems, which results in these people leaving the area. As mentioned before, the food is getting ruined due to the chemicals and gases that are invading the food on farms or that are planted. As humans, we know how hard it is just to wake up and live day to day, but it does not help with global warming harming the world we live in and before we know it, it will be too late and the homes and ecosystems will be destroyed. Even though both articles, Greenfacts and National Geographic, talk andShow MoreRelatedConsumerism : The Trap Of Materialism1704 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"The Trap of Materialism† Out of all of the different causes that people live for today, consumerism is the only one spread completely around the globe and into almost every culture. Throughout the thousands of years that humans have been on this planet the universal idea of success has been altered greatly. Today, the most common vision of a successful life is the ability to consume the greatest amount of stuff by obtaining the most amount of money possible. 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