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Transcription
The film "A Clockwork Orange" is chosen because of its controversial and unsettling nature. The protagonist, Alex, commits crimes and ends up in prison. He is offered a chance to shorten his sentence through a medical experiment that reforms violent criminals by making them physically ill from violence. After being released, Alex is subjected to violence without any control. The main social issue in the film is the conflict between individual free will and forced reform. The state takes away Alex's free will for the sake of society's safety, but not for his own benefit. The film raises questions about the importance of crime and deviance in society, the desire for power and fear of powerlessness, and the loss of humanity when freedom of choice is taken away. I chose the film A Clockwork Orange because I was aware of the unsettling nature of the film and how it was seen as controversial. This curiosity led me to believe that there must have been an underlying message that was not necessarily understood because of how disturbing the film was to watch. The main character, Alex, commits a series of horrible crimes that end up with him being sent to prison. While in prison, he runs across an opportunity that may allow him to get out earlier if he were to go through with a medical experiment for reforming prisoners. This experiment made violent criminals physically ill from violence to reform them. This proved harrowing for Alex because as he re-entered society as a successful reform case, he was subjected to violence with no end. The major social issue in this film is the idea of individual free will and prescribed reform. Alex's good behavior was not learned, but it was artificial. The state was willing to protect society by taking away Alex's free will and replacing it with artificial good behavior on behalf of society's safety and stability, but not of his own. I feel a sociological analysis will help illuminate the need for individual free will in an already broken society and how there are better ways to effectively reform behavior so that it is beneficial for both society and the perpetrator. Questions I am interested in for this film examination are the following. How does this film allow us to consider crime and deviance's importance to society? What does A Clockwork Orange show us about the desire for power and the fear of being powerless? Do we lose our sense of humanity when we are deprived of freedom of choice?
