- I believe that after reading A Clockwork Orange I have become a better reader by learning to understand complex diction and unique linguistics used in the novel. The reader is forced to learn each word with no explanation of its meaning, only through the context in which the word is used. This helps in improving reading and analysis of sentence structure and in the understanding of complex and difficult reading.
- My understand of literature had been altered by the reading of this novel because of the uniqueness of the way the novel is written. It brings light to how complex the English language is as well as how diverse our literature can be. This helped me to understand insightful literate is as well.
- The further insights into the human nature I have received is the nature of freewill. The importance of the rights that all people are born with. Also that those rights should always be respected by all so that birthrights like free will and choice aren't taken for granted. Burgess opened my eyes to that fact, I am thankful that I can now see those values and their importance to human nature.
- This novel has helped me to understand myself as a reader because I have come to see that I can analyse complex literature and diverse language in a novel with the utmost understanding. I have learned that I can handle the english language in its most obscure forms, it has made me confident in my understanding of the english language.
Alex, and His Droogs
From Stanley Kubricks 1971 production of A Clockwork Orange
Saturday 9 June 2012
Reflection
Sunday 25 March 2012
Reading Response #4
After reading A Clockwork Orange there were several ideas and themes that seemed to be the most dominate throughout. There were also several parts of the novel that had become increasingly frightening to read and also parts that have become clearer to me allowing me to fully appreciate the novel.
The most important, most pronounced and most prominent moral of the story is one man’s freedom, freewill and the power of choice. Burgess believed that a man’s freedom was a defining characteristic of the human race; the characteristic that separates us. In the novel as a result of Alex’s wicked actions, the state removed all of his freedom. In jail Alex didn’t have too many problems, he was still a man that could do as he wished within the boundaries of the jail, despite the fact that he was regarded as a number. But when Alex received his treatment he became less than a number, he was basically considered nothing; he could not choose between good or evil. Without this choice Alex was miserable. This powerful motive made me look at my own options and it made me take my own life into account. Reading this book has given me new insight into how fortunate I am to live in a place where I do have the power of freewill and choice. I am in control of my own life, others may be able to influence my decisions but I always have the choice to do what is right and superior, just as Alex had.
Through reading this classic novel I have gained a new appreciation for our county’s government. Our government does not enforce brutal treatments upon human beings just because they have done wrong and our government believes in rights and freedoms of all people living within its power. It is remarkable that we are fortunate to have so many rights and freedoms. There are and have been places in the past and present that people have very limited rights and freedoms. I appreciate our government because in this novel Burgess presented the government as a sinister antagonist. The use of technology had become the means of dealing with the criminals at the time the novel was written, Alex being the first guinea pig. This is a technique that our government would never take part in, which makes me very proud of the government I live under, now that I have read this book.
The diction of this novel I found added to the effectiveness of the novel and made it very unique. I had never read anything like this before, so understandably it was quite a change. I found that the specific style of writing Burgess used put me more into the mindset of the book and its characters. While reading with the specific and odd vocabulary that Burgess used, as a reader, you feel as though you are in slightly altered world, which makes it easier to relate to the narrator who is also the main character.
What surprised me most in the entire story was the point at which Alex is cured of his treatment. This was completely unexpected; Alex was cured after he tried to commit suicide. He woke up in a hospital feeling quite different than he had been feeling and he could think a variety of bad thoughts and not feel sick. His first thoughts when he woke up were of bad intention and he continued to think similar thoughts without feeling the effects of his treatment. It still remains a mystery as to how the treatment was reversed. It is not fully explained, which I think leaves a lot of space for reflection. Did Alex reverse his own treatment internally? Did other people help to reverse its effects, such as the doctors in the hospital? Or was it his attempt at suicide that changed everything?
I have not come to a conclusion as to why he was changed, but I believe that it was for the better. After Alex was cured, he saw a new light. He decided that he now wanted to take a better path, his freewill was regained. He was given the choice and he made the right decision.
Reading this book has made quite an impression on me. It was an intense read. The morals and ideas delivered through this are very important and of great value such as the ideas of humanity, government, society and human rights. My mind is now more open to different ideas that I had not considered before and my perspective on certain subjects has changed. Burgess had intended for these ideas to be passed through his words, and they did. I think that every teenager should read this book, or at least give it a try, because I think it helps to enlighten many values and privileges in life that we take for granted on a daily basis.
This was a highly insightful read, and most definitely deserves to be categorized as a classic novel.
The most important, most pronounced and most prominent moral of the story is one man’s freedom, freewill and the power of choice. Burgess believed that a man’s freedom was a defining characteristic of the human race; the characteristic that separates us. In the novel as a result of Alex’s wicked actions, the state removed all of his freedom. In jail Alex didn’t have too many problems, he was still a man that could do as he wished within the boundaries of the jail, despite the fact that he was regarded as a number. But when Alex received his treatment he became less than a number, he was basically considered nothing; he could not choose between good or evil. Without this choice Alex was miserable. This powerful motive made me look at my own options and it made me take my own life into account. Reading this book has given me new insight into how fortunate I am to live in a place where I do have the power of freewill and choice. I am in control of my own life, others may be able to influence my decisions but I always have the choice to do what is right and superior, just as Alex had.
Through reading this classic novel I have gained a new appreciation for our county’s government. Our government does not enforce brutal treatments upon human beings just because they have done wrong and our government believes in rights and freedoms of all people living within its power. It is remarkable that we are fortunate to have so many rights and freedoms. There are and have been places in the past and present that people have very limited rights and freedoms. I appreciate our government because in this novel Burgess presented the government as a sinister antagonist. The use of technology had become the means of dealing with the criminals at the time the novel was written, Alex being the first guinea pig. This is a technique that our government would never take part in, which makes me very proud of the government I live under, now that I have read this book.
The diction of this novel I found added to the effectiveness of the novel and made it very unique. I had never read anything like this before, so understandably it was quite a change. I found that the specific style of writing Burgess used put me more into the mindset of the book and its characters. While reading with the specific and odd vocabulary that Burgess used, as a reader, you feel as though you are in slightly altered world, which makes it easier to relate to the narrator who is also the main character.
What surprised me most in the entire story was the point at which Alex is cured of his treatment. This was completely unexpected; Alex was cured after he tried to commit suicide. He woke up in a hospital feeling quite different than he had been feeling and he could think a variety of bad thoughts and not feel sick. His first thoughts when he woke up were of bad intention and he continued to think similar thoughts without feeling the effects of his treatment. It still remains a mystery as to how the treatment was reversed. It is not fully explained, which I think leaves a lot of space for reflection. Did Alex reverse his own treatment internally? Did other people help to reverse its effects, such as the doctors in the hospital? Or was it his attempt at suicide that changed everything?
I have not come to a conclusion as to why he was changed, but I believe that it was for the better. After Alex was cured, he saw a new light. He decided that he now wanted to take a better path, his freewill was regained. He was given the choice and he made the right decision.
Reading this book has made quite an impression on me. It was an intense read. The morals and ideas delivered through this are very important and of great value such as the ideas of humanity, government, society and human rights. My mind is now more open to different ideas that I had not considered before and my perspective on certain subjects has changed. Burgess had intended for these ideas to be passed through his words, and they did. I think that every teenager should read this book, or at least give it a try, because I think it helps to enlighten many values and privileges in life that we take for granted on a daily basis.
This was a highly insightful read, and most definitely deserves to be categorized as a classic novel.
Tuesday 20 March 2012
Reading Response #3
I have now finished the final pages of A Clockwork Orange. Having the novel split into three different sections gives a good standpoint on the novel. Each section seems to have a different theme and different literary attributes that add to the development of the novel. The entire novel is narrated by Alex, who is also the main character, and although his opinions and views drastically change throughout the book the reader’s opinions of Alex remain fairly steady.
In the last pages of the book, Alex was released after his treatment to find that he no longer had a home. He was also beaten by his old friends who were also a part of his gang. So much had changed in Alex’s life from the beginning of then novel to the end. He was being used as a toy to fight the government for what they had done to Alex. Alex did not want to be used as a pawn for these men so he jumped out of a window in an attempt to end his life but he did not prevail. The outcome of this jump did however cure him of his treatment. He could think of violence and the nasty things he used to do without feeling sick, which was the main reason for accepting treatment.
After the treatment had worn off he realized that he no longer wanted to commit ultra-violence like he used to. In the concluding section of this novel the reader’s witness Alex’s growth as he overcomes his youthful mischief. He didn’t need the government to fix him or other people to show him right from wrong. Alex realized on his own and decided to move forward with his life, this to me was the most important part of the book; it also made the biggest impression on me. This was stated in the last two paragraphs of the classic novel.
"Thats what it’s going to be then, brothers, as I come to the like end of this tale. You have been everywhere with your little droog Alex, suffering with him, and you have viddied some of the most grahnzy bratchnies old Bog ever made, all onto your old droog Alex. And all that it was that I was young. but now I end this story, I am not young, not no longer, oh no. Alex like groweth up, oh yes.” (pg. 141)
The beginning of this paragraph answers the most reoccurring question in the novel “What’s it going to be then, eh?” which comes up at the beginning of each section and several times throughout. This question is never fully answered until the end of the book. My interpretation of this question is “what is going to be next?” Alex didn’t know what to do with himself, or he didn’t know where he was going or what he was doing next. But finally he decides that he’s going to grow up because he can no longer lead a life of youthful violence. Alex doesn’t blame anybody but himself, he knew what he did wrong. Although his treatment wore off he is still capable of making a real and moral choice; he can still see the difference between good and bad. In the end he chooses the right path, the superior path.
He compares himself to great people in history that reached incredible feats at a young age for example Mozart and Felix Mendelssohn both whom composed music. Alex also compares himself to Arthur Rimbaud who wrote his greatest poetry in his teenage years. These comparisons lead Alex to the conclusion that it is time to grow up because if his idols did such amazing things at a young age he also is capable of great accomplishments. He is eighteen at this point, so he realizes that he can no longer accomplish anything in his teen years anymore, but he can however try to do something with the rest of his life.
The conflict in the ending section is interpersonal and intrapersonal. Alex fights against his new treatment and his sickness by trying to end his life. Conflict arises between Alex and the government as he blames the government for making him the way he is. There is also conflict between the people fighting alongside Alex and the government for using him as a bargaining tool. The third conflict that takes place is between Alex and his parents; he resents them for no longer allowing him a place to live.
Overall, this book has made quite an impression on me. It has certainly altered my perspective on several issues. I also think of the government in a slightly different way as well as institutions and society today.
In the last pages of the book, Alex was released after his treatment to find that he no longer had a home. He was also beaten by his old friends who were also a part of his gang. So much had changed in Alex’s life from the beginning of then novel to the end. He was being used as a toy to fight the government for what they had done to Alex. Alex did not want to be used as a pawn for these men so he jumped out of a window in an attempt to end his life but he did not prevail. The outcome of this jump did however cure him of his treatment. He could think of violence and the nasty things he used to do without feeling sick, which was the main reason for accepting treatment.
After the treatment had worn off he realized that he no longer wanted to commit ultra-violence like he used to. In the concluding section of this novel the reader’s witness Alex’s growth as he overcomes his youthful mischief. He didn’t need the government to fix him or other people to show him right from wrong. Alex realized on his own and decided to move forward with his life, this to me was the most important part of the book; it also made the biggest impression on me. This was stated in the last two paragraphs of the classic novel.
"Thats what it’s going to be then, brothers, as I come to the like end of this tale. You have been everywhere with your little droog Alex, suffering with him, and you have viddied some of the most grahnzy bratchnies old Bog ever made, all onto your old droog Alex. And all that it was that I was young. but now I end this story, I am not young, not no longer, oh no. Alex like groweth up, oh yes.” (pg. 141)
The beginning of this paragraph answers the most reoccurring question in the novel “What’s it going to be then, eh?” which comes up at the beginning of each section and several times throughout. This question is never fully answered until the end of the book. My interpretation of this question is “what is going to be next?” Alex didn’t know what to do with himself, or he didn’t know where he was going or what he was doing next. But finally he decides that he’s going to grow up because he can no longer lead a life of youthful violence. Alex doesn’t blame anybody but himself, he knew what he did wrong. Although his treatment wore off he is still capable of making a real and moral choice; he can still see the difference between good and bad. In the end he chooses the right path, the superior path.
He compares himself to great people in history that reached incredible feats at a young age for example Mozart and Felix Mendelssohn both whom composed music. Alex also compares himself to Arthur Rimbaud who wrote his greatest poetry in his teenage years. These comparisons lead Alex to the conclusion that it is time to grow up because if his idols did such amazing things at a young age he also is capable of great accomplishments. He is eighteen at this point, so he realizes that he can no longer accomplish anything in his teen years anymore, but he can however try to do something with the rest of his life.
The conflict in the ending section is interpersonal and intrapersonal. Alex fights against his new treatment and his sickness by trying to end his life. Conflict arises between Alex and the government as he blames the government for making him the way he is. There is also conflict between the people fighting alongside Alex and the government for using him as a bargaining tool. The third conflict that takes place is between Alex and his parents; he resents them for no longer allowing him a place to live.
Overall, this book has made quite an impression on me. It has certainly altered my perspective on several issues. I also think of the government in a slightly different way as well as institutions and society today.
Friday 16 March 2012
Reading Response #2
I have now finished the second section of A Clockwork Orange. This section is completely different from the first section when analyzing the setting. The first section took place in a free man’s world where Alex and his droogs did as they pleased in the cover of the night. This all came to an end when Alex got caught by the Millicent’s. In the second section of the book it first took place in a dark, mangy and crowded jail but then moved to a new facility where Alex was “treated”.
The second section opened up in the same way as the first section with “What’s it going to be then, eh?”. The only difference was that the first time it was written, Alex was saying it, but the second time it was one of the jail guards. This sentence also occurs at the beginning of the third section. The use of repetition within the opening of each section was just one of the many reoccurring literary styles, as well as the other slang used throughout the book.
The theme and style of the book has changed completely. In the first section Alex did as he pleased and there was no real higher power or enforcement. However, now that Alex has been sent to jail for his actions the higher power is very much present within the novel as it is controlling Alex’s life. While in jail, Alex also found an interest in religion which I thought added to the complexity of the theme as well as leaving room for further development.
Choice and freewill are important aspect of this book. First Alex used his free will as he pleased and stalked the night with his gang seeking out a thrill until the government took this freedom away. Freewill and morals are the aspects that separate humans and animals. In jail Alex is nothing but a number with no freewill. He is then sent into a new kind of reforming treatment that will set him free in fourteen days. The aspect of religion and Christianity are incorporated into the plot at this point. The prison chaplain informed Alex of the dangers outcomes of this new treatment, the treatment was supposed to make him a good man, but as the chaplain said “Goodness is something chosen. When a man cannot choose he ceases to be a man.”
When the treatment was finished Alex was no longer human, he had no choice, no freewill to do as he wished and no power to judge a situation. Any sort of violence or sinning made Alex extremely sick, leaving him no other choice but to be a “good human”. This is a good example proving that freewill and religion really tie in together.
The new treatment changed Alex completely and he was no longer the same character that he was at the beginning of the novel. He was a mischievous and fearless young man but after his treatment he became the opposite – fearful of all that was evil. He would do anything he was told in fear that if he declined he would become very sick.
The conflicts in this section were mainly intra-personal with Alex. He fought himself; he was bad and he knew it yet he didn’t mind. His new treatment made him become good; it was forced upon him. He fought the change but in the end the government won and he was no longer “evil” and was considered a perfect citizen.
The second section opened up in the same way as the first section with “What’s it going to be then, eh?”. The only difference was that the first time it was written, Alex was saying it, but the second time it was one of the jail guards. This sentence also occurs at the beginning of the third section. The use of repetition within the opening of each section was just one of the many reoccurring literary styles, as well as the other slang used throughout the book.
The theme and style of the book has changed completely. In the first section Alex did as he pleased and there was no real higher power or enforcement. However, now that Alex has been sent to jail for his actions the higher power is very much present within the novel as it is controlling Alex’s life. While in jail, Alex also found an interest in religion which I thought added to the complexity of the theme as well as leaving room for further development.
Choice and freewill are important aspect of this book. First Alex used his free will as he pleased and stalked the night with his gang seeking out a thrill until the government took this freedom away. Freewill and morals are the aspects that separate humans and animals. In jail Alex is nothing but a number with no freewill. He is then sent into a new kind of reforming treatment that will set him free in fourteen days. The aspect of religion and Christianity are incorporated into the plot at this point. The prison chaplain informed Alex of the dangers outcomes of this new treatment, the treatment was supposed to make him a good man, but as the chaplain said “Goodness is something chosen. When a man cannot choose he ceases to be a man.”
When the treatment was finished Alex was no longer human, he had no choice, no freewill to do as he wished and no power to judge a situation. Any sort of violence or sinning made Alex extremely sick, leaving him no other choice but to be a “good human”. This is a good example proving that freewill and religion really tie in together.
The new treatment changed Alex completely and he was no longer the same character that he was at the beginning of the novel. He was a mischievous and fearless young man but after his treatment he became the opposite – fearful of all that was evil. He would do anything he was told in fear that if he declined he would become very sick.
The conflicts in this section were mainly intra-personal with Alex. He fought himself; he was bad and he knew it yet he didn’t mind. His new treatment made him become good; it was forced upon him. He fought the change but in the end the government won and he was no longer “evil” and was considered a perfect citizen.
Wednesday 7 March 2012
Reading Response #1
After reading approximately 50 pages of “A Clockwork Orange”, I can’t be sure of what the theme of this classic novel will be, but at this point it seems as though a possible theme could be teen angst. Another theme that is very apparent throughout is violence and/or drug abuse. My reasoning for this is that the majority of what I have read so far has related to teen violence and persistent drug abuse. Other possible themes could be democracy and communism, pet mixed into one form of government or an evil government.
There is a lot of character development throughout the first section of this book. The narration is done by “Alex” the main character which allows him to express his thoughts and opinions to the reader in a personal manner quite frequently. To fully understand what is going on inside of Alex’s head, you must first understand his dynamic language, this language is a signature of A Clockwork Orange. Adapting to the slang and peculiar language is critical in understanding this novel. Even though we already see from Alex’s perspective, the writing style of Burgess allows the reader to think outside of the box and to reflect on more than just the book itself. Always reading from the point of view of Alex can make it difficult to determine what the other characters of the story are thinking. As a result, the reader is left with limited information regarding the other characters.
A Clockwork Orange was set in the future from when it was written; Burgess wrote the book in England in 1958 - 1961. The novel takes place in either a large town or small city in England. Apart from the dark streets of England, main settings are the Korova Milk Bar as well as Alex’s apartment.
Not many mental conflicts are apparent at the moment but when analyzing physical conflicts there have been multiple instances which seem to be a strong aspect of the book. Alex and his “droogs” go on nightly raids of “ultraviolence”, which pleases his gang of four. This could be something that they genuinely like to do as a 15 year-old in future England, or it could be aspects of the drugs that they take nightly in a milk mixture which contains synthemesc, a hallucinogen that fuels this gangs hunger for violence and adrenaline.
Welcome Post
Greetings, welcome to my classic novel study blog! We’ve all wondered what the future would be like, we’ve thought about what society might be like down the road a ways. Would people fly around in spaceships? Would robots walk with man? Would the police be able to read our thoughts? Would a nuclear war destroy life as we know it? Or possibly the world is taken over and run by one single man. Governments could change from a democratic state to a fascist state. Or society implodes on itself overnight. The future is completely unknown to us, but we all see it in our own unique way. A Clockwork Orange is the future as Anthony Burgess sees it.
This blog will explore the dynamic world of Anthony Burgess' "A Clockwork Orange". In this blog I will thoroughly investigate and gain critical understanding of this classic novel. We will try to see through the eyes of young Alex and his droogs in the ultra-violent, futuristic realm of northern England as they stalk the dark winter night. In this blog I will provide personal commentaries and opinions, biographical reviews and resource links. Along with cultural, historical context of the novel and themes/motifs of Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange.
Right Right, Thank you, and enjoy.
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