A Clockwork Orange (final essay)
Please read all before you begin.
1) Discuss any changes from the novel to the film and if you consider them
improvements or not. Try to find at least three differences.
2) Discuss the mise-en-scène, the look and sound of the film and its effectiveness
in telling the story . The story is set in the near future (Burgess wrote it in 1962;
Kubrick filmed it in 1971). Does the mise en scène have futuristic qualities?
Provide any details. Does it mean society is headed towards further lawlessness?
3) What is with all the pornographic art and imagery? What do all the paintings of
sex acts and sculptures of male genitalia have to do with the story? Is there a
connection between sex and violence? Explain, using details.
4) How do you feel about the technique for curing society of violence, the
Ludovico Technique (brainwashing)?
5) Discussion is made by the priest that Alex loses his free will, but the Ludovico
Technique did prevent him from committing further acts of violence. How do you
feel about respecting the free will of convicted criminals?
6) Does prison work to rehabilitate criminals? There was talk in the movie about
overcrowded prisons merely contributing to the criminal way of life.
7) The little exposure to traditional religion at the prison had no effect on the
inmates. Does religion in or out side of prison help keep people from committing
crimes?
8) At the end of the film, Alex is up to his old ways but now has the advantage of
the government being on his side, so it can save face from the embarrassment of
the events that transpired after his release. At the film’s end, Alex may be even
more dangerous than he was when he was a common criminal. How does this
ending work for you in comparison with the last chapter of the book in which Alex
truly does seem to change. What changes him in the novel’s last chapter? (This
part can tie in with section 1.)
Arrange the essay any way you wish, as long as all 8 sections are addressed. It
may be easier to write 8 short paragraphs. Including connective, transitional
words will make the results read better. Then you may realize you can combine
some of the paragraphs.