A Clockwork Orange & Modern Social Imaginaries: A Small/Large Scale Comparison

A Clockwork Orange & Modern Social Imaginaries: A Small/Large Scale Comparison

A Clockwork Orange, directed by Stanley Kubrick, shows us how society attempts to 'reform' those that are different from the 'norm'. Alex DeLarge is seen as a criminal, a delinquent, and an overall bad apple, but society uses him as a laboratory mouse, in a sense, in order to change his ways. DeLarge is taken from the streets and put into a program that utilizes drugs and psychotherapy in order to change him from an outcast anti-social to a more compassionate human. Modern Social Imaginaries by Charles Taylor highlights the shift within society as a whole through the centuries and talks about how society has shifted from a more selfish society to a more compassionate and selfless one. Taylor writes at length about this shift and the factors that allowed this shift to occur. Much in the way that DeLarge is changed from 'savage' to 'human', Taylor writes about how society has shifted from a society where few have a lot of power to a society where the overall good is a driving factor. There are similarities in the way that Taylor describes the shift from a ‘savage’ society to one that is more ‘human’ and the same shift within DeLarge in the film.

In Modern Social Imaginaries, Taylor writes about the use of religion as a tool for change in society; religion was used in order to separate the moral good from the morally corrupt. A Clockwork Orange also touches on the notion of religion as a means to self-righteousness. “With such men a safe, well-ordered society can be built. But of course, not everyone will be like them. The godly were to rule; the unregenerate were to be kept in check. The magistrate must force all men 'to learn the word of God and to walk orderly and quietly...till they are brought to a voluntary, personal profession of Christianity." (Taylor, 2004), states Taylor. In much the same way, Christianity is used in A Clockwork Orange as the definite moral order by which DeLarge must adhere to in order to become “cured”. The Prison Chaplain argues that DeLarge might be cured with drugs and therapy, but that he chooses to do so in order to serve his own purpose and that while he may be cured, he also stops being able to distinguish between right and wrong, “He ceases to be a wrongdoer. He ceases also to be a creature capable of moral choice,” (A Clockwork Orange, 1971) says the Prison Chaplain and the Minister argues that, “We are not concerned with motives, with the higher ethics. We are concerned only with cutting down crime and with relieving the ghastly congestion in our prisons. He will be your true Christian, ready to turn the other cheek, ready to be crucified rather than crucify, sick to the heart at the thought of killing a fly. Reclamation! Joy before the angels of God! The point is that it works,” (A Clockwork Orange, 1971). This speaks to a lot of the points that Taylor makes when talking about the shift in society; for example, Taylor talks about how Christianity was used to distinguish between right and wrong, and so, people were told that they were to be the perfect Christians to lead a fruitful life. In A Clockwork Orange, the doctors and psychologists seek to change DeLarge from an immoral citizen to a perfect Christian that is disgusted by the thought of committing crimes.

A Clockwork Orange serves as the perfect example of Taylor’s assertion that a morally correct society was sought and transformed throughout history, but one a smaller scale (i.e. one person, DeLarge). Much like in the course of history, as Taylor points out, (the shift from pre- to post-French revolution periods) DeLarge is used as an example of the corrupt member of society that must be transformed to a morally commendable one in order for society to function. As Taylor points out, peasants and beggars were brought up into a middle class and were put to work so that they could become contributing and productive members of society, “These men are industrious, disciplined, do useful work, and above all can be relied on. They are not tempted to mischief because idleness is the principle breeding ground of all sorts of evils,” he states (Taylor, 2004). DeLarge is treated so that he becomes a functioning member of society instead of a street hoodlum that causes mischief wherever he goes and, toward the end of the film, DeLarge finds that his former friends and criminals have become working men and are police officers; this theme of rehabilitation runs rampant in both A Clockwork Orange and Modern Social Imaginaries.

Taylor dwells deep into the shift of society from an hierarchically structured one to one that is for the “greater good of man” and A Clockwork Orange (through an individual example, DeLarge) touches on that theme that society (or an individual) can be changed for the good of society as a whole. "There is a complex causal story behind the fact that the ideal of civility develops an active, transformatory agenda. As time goes on, it is undoubtedly powered by the escalating demand for military, and hence fiscal, power, and hence economic performance by industrious, educated, disciplined populations." (Taylor, 2004), Taylor acknowledges the need that society has to strive for higher moral order and for ‘industrious, educated, disciplined’ individuals and populations. A Clockwork Orange serves as the perfect example of what Taylor describes on a much larger scale in Modern Social Imaginaries and puts it in a context that made more sense of the reasons why doctors, psychologists, prison officials, and police offers sought to change DeLarge, for the greater good of society.

Works Cited

• Taylor, Charles (2004). Modern Social Imaginaries. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.

• Kubrick, S. (Director). 1971. A Clockwork Orange [Film]. UK: Warner Bros. Pictures.

Premodern Moral Order vs. Modern

Premodern Moral Order vs. Modern 

Modern Social Imaginaries by Charles Taylor is a revolutionary piece of work because it  makes sense of the paradigm shift over time in different aspects of society. The most  interesting shift I found was the one that Taylor argues shifted from a hierarchical system  to a moral order that utilized the idea of social imaginary to bring about the idea that  people are social being that go about the world in a way that benefits both themselves  and the general society as a whole. This shift is interesting because in the past, people  lived in a system of chains that were interlinked in a hierarchical fashion, which meant  that the people at the lowest levels were there to serve those of higher status up until the  "summit" at the top. Although Taylor gave an incredible amount of information and  examples of how this shift to a more mutually beneficial society, I feel that there is still a  hierarchical system in place even today. Taylor does negate and admits that this social  imaginary is nothing more than imagined notions of how life should be and how societies  should function. Although moral order is the way we feel that people and societies should  act, social imaginary is a different aspect in that it's what we imagine would be the ideal  way that life should be. Taylor provides vivid examples, especially the French 1792-94  example that highlights this shift where peasants became Frenchmen instead of just a  stepping-stone for those higher up. After reading through the entire book (which includes  modern society up to the World Trade Center 9/11 tragedy) I feel that the potential of a  society that is ideal or in other words, the social imaginary, is something that will continue  to evolve and improve over time as Taylor argues. The shift of society in terms of  economy, autonomy, religion, and other aspects through this idea of social imaginary is  one that continues to go through a metamorphosis for the betterment of society. Although  I don't think that we have, at present time, reached the full encompassing idea of social  imaginary, I feel that we will continue to use this idea as a roadmap for equality and  inclusion, to a certain extent, of all people in our different societies.