The future is today : a Burkean/Marxist analysis of Modern times & Soylent green

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Authors
Kizer, Zachary Aaron
Advisor
McCauliff, Kristen L.
Issue Date
2018-07-21
Keyword
Degree
Thesis (M.A.)
Department
Department of Communication Studies
Other Identifiers
CardCat URL
Abstract

This thesis examines the 1936 film Modern Times and the 1973 film Soylent Green. I examine both films from both a Burkean perspective, dissecting the terministic screens present in each film, and a Marxist perspective, analyzing the films’ depiction of alienation, class struggle and human commodification. My ultimate argument is that each respective film contains two terministic screens that problematize the cultural narratives of industrialization and technological advancement. Modern Times uses screens of dehumanization and the American Dream to depict the plight of working people trapped in menial, low-paying jobs aspiring in vain to something better, whereas Soylent Green uses screens of degradation and pollution to highlight how human bodies are devalued, being treated first as disposable and then as consumable products. I conclude my analysis by connecting fictional dystopias, both in these specific films and as a larger genre, to the turmoil extant in the real world.

Collections