Part 1 extract analysis

• Engels
• Further Education (Key Stage 5)

Goals for today 

Complete extract close analysis 

Consider some central themes of the novel 

Paper 2 study guide preparation upload your revision before 21st March 8pm 

Paper 2 mock on 24th & 26th March (formative)

What's it going to be then, eh? 

Part 1 close extract analysis 

1.  How is violence described in the sentence beginning, "So that was old ..."? Consider the tone of the language, the effect of the repetition & sentence structure, the use of metaphor etc. 
   
2. What does Alex’s “admiration” reveal about his character? What’s the effect of this comment on the reader? 
   
3. How does the use of first-person narrative perspective, along with Alex's use of language reflect the way he experiences the violence? 
   

Part 1 close extract analysis 

Tone - matter-of-fact, deadpan, mundane, unsophisticated, immature, crude, childish 

Onomatopoeia - "crack, crack", "razrez, razrez" - allow the reader to 'hear' the sound of the violent acts. 

Repetition - "red - red", "er er", "a a a", "first left fistie then right" - methodical, repetitive, focused, routine

Sentence structure - long and complex several actions are joined through coordinating conjunctions, "and", so that all actions are given equal importance. The sentence mimics the thought process of Alex and the frenzied and violent actions. The structure parodies an infantile retelling of events. 

Metaphor - "red - red vino on tap" trivialises the violence and the results of the violence. Additionally, reflect the narrator's enjoyment and the entertaining quality for him of their actions by likening blood to "vino" and that it is a friend

Colloquial language, argot & slang - "veck's", "droog" 

Part 1 close extract analysis 

1. What is the effect of the fruit simile? 
2. How is the theme of free will introduced in this extract? Why do you think Burgess chooses to introduce this theme in a scene of rape and violence?  
3. How do you interpret the references to music & dancing in this extract?
4. What does Alex’s comment about “being dirty and slobbery” reveal about his character? Why does this seem strange?

Part 1 close extract analysis 

What is the effect of the fruit simile? 
sensory imagery - tactile, olfactory, gustatory - 

mechanical vs natural - highlighting the positive and negative results of control through behaviour modification and the resulting dehumanisation. 

Juxtaposition of the life affirming qualities through the fruit simile and the lifelessness of a 'clockwork', 'mechanical' human life. Highlighted later by the reference to "special sort of juicy fruit" to illustrate that Alex is operating from his free will, but the results are not acceptable.

Part 1 close extract analysis 

 How do you interpret the references to music & dancing in this extract? 

"like in time to the like music of old Dim's fist work." 

"viddying Dim dancing round and fisting the writer veck" 

"with old Dim still dancing round and making ornaments shake on the mantelpiece". 

"who was still creech creech creeching away in very horrorshow four-in-a-bar"

 

These references juxtapose the rhythm and grace of music and dance with the horrific brutality and violence of rape and assault. This gives a surreal, unsettling atmosphere to this shocking scene. It underscores how much enjoyment Alex and his droogs get from these acts. As our narrator intrinsically associates classical music with violence, it focuses the reader's attention on this relationship.  

What does Alex’s comment about “being dirty and slobbery” reveal about his character? Why does this seem strange?

Part 1 close extract analysis 

1. How does the use of Nadsat affect the reader’s reaction to the rape and violence being described? Would this scene be more or less horrifying if it was written in Standard English? Why do you think Burgess wants to create this effect?
   
2. Is there any evidence in this passage that Alex and his droogs are “capable of sweetness”, as the quote from A Clockwork Orange states?  

Part 1 close extract analysis 

How does the use of Nadsat affect the reader’s reaction to the rape and violence being described? 

Distancing effect: can work as a linguistic barrier between the reader and the description of the violent acts. Because the language is not familiar, it may make the action being described as less immediate and more abstract. 

Desensitisation: as the reader starts to understand and internalise NADSAT through repetition and the playful (rhyming slang, child-like terms), archaic nature of the language, it can normalise the violence in the context of the world of the novel. 

Immersion in the protagonist's world: through the use of NADSAT as the 'voice' of our narrator, the reader is drawn into Alex's world view and can become complicit, understanding or empathetic towards this unreliable narrator. (your humble narrator, O, my brothers) 

Neologism = a new word, usage, or expression

Merriam-Webster dictionary 

Part 1 close extract analysis 

How does the use of Nadsat affect the reader’s reaction to the rape and violence being described? 

 Language and violence: the archaic, whimsical and child-like quality of NADSAT can create a dissonance for the reader between what is described and how it is described encouraging the reader to reflect on the relationship between language and experience.  This unique presentation of violence challenges readers to think critically about how language can be used to manipulate and desensitise the reader. See also Newspeak in 1984 by George Orwell

Layered effect: the reader is simultaneously distanced from and immersed in the violence and becomes complicit and revulsed through this first-person narration. 

NADSAT in Burgess' own words

 own words

" Looking back on A Clockwork Orange in his non-fiction book You’ve Had Your Time (1990), Burgess wrote: ‘The novel was to be an exercise in linguistic programming, with the exoticisms gradually clarified by context: I would resist to the limit any publisher’s demand that a glossary be provided. A glossary would disrupt the programme and nullify the brainwashing’. The book’s editor, James Michie, had some hesitations about the density of Nadsat in the novel and suggested that Burgess should ‘make it gently accelerando.’ He added: ‘You can’t throw too much of it at them too quickly.’ This editorial advice may have led to revisions in the first part of the novel, as we can see when Alex helps the reader through some elements of Nadsat, such as ‘rooker (a hand, that is),’ ‘litso (face, that is)’ and ‘my three droogs, that is Pete, Georgie, and Dim.’"

https://www.anthonyburgess.org/a-clockwork-orange/a-clockwork-orange-and-nadsat/accessed 17/03/25

Part 1 close extract analysis 

Is there any evidence in this passage that Alex and his droogs are “capable of sweetness”, as the quote from 'A Clockwork Orange' states?  
Alex and his droogs do not show that they are 'capable of sweetness', meaning that they are capable of empathy. Alex mocks the author's work, 'that's a fair gloopy title'. The dancing and music references illustrate their enjoyment of cruelty and brutality. The references to eating and laughing, 'half a loaf of kleb with a big dollop of maslo on it', and 'they went haw haw haw', convey their indifference to the suffering they are causing. Alex is concerned with controlling his 'droogs' and shows no compassion. 

Part 1 close extract analysis discuss 

1. Burgess wrote this novella as a defence of free will, then doesn’t this whole passage contradict his purpose?
   
2. If the exercise of free will can result in brutal rape, then why is it wrong to restrain it? 
   

Part 1 free will extract consideration 

Complexity of free will - highlights moral and ethical dilemmas associated with free will. If there is free will, then the consequences can be excessively violent. 

Moral responsibility and empathy - it would appear these are necessary together with free will to 'choose the good'. This may be lacking in adolescents. 

Critique of control through conditioning (behaviour modification) - removing free will, even to violence, removes moral choice and makes a person a 'clockwork orange'. 

Part 1 free will extract consideration 

Exploration of Human Nature: Burgess's work explores the duality of human nature—the capacity for both good and evil. The passage highlights the darker side of free will, prompting readers to consider the complexities of human behaviour and the importance of ethical choices.

Critique of Authoritarianism: The novella critiques authoritarian approaches to controlling behavior, suggesting that such methods are ultimately harmful and ineffective. Burgess advocates for a society that fosters moral development and personal responsibility.

Part 1 free will extract consideration 

"The triggering incident for Burgess’ novel took place in 1942, when the writer’s first wife was brutally assaulted and beaten in London by three American deserters. She lost the baby she was expecting and, as a result of continuous internal bleeding, died a few years later." 

Lorite Chinchón, Jaime, ‘I should not have written ‘A Clockwork Orange’’: How Anthony Burgess came to disown his own novel', El Pais, Jan 2024 

Making a revision guide 

Under links in files = concepts and question types for paper 2 

In MB files => paper 2 => revising works 

In the group assigned prepare the work given to you. 

Share the questions amongst your group. 

Put your completed guide in the dropbox on Friday 21st  March before 8pm. I will upload the completed revision guides to the Paper 2 file in MB.  

Making a revision guide 

Group	Literary work
Robin, Megan, Cleo	A Clockwork Orange
Sham, Anna Deeshitha	The Great Gatsby
Zoë, Kate, Kim	A Doll's House
Coen, Elsje	Macbeth

Group	Literary work
Aamu, Alastrina, Ella	The Handmaid's Tale
Damien, Rikard, Mia	If This is a Man
Neysa, Emilia , Lena,	The Things they carried
Erik, Hugo, Andrea	On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous