Texts composed in ‘Worlds of upheaval’ are heavily reflective of social and political changes

and contexts which showcase the predicaments, aspirations, motivations and ideas of people
within these worlds. These texts explore characters within these periods, attempting to warn
and reflect authors’ values of their personal context. In Metropolis, social rebellion is caused
by exploitation and inequality, in a world of upheaval, ultimately leading to the need for
justice and restoration amongst the working class. Fritz Langs’ Metropolis is reflective of the
German Weimar period a time of socio-economic chaos and confusion.

Exploitation and inequality are apparent in the opening scene of Metropolis, where intense
slow tempo, orchestral music and a high angle shot reduces the workers' significance. Heavy
use of legato drags out music, further proving the workers’ suppression as it is symbolic of
the exhaustion faced by the workers. This is then contrasted by the establishment of the
‘Garden of Elegance’ where legato and waltz-like in the music is symbolic of the enchanting,
luxurious lifestyle of the upper-class. The Social rebellion due to inequality is highlighted
through the workers' riot scene. In this scene, the use of percussion creating a rhythm which
the workers’ walk to creates a united population. This is reflective of the Bolshevik
Revolution and subsequent workers’ uprisings in Germany, such as the Spartacist uprising in
1919. The collapse of machines is emphasised through strong-brass fanfare, highlighting the
climax of social rebellion. Chaotic dissonance between low and high pitched instruments
further emphasises social change and rebellion in the workers’ riot. The need for justice and
restoration in society is shown in the ending scene of the film. The metaphor of positive
resolution with the “The mediator between head and hands must be the heart.”, reflect a sense
of hope and possibility of the Weimar period, conveying the reconciliation of Metropolis and
the unity of the upper and lower class.
Metropolis is described by Richard Murphy as an “emotional- psychological figuration of
man’s enslavement to the machine and the consequences of technology as physical torture
and human degradation.”, prevalent as technology was the causation of social rebellion.
Overall, it is apparent that social rebellion in Metropolis was caused by inequality and
exploitation yet led to the justice and restoration of society, resolving a world of upheaval.

In Exit West, inequality is caused by civil disorder, ultimately leading to ones’ need
for solace and restoration. Hamid’s novel details the experience of protagonists
Saeed and Nadia, who after escaping their unnamed birth country on the brink of
civil war, become migrants, moving across the world seeking consolation in a
prejudice society. Mohsin Hamid’s depiction of the hardships faced by refugees and
migrants in a contemporary setting, criticises the treatment of asylum seekers
globally. Civil disorder is established through the metaphor, “Saeed’s mental map
….now resembled an old quilt, with patches of government land and militant land,
the frayed seams between patches were the most deadly and to be avoided at all
costs.” Which highlights the political dysfunction apparent in Saeed’s birth city.
Inequality is highlighted through a simile as the unnamed city experienced “ just
some shootings and the old car bombings, felt in one’s chest cavity as a subsonic
vibration like those emitted by large loudspeakers at music concerts,” where the
harsh juxtaposition between the war-torn city compared to that of “loudspeakers at
music concerts” shows the contrast and inequality of the rich and poor, conveying
the ignorance of individuals not experiencing civil upheaval in a contemporary
society. Inequality is again shown as “Nadia and Saeed quickly... learned that they
were on the Greek island of Mykonos, a great draw for tourists in the summer, and, it
seemed, a great draw for migrants this winter…” indicating through the contrast the
inequity of wealth, relating to the 173,000 migrants which fled from the Middle East
to Mykonos in late 2016. Nadia and Saeed, after migrating several times, seek
solace and restoration after their tumultuous world of upheaval, returning back to
their birth country, “they watched the young people of this city pass…. who had no
idea how bad things once were, except what they studied in history, which was
perhaps as it should be” where a use of nostalgic tone highlights ones’ need for
solace and restoration. Exit West, according to Philip Sutler, Flinders University
Adelaide, “situates the individual struggle of Saeed and Nadia’s migration within the
broader geopolitical and economic context of the world-system”, depicting the
inequality faced by migrants globally. Overall, it is apparent that inequality in Exit
West, contrasting Metropolis, is explored through civil disorder, although similarly
leads to solace and restoration.

In Frankenstein, a disruption of nature is caused by a hubristic and corrupt ambition,

which ultimately leads to loss and regret. Shelley cautions of tampering with the
limits and effects of nature through science, reflective of romantic and pantheistic
values. A hubristic and corrupt ambition is established through Victor Frankenstein
as he exclaims, “far more, will I achieve; treading in the steps already
marked, I will pioneer a new way, and unfold to the world the
deepest mysteries of creation.” where the anaphora of “more” and
“I”, paired with a manic tone illustrate his arrogance, reflective of
controversial scientists during the 19th century such as Galvani and
Aldini. Victor’s disruption of nature is shown as “Darkness had no
effect upon my fancy, and a churchyard was to me merely the
receptacle of bodies deprived of life” where Victor’s jarring
dysphemism used to describe a graveyard highlights his lack of
morality and disruption of the natural lifecycle, juxtaposing values
of spiritualism and nature upheld in the 19th century. Regret
apparent as after creating The Creature, Victor worries, “a race of
devils would be propagated upon the earth who might make the very existence of
man a condition precarious and full of terror.”, illustrating through a hyperbole
Victor’s regret in his hubristic manner as he now fears the effects of his wrongdoings.
Regret and loss are again shown through the metaphor “I trod heaven in my
thoughts, now exulting in my powers, burning with the idea of their
effects” further conveying Victor’s regret and loss in disrupting
nature. Anne Mellor, English Professor at UCLA states that ‘(Mary
Shelley’s) vision of the isolated scientist discovering the secret of life is no mere
fantasy but a plausible prediction of what science might accomplish’, coinciding with
the negative effect of disrupting nature. Overall, it is apparent that Frankenstein
conveys how one’s overzealousness, paired with a disruption of nature will ultimately
have negative effects on the individual and society, causing a world of upheaval.

The Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the disruption of nature is caused by the

irresponsible pursuit of perfection resulting in a world of upheaval, ultimately leading
to loss. The Birthmark follows a scientist Aylmer, who upon seeing the birthmark on
his wife’s cheek, becomes obsessed with its removal through scientific means.
Hawthorne’s depiction of the disruption of nature condemns the rise of physics and
science in the 19th century, contradicting Hawthorne’s beliefs in the counter-cultural
movement of romanticism which valued spiritualism and nature. The irresponsible
pursuit of perfection is established as Aylmer wants “...to render this dear cheek as
faultless as its fellow; what will be my triumph when I shall have corrected what
Nature left imperfect in her fairest work!” where Aylmer’s arrogant tone and simile
highlight his thirst for perfection, differing from Frankenstein’s hubristic nature. The
capitalisation of “Nature” reinstates Hawthorne’s belief in Emersonian
Transcendentalism, valuing nature and spirituality. Aylmer’s disruption of nature is
apparent as “They were the works of philosophers of the middle ages, such as
Albertus Magnus, Cornelius Agrippa, ...believed...to have acquired …from physics a
sway over the spiritual world.” where allusions to famous scientists, similar to
Frankenstein, and the anaphora and capitalisation of nature highlight Aylmer’s
pursuit of scientific knowledge and power and the disruption of nature through
science. A disruption of nature is again seen as Aylmer says, “The flower will wither
in a few moments and leave nothing …but thence may be perpetuated a race as
ephemeral as itself." where the flower is symbolic of and Aylmer’s wife,
foreshadowing her death due to the removal of her birthmark highlighting Aylmer’s
blinded pursuit of science, similar to Frankenstein. Loss is apparent through the
metaphor as “Aylmer had a profounder wisdom, he need not thus have flung away
the happiness which would have woven his mortal life of selfsame texture with the
celestial” highlighting Hawthorne’s scorn against tampering with the natural world,
complementing Shelley, and through this causing a world of upheaval, in an attempt
to defy natural beauty and perfection. The disruption of nature is shaped by
“Hawthorne is concerned with…how obsession affects ethical notions of physical
and/or metaphysical perfection and fulfilment” according to Nassim W. Balestraini
from the Institute of American Studies. Both Shelley and Hawthorne depict the
disruption of nature, both cautioning the use of science, reflecting romanticism and
the value of nature.