After a conversation with Gandhi in 1931, Charlie Chaplin said: “Unemployment is the vital question. Machinery should benefit mankind; it should not spell tragedy and throw it out of work” (Bourne, 2003).
This was the seed that eventually grew into his masterpiece, ‘Modern Times’. At this point in time things were rapidly and continuously changing, and Chaplin believed that the majority of these changes would not be for the better good. The movie depicts the life of The Tramp as a factory worker in a world where labour is considered no more than another component of the machine.
The feeding machine for example, was to be implemented as a replacement for lunch breaks, thus increasing production in the factory. This scene in particular shows the superior treatment the machine received from the managers. Chaplin furthermore visualise the impact of the working environment on the workers in the scene with The Tramp as a cog in the machine. Embedded behind the humour in the feeding machine scene is a more serious matter: the lack of concern for humans. The managers are eager to sell this machine, as the replacement of a simple human function could help the factory to decrease overheads and maximise production.
The Essay on The Machine Metaphor And Organizations Today
The machine metaphor points out the ways that organizations are specialized, standardized, and predictable. When I try to apply this metaphor to real life, the first thing that comes to mind is the assembly line inside a factory. To create a product each member has their role on the assembly line and there isn’t much deviation from the set process otherwise the product may be unpredictable. In an ...
But as the machine begins to break down, the managers are only concerned with the machine rather than the safety of the worker. This idea reflects how workers were often treated as simple costs, where the machine was given much care and attention. The scene where The Tramp is inside the machine also further emphasises the lack of concern for the workers, as during the scene it’s shown that the assembly line operates at a great speed, forcing the workers to conform to this speed. Performing a deskilled, repetitive action for hours on end has driven him crazy, and even when he’s inside the machine all he can think about is turning cogs.
It’s clear how the industralised world demands and exhibits monotony and conformity from the workers, and this is where the machine has been given the control, to the point where the line between human and machine has blurred. When he struggles with keeping up to speed and is thrown into the innards of the machine, the managers of the plant are only concerned with removing him so that the machine can return to production. Once he’s out of the machine the plant continues on, and he’s simply sent off for someone else to deal with.
This strongly demonstrates the importance of the machine to the factory, and how the harsh conditions made it easy for workers to be replaced, as there was always someone else happy to do the job. Although ‘Modern Times’ is considered one of the greatest comedies of all time, it’s difficult to ignore the strong political reference. Witnessing the devastation of the Great Depression, especially after Henry Ford’s introduction of the assembly line, Chaplin foresaw the limitations of the machine in the workplace.
The long working hours and poor salary for the working class contrasted the wealthiness of the upper classes, which is subtly referred to throughout the movie. The workers stand in the shadow of the machine and are forced to work very hard in dehumanising positions. The superior treatment of the machine is very evident, likewise is the lack of real concern for the humans. Bibliography Bourne, Mark. “Modern Times: The Chaplin Collection. ” The DVD Journal. N. p. , 2003. Web. 16 Mar. 2013.
