Equilibrium Viewing Guide
By: Raagulan Yogalingam
1. A dystopian society is described as authoritarian or totalitarian form of government that set conditions on life characterized by violence, poverty, lack of emotions for the benefit of an unreasonable goal.(Muscat) In Equilibrium, we notice different events take place in the city of Libria that prove to be characteristics of a dystopian society. At the beginning of Equilibrium, there is a short narration of what has happened previously to the present day in Libria. It discussed the planet being devastated after World War Three and how humans weren’t able to survive another war. This led to leaders of the world wanting to create a society free of conflict. This event is an example of the characteristic of the back story for a dystopian story. The back story introduces a disaster which has a occurred previously that would result in a shift of control from normal political systems to totalitarian, authoritarian, and other systems.(Muscat) The movie shows that World War Three was the prime tragedy in which it has allowed a different political system to take over and run the country. Another characteristic of dystopian society is the information, individuals’ freedom and thoughts are restricted.
This is shown in the lives of people in Libria. The government believes that emotions are the prime reason for conflict so the government has decided to eliminate the experiencing of different emotions. They do this by forcing citizens to take injections that are emotion-suppressing drugs, called Prozium, so that the people don’t have any type of feeling for anything or anyone. They also diminish emotion by destroying photographs, books and other objects that provoke an individual to express emotions. Another dystopian society characteristic is propaganda used to control society. Near the end of Equilibrium, the protagonist destroyed these machines which would broadcast images of the ‘Father’ all across Libria. This demonstrates to the audience that this was the propaganda that the government used to strike fear into the people and control their society. When the society is perceived under constant surveillance, it happens to be that they are in a dystopian society. In Equilibrium, the society contains cameras, police, and children that keep their eyes open for sense offenders. The son of the protagonist had asked his father if he should report someone who he saw crying. The protagonist said that he should.
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Brody (2001) defines “emotions as motivational systems with physiological, behavioral, experiential, and cognitive components” (p. 15). The author adds that “emotions have a positive or negative valence and also vary in intensity or arousal levels, from mild to strong” (p. 15). Emotional expression indicates outward manifestation on an individual’s face, while emotional experience is a state of ...
Also while the protagonist was showing emotion towards Mary O’Brien in the interrogation room, there were cameras that were watching them. This shows that there is constant surveillance of people inside and outside of the government. A dystopian society also contains a central figure that leads the political system that society fears of. In this movie, this person is known as the ‘Father’. The Father is the figure in which his image is broadcasted throughout all of Libria. Dystopian rulers are brutal and are dedicated to doing whatever in order to reach their goal. The Father kills those who feel to express emotion and rebel against the usage of the injections. The dystopian government also has a group or protagonist that goes against their actions and what they believe. In this case, the protagonist is John Preston who starts to feel emotions and feels what the government is doing is wrong and there is a group called ‘The Underground’, that resist to follow orders of the current government. These are all characteristics and examples from Equilibrium to show that the city of Libria portrays a dystopian society.
2. We have learned that there are 4 types of dystopian control; corporate, bureaucratic, technological, and philosophical/religious. The primary dystopian control is bureaucratic control. This control can be characterized as a “society controlled by a mindless bureaucracy through relentless regulations and incompetent government officials”.(Muscat) In the case of the movie, the mindless bureaucracy is the council led by the Father, who has a goal to maintain a society free of conflict. The council is led by the Father who isn’t qualified but just put himself as a leader during desperate times. They control the people through a drug forced into bodies of people. This proves to be vital in showing that the council is very insufficient. The movie also shows signs of technological control through scientific means. The drug, Prozium, is used to eliminate any emotion and feeling experienced by the body. This shows the council has control of the people through the drug which has been scientifically made to meet their need. The movie also shows corporate control through the propaganda and advertising it through media. The council broadcasts images throughout Libria through machines that are monitored by workers. These images are of the Father and used to strike fear within people and show that he is there for them.
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Fear, confusion and intimidation are not just feelings. If they are used in the right way they can be used for control and power. A dictator in a totalitarian regime will use these emotions to control his people. The world that Winston Smith lives in has no personal rights, poor living conditions, and everything is controlled by hatred, even the people's history and language. The language Newspeak ...
3. After being introduced to Mary O’Brien, I believe she resembles the protagonist, Winston, from 1984. The reason for this belief is when the Cleric, Preston, invades her house to break down a wall containing art that would initiate an individual to express feelings behind it. This shows she is hiding something that the council would not accept for her to have and kill her for it. This is the same in 1984 with Winston. He had a diary in which he wrote his thoughts in. He would write his hatred towards the Party and how he doesn’t believe in what they do. He knew if they caught him for committing thoughtcrime, they would kill him. This shows both characters having a secret that goes against their respective governments, demonstrating that they are different from their own societies. Another example that relates both characters is their reason of rebelling. Mary O’Brien was questioned of what the point of her existence was. She replied by telling Preston that she existed to feel emotions because they have never experienced it. This shows that she rebels the council for their belief of not having emotions because she thinks it’s wrong and that everyone should have emotions. In 1984, Winston does the same thing. He rebels because he believes that the Party is lying to the people and manipulate the minds to believe what they say. He lived before the Revolution, so begins to remember parts of the past, which the Party has changed to their wanting. Both characters rebel for the reason of not believing in what their respective governments believe in. That’s why I believe Mary O’Brien resembles most like Winston 1984.
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It is important to build a positive relationship between prisoners and those who they come in contact with both while in custody and on release. For example is a prisoner does not have positive support or role models in the community they come from it can means that when they return to that environment they will more likely reoffend again but if the prisoner can build a positive relationships this ...
4. In Equilibrium, the council refers to the offenders as ‘sense offenders’. These people are guilty of showing emotions.
5. The men caught in Section 7 are apprehensive about leaving the scene because they are afraid that when they turn their back, Preston will shoot them. The sense offenders are simply not in belief that Preston, the highest ranked Cleric, is assisting them in evading the scene. Although Preston wishes to help the offenders, what he doesn’t know is that he’s leading them into a trap set by his new partner.
6. Equilibrium is a when there is a balance due to equal action of opposite forces. In the film, equilibrium represents the building at which people go to refill their supply of Prozium. Throughout the movie, we learn that people are to take injections of Prozium in order to not experience any emotion. If they refuse to take this injection, they will begin to experience emotions and they will be killed at the scene of their offence. This building is essential to both the council and the people in society. The council needs the building in order to maintain society with the emotion-suppressing drug and the people need the building to supply their drug so that they won’t be killed. When a person doesn’t feel any emotion, to us it means that they don’t feel happy or depressed nor do they feel angry or calm. This proves to fit the definition of equilibrium. Due to the drug, the people don’t experience any emotion of happy or sad which means they have a feeling in between, which ends up to be nothing. The society has no feeling which means they have an equilibrium feeling. That’s what I think the title of the movie symbolizes and the reason for the film to be named Equilibrium.
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