How is the 1930s film Modern Times (Charlie Chaplin) an example of an allegorical satire?
First of all, I would suggest you watch the film if you haven’t done so already. Otherwise, you won’t have a clue about what you’re writing. The film is an allegorical satire because it uses the plot and imagery as an allegory to “big brother,” the Depression, factories taking over humanity as they replace workers with machines, etc. All of these ideas are clearly demonstrated in allegory (another word for metaphor basically). An example would be when Chaplin gets caught in the cog wheels at the factory – machines taking over the human worker. There are so many examples in the film that I can’t list them all here. Just watch the film and try to find the allegories to the social, political, and economic events of the times (1930s). As far as the satire goes, Chaplin portrays these allegories (for the most part) in a satirical way, making light of them while still communicating the message. The opening scene where there is dialog is especially satirical in regards to the feeding machine.
