BIOL1008 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Sylvia Plath, Nikita Khrushchev, Dr. Strangelove
Elyse Popplewell
EXTENSION ONE ESSAY
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As a response to the shift in global consciousness that occurred in the wake of the
second worldwide war, composers of the after the bomb era grappled with evocative ideas.
Conservative morals of political compliance, gender roles and obedience to an omniscient
God that characterised common ways of thinking before the atomic bomb are challenged by
the texts of the post bomb era. Samuel Beckett’s play Waiting for Godot and Stanley
Kubrick’s Dr Strangelove reflect incredulity towards conservative ways of thinking and the
perceived truths. Similarly, Sylvia Plath’s poetic anthology Ariel and the 1959 Kitchen Debate
between Richard Nixon and Nikita Khrushchev represent opposing discourses of social
importance. By drawing on common perceptions and social dichotomies, composers seek to
challenge ways of thinking.
The After the Bomb era observed texts challenging the prominent notions of truth
in both private and public spheres by sewing uncertainty into previous ways of thinking.
Andrew Uduigwomen surmises that “postmodernism rejects most of the fundamental
intellectual pillars of modern Western Civilisation.” Such rejection of common ways of
thinking is observed in Samuel Beckett’s absurdist play, Waiting for Godot. Particularly,
Beckett challenges the notion of the perceived utter truth of an omniscient God in the
environment of a wasteland, devoid of forthcoming truthful meaning. The titular imperfect
tense in “Waiting for Godot” imbues the ongoing paralysis and enigmatic truth of purpose.
To enhance the perspective of futility as a new truthful notion of life, Beckett employs a
cylindrical narrative structure and both protagonists Estragon and Vladimir repeat the
refrain “nothing to be done.” Beckett’s characters are shaped to be the embodiment of
humanity in a condemned struggle to find truth in purpose of existence. Vladimir’s dialogue
universalises the existential experience, noting that “all of mankind is us.” The play reduces
the omniscient God that encouraged obedience in previous ways of thinking to be a
mythical metanarrative, of which Beckett shows incredulity towards. Estragon recalls the
Gospels and describes them poetically as “very pretty” and “pale blue.” In Estragon’s
recollection, the Bible does not give essence to mankind but rather is the symbol of never-
achieved symbolic reminiscence.
In the same way that Beckett challenged previous notions of God with uncertain
concepts, Stanley Kubrick’s film Dr Strangelove questions the perceived infallibility and
truthfulness of the American government in the Cold War. Maxim Pieuchot suggests that
the goal of the film “is to make the viewer question the 1960s American society, and the
leaders that the public has trusted with nuclear bombs.” The characters of the film
represent real life figures of the time to prompt closer analysis of the government which
holds such a prominent infallible position. The two heads of state are presented as
hysterically weak, or drunken and brutal, yet both equally incompetent. Kubrik’s film
suggests that human fallibility, especially at the highest trusted level, can lead to the
outbreak of nuclear war. Thus, Kubrik challenges the paradigm of political compliance and
trust that pervaded ways of thinking.
The hybrid form of an absurdist critique aids the audience’s examination of the
enigmatic nature of truth. The representation of real American figures in the 1960s as
characters in the film that have lost all sense of reality is the feature link that grounds the
Document Summary
As a response to the shift in global consciousness that occurred in the wake of the second worldwide war, composers of the after the bomb era grappled with evocative ideas. Conservative morals of political compliance, gender roles and obedience to an omniscient. God that characterised common ways of thinking before the atomic bomb are challenged by the texts of the post bomb era. Samuel beckett"s play waiting for godot and stanley. Kubrick"s dr strangelove reflect incredulity towards conservative ways of thinking and the perceived truths. Similarly, sylvia plath"s poetic anthology ariel and the 1959 kitchen debate between richard nixon and nikita khrushchev represent opposing discourses of social importance. By drawing on common perceptions and social dichotomies, composers seek to challenge ways of thinking. The after the bomb era observed texts challenging the prominent notions of truth in both private and public spheres by sewing uncertainty into previous ways of thinking.
