Translation is not a matter of words only: it is a matter of making intelligible a whole culture.
Anthony BurgessRead
... A CLOCKWORK ORANGE- and I said: 'That's a fair gloopy title. Who ever heard of a clockwork orange?' Then I read a malenky bit out loud in a sort of very high type preaching goloss: '- The attempt to impose upon a man, a creature of growth and capable of sweetness, to ooze juicily at the last round the bearded lips of God, to attempt to impose, I say, laws and conditions appropriate to a mechanical creation, against this I raise my swordpen-
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote critiques the imposition of strict rules on human nature, which is inherently organic and complex.
In this quote, Anthony Burgess reflects on the tension between human nature and the constraints imposed by society. He argues that people are not machines that can be controlled by rigid laws but are instead complex beings capable of growth and sweetness. The metaphor of a 'clockwork orange' suggests a conflict between mechanical order and organic existence, emphasizing the idea that imposing mechanical principles on human life can stifle individuality and authenticity.
Themes
Human NatureMechanicalGrowthSweetnessFreedom
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about personal freedom versus societal rules, you might use this quote to illustrate the need for understanding human complexity.
More from Anthony Burgess
All quotes →There is a satisfactory boniness about grammar which the flesh of sheer vocabulary requires before it can become a vertebrate and walk the earth.
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There was me, that is Alex, and my three droogs, that is Pete, Georgie and Dim, Dim being really dim, and we sat in the Korova Milkbar making up our rassoodocks what to do with the evening.
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Violence among young people is an aspect of their desire to create. They don't know how to use their energy creatively so they do the opposite and destroy.
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Only in England is the perversion of language regarded as a victory for democracy.
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You needn't take it any further, sir. You've proved to me that all this ultraviolence and killing is wrong, wrong, and terribly wrong. I've learned me lesson, sir. I've seen now what I've never seen before. I'm cured! Praise Bog! I'm cured!
Anthony BurgessRead
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