Abstract
This paper presents a Foucauldian discourse analysis of Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. The analysis examines linguistic and extralinguistic aspects of both the film and the novel. It is composed of three parts: the first is an analysis of the Manichaeism during the Cold War period and how it turned the Soviets into mortal enemies of the United States; the second is how the nuclear threat and the Cold War paranoia could destroy the democratic system in the United States; and the third analysis explain how Fascistic relations could be cultivated through the discipline of bodies. It has been concluded that the movie is presenting a concept, here referred to as Strangelove’s Hypothesis, that a Strangelovian scenario (i.e., a nuclear holocaust, usually caused by incompetence or without the will to do so) could lead to the emergence of a Fascistic-like form of government in order to restore security. The solution presented to avoid such scenario is a sociopsychological change in order to pursue more peaceful relations.
Highlights
The movie Dr Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb illustrate us a very interesting depiction of society and politics through the analysis of the human phenomenon, presenting a very interesting idea of how the microrelations and the macrorelations of power works
This paper presents a Foucauldian discourse analysis of Stanley Kubrick’s Dr Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
The analysis examines linguistic and extralinguistic aspects of both the film and the novel. It is composed of three parts: the first is an analysis of the Manichaeism during the Cold War period and how it turned the Soviets into mortal enemies of the United States; the second is how the nuclear threat and the Cold War paranoia could destroy the democratic system in the United States; and the third analysis explain how Fascistic relations could be cultivated through the discipline of bodies
Summary
The movie Dr Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb illustrate us a very interesting depiction of society and politics through the analysis of the human phenomenon, presenting a very interesting idea of how the microrelations and the macrorelations of power works. This paper presents a discourse analysis of the movie, examining how fascistic ideals were able to survive inside the American society portrayed on Dr Strangelove and how they were able to take over control of the post-WWIII United States—or what was left of it. The President of the United States and the Premier of the Soviet Union agreed that after all the attempts to recall and shot down one of the bombers failed, to let the Soviets nuke an American city.
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