Essay on Dekalog I (Kieslowski, 1989) and/or The Machine Stops (Forster, 1909)

Write an essay of about two pages (about 500 words) in which you respond to either (not both) of the prompts below. Your writing should by well thought out, carefully executed, and nicely typeset. Make specific and insightful references to the film or short story. Recall that you may not use ragged-right margins or a sans-serif font (we won’t grade such work). Upload your pdf or Word document to Canvas. Please include a word count at the top. Your essay is due on Friday before the start of your section.

You should not need to consult anybody else’s analysis of The Machine Stops or Dekalog I, but, if you do, make sure to give proper credit.

Prompt 1

Dekalog I might seem to support an extremely simplistic interpretation: that the protagonist Krzysztof (the father) violated the “thou shalt have no other god before me” commandment, and so the filmmaker (or God) gave him his just deserts, killing his son. But I definitely do not think that the filmmaker, Kieslowski, intends for such a simplistic interpretation. Support this last claim, providing a more nuanced view that refutes the simplistic interpretation just given.

Prompt 2

Both Dekalog I and The Machine Stops deal with technology as a kind of false religion or false God. But they do so in very different ways. Compare Forster’s and Kieslowski’s treatment of this theme.