The literary canon is composed of texts considered to be of considerable value, texts considered experimentally profound and which can even be said to change the way the reader perceives the world. A Clockwork Orange can be considered an experimental masterpiece, as it explores social and universally significant issues that challenge the moral conscience of its reader. Through his unique use of language, Burgess addresses explicit topics and seems to appreciate the strength of his words, as well as the timeless power they hold. Furthermore, through his depiction of youth and violence in general, the writer plays with cultural stereotypes and the concept of free will, thus challenging the reader regarding morals and preconceptions about what truly makes someone human. By following Alex through diegetic narrative, Burgess explores many levels of morality, which contribute to its social meaning, making it a canonical text. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayBurgess experiments with language to design a compelling narrative and create the reader's perception of Alex. From the beginning Burgess employs Nad-sat, a hybrid idiolect employed by Alex and his "droogs", and which at first glance seems foreign to the reader. The language used by Alex is representative of his youth, as well as the stigma and stereotypes that society has towards adolescents both in its dystopian and contemporary sphere: "Out coming the blood my brothers" (A Clockwork Orange (2013) Page 59). Alex's maturity is affirmed through language as he greets such a violent and usually horrible thing with childlike excitement; blood for Alex seems to be an extremely rewarding outcome: his potential for evil and malice becomes ominously evident. Alex addresses us, often with “O my brothers.” which allows the story to be told in a more personal way, as it seems like it is only us that Alex is talking to, and we are getting a story that is only being told to a chosen few, it is connecting the reader, making its audience an accomplice of these gruesome acts and they didn't know how to feel. Alex continues to personify acts of violence as if to intensify the pleasure of his crimes: “Smecking off with the cash's guts” (A Clockwork Orange (2013) Page 16 ). He even goes so far as to view his violent acts as a conduit through which to say goodbye to something he loves most, describing blood as "[An] old friend." Rather poetically, Burgess makes it clear that Alex is so desensitized that violence has become his closest companion. This "old friend" presents an irony, for as the novel progresses, Alex's relationship with violence is once again subverted, as each such act becomes his greatest fear and enemy, what once brought immense satisfaction ends up bringing horrendous discomfort to Alex at the same time. hands of the state. Burgess therefore “consciously plays with the possibilities of expression to produce verbal art” (Montgomery et al (2000), page 297). His language in its complexity envelops the narrative in an air of childlike mystery at the beginning of the novel and builds something devoid of superficiality with immense meaning. The author himself admitted that the language was a way of giving a fairly explicit message to the audience in a passive way: "They are afraid, rightly, of language" and that his nad-sat is actually "intended to muffle the crude response that we expect from pornography” (Burgess, A. (2009) A Clockwork Orange Resucked NP).the immediate explicitness of its language and perceived a message of much deeper origins, drawing on a distinctive sign of a canonical text. Another morally universal theme that Burgess's novella highlights, and which contributes to its canonical meaning, is the importance of free will. The questions are posed to the reader as they are to Alex through the motif: "What will it be then, huh?" (A Clockwork Orange (2013) Page 1). Every time we see this phrase in the novel, Burgess presents moral and ethical dilemmas of choice to Alex as well as the reader. We are led to recognize the fact that the state is slowly depriving him of choice, fraudulently making Alex (along with the rest of society) believe he has a choice when in reality he is becoming "A Clockwork Orange", as Burgess alludes to in the article commentary on your novel; “a human being has free will […] If he can do only good or only do evil, then he is a clockwork orange.” This has a direct correlation to the canon as it explores how “minds are not free at all, they just think they are” (Bertens, H (2001) Page 8). Incongruously, Alex himself discusses the meaning of free will for humanity and whether the absence of choice can lead to someone's loss of identity, wondering, "[Is] a man who chooses evil, perhaps in some way better than a man on whom good has been imposed?" on him” (A Clockwork Orange (2013) Page 92) Burgess suggests “it is not the consciousness of men which determines their existence, but their social existence which determines their consciousness” (Burgess, A. (2009) A Clockwork Orange Resucked NP ). In this sense Alex is a product of the society in which he resides. His experience reveals that the State evidently has significant power over the individual and the mental structure that individual has, or at least can be given. Burgess, in a reflection on his novel, encourages the reader to internalize the debate over the importance of individual free will: “Eat this sickly sweet segment, or spit it out. You are free” (Burgess, A. (2009) A Clockwork Orange Resucked NP). The novel provides its readers with a clear vision of what happens if a corrupt state is allowed to have too much control. Burgess's theme reflects the context in which it was written, in a time when surveillance was used in abundance in an attempt to counter disorder. We are left with the idea that if a man does not achieve free will, then he is not a man at all. Resulting entirely in a canonical text, this theme sparks thought in the reader about how universally we all achieve some form of free will, no matter how small. What matters is how we use it, because if it were no longer there we would miss it. Burgess also focuses on the question of morality in the text, once again reflecting its canonical status through the inclusion of "themes of universal importance" (Montgomery et al. al (2000), page 297). Throughout the novel, we witness Alex's actions as he takes it upon himself to teach society's "evildoers" a lesson, despite not conforming to society's norms and values ​​himself. Such blatant hypocrisy is in many ways ironic; we are outraged by the injustice presented so explicitly: “No school this after lunch but education certainly, Alex a teacher” (A Clockwork Orange (2013) Page 50). Alex believes it's his job to be in a position of power and teach a lesson to these girls who have been skipping school by raping them. It's clear that Alex perceives himself as a moral arbiter of society, re-educating those who transgress in horrifyingly violent and invasive ways, presumably to satisfy his own criminally deviant tendencies in the process. Therefore, the narrative.