V

V’s speech is recognized by the analysts at Smith Change the World Incorporated as one of the most influential speeches of the near future.

Good evening, London. 

Allow me first to apologize for this interruption. 
I do, like many of you, appreciate the comforts of every day routine — the security of the familiar, the tranquility of repetition.

I enjoy them as much as any bloke.

But in the spirit of commemoration, whereby those important events of the past, usually associated with someone's death or the end of some awful bloody struggle, are celebrated with a nice holiday, I thought we could mark this November the 5th, a day that is sadly no longer remembered, by taking some time out of our daily lives to sit down and have a little chat. 

There are of course those who do not want us to speak. I suspect even now, orders are being shouted into telephones, and men with guns will soon be on their way. 

Why? 

Because while the truncheon may be used in lieu of conversation, words will always retain their power. Words offer the means to meaning, and for those who will listen, the enunciation of truth. And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn't there? 
Cruelty and injustice, intolerance and oppression. And where once you had the freedom to object, to think and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission. 

How did this happen? 

Who's to blame? 

Well certainly there are those more responsible than others, and they will be held accountable, but again truth be told, if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror. 

I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. 

Who wouldn't be? War, terror, disease. 

There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense. 

Fear got the best of you, and in your panic you turned to the now high chancellor, Adam Sutler. He promised you order, he promised you peace, and all he demanded in return was your silent, obedient consent. 

Last night I sought to end that silence. Last night I destroyed the Old Bailey, to remind this country of what it has forgotten. 

More than 400 years ago a great citizen wished to embed the fifth of November forever in our memory. His hope was to remind the world that fairness, justice, and freedom are more than words, they are perspectives. 

So if you've seen nothing, if the crimes of this government remain unknown to you then I would suggest that you allow the fifth of November to pass unmarked. 

But if you see what I see, if you feel as I feel, and if you would seek as I seek, then I ask you to stand beside me one year from tonight, outside the gates of Parliament, and together we shall give them a fifth of November that shall never, ever be forgot.

Analysis:

”Because while the truncheon may be used in lieu of conversation, words will always retain their power" ("V for Vendetta (Film)”).

• Comparable to the Thought Police in 1984 or the Gestapo from Nazi Germany. Both used force to create submission, but both powers feared words more than anything else. The fought to destroy any writings that conflicted with beliefs.
• The Department of Homeland Security in Little Brother uses force in order to create control over the city of San Francisco. Marcus realizes that words do indeed have more power than brute force, thus manipulating the Xnet in a form of nonviolent protest. Gandhi used the same tactics in his protest against Great Britain, he is quoted, “Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man.” (“V for Vendetta (Film)”)

”And where once you had the freedom to object, to think and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission" ("V for Vendetta (Film)”).

• As in both Little Brother and 1984, the ability to think or reject is removed by the government. Both are then replaced with, “censors and systems of surveillance” (“V for Vendetta (Film)”).
• The “soliciting” of and individual’s submission is a main theme in 1984, as Winston find himself “solicited” by Big Brother. The posters and telescreens are constant reminders of his presence, and as Winston says, “The presence of Big Brother was not just known, you were reminded of it ever time you walked outside your home” (Orwell, 1984, 101).

”if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror." ("V for Vendetta (Film)”)

• During the collapse of societies, there is always the attempt to create a scapegoat. Usually the scapegoat is the minorities of the community. An example of this would be in Hitler’s Germany. Hitler was able to create an accepted blame on the Jews for the depression, and used the support behind the scapegoat in order to rise to power. After Hitler had been defeated, many citizen of Germany claimed that they had no idea of what was happening to the Jews and other minorities in their society. Yet, they were just blinded by their faith in Hitler and were unable to blame themselves.
• In society today, people look for someone to blame for economic, social, and political problems. All of these problems are cause by each and every individual in the society. Whether it be overspending, close-mindedness, or even the lack of participation in a democratic government.

”His hope was to remind the world that fairness, justice, and freedom are more than words, they are perspectives." ("V for Vendetta (Film)”)

• Regardless of how much censorship is implemented on a society, fairness, justice, and freedom will be everlasting. Perspectives cannot be destroyed and cannot be forgotten.