n the film, and examine the accuracy of the depiction of this era of the American history.
             The first image presented to the viewer is a clock in anticipation of the strike of six with the subject matter of the film superimposed over the clock face, "A story of industry, of individual enterprise - humanity crusading in the pursuit of happiness". Although the subject matter is presented in the opening credits, the focus of the film is far more reaching. Rhetoric in the film is minimalist, due to the fact that this movie was filmed during the transition period from silent movies to talkies. As the movie foreshadows with its title, the film takes its own steps towards the future of the cinematography. As such, there is sound to the film, apart from the traditional music score, which in this case was also composed by Chaplin himself. The use of sound is scant, and as with previous films of the generation, metaphor is used extensively in addition to the stark use of caption cards - moments when the film temporarily pauses, allowing the viewer to read dialog. First testament to pervasive use of metaphor, the opening scene, is that of sheep being herded through a narrow entrance into an enclosure. This scene then fades to that of similar cattle like depersonalized humans pushing and shoving as they leave a train station towards work. The conspicuous statement being made is that the everyday blue-collar workers were being treated like cattle. In observation of employment condition of the time, Chaplin makes reference to automation with the advancement of technology. This was seen as a threat to the millions of blue-collar workers of the generation. To
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