Harrison Bergeron and By the Waters of the Babylon Do you ever imagine the future? If so what does it look like bright, and shiny? Unfortunately the way the world is headed it will probably look the opposite of what you imagined, gloomy, and desolate. The stories of “Harrison Bergeron” by, Kurt Vonnegut and “By the waters of Babylon” by, Stephen Vincent Benet are two short stories that represent dark versions of the near future. Will our world ever end up like this, hurt by inequalities or destroyed by technology?
“Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is a progress; working together is success,” by Henry Ford. The book Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, and the short story By the Waters of Babylon, by Stephen Vincent Benét, show how humankind isn’t always successful throughout their journey. Some stories, people, and objects could seem like they have nothing in common, completely different, but hidden underneath the surface are similarities and connections. People will make their own choices and carry through with them if they believe they are right. As things carry on throughout both stories we see they are connected more commonly through being compared to a phoenix, finding the truth and the travel.
Harrison Bergeron is a short story and film, 2081, that tells about a man who lives in a world where everyone is equal. Due to the 211, 212, and 213 amendment, everyone stong wears weights, everyone who is smart wears an earpiece, and everyone beautiful wears a mask. The film and story are similar and different in many ways. There are different descriptions of characters and different dialogue. The are similar in ways such as the image of Harrison and the death of Harrison.
The two stories, “Harrison Bergeron” and Fahrenheit 451, both have common themes. The common themes of the stories may include; our reliance on technology can spiral out of control if we let it, knowledge is joyful and painful, and that we can be confined by our own self-censorship. All of these themes are exhibited throughout both stories frequently. Whether it is as Montag has conflict with his wife over books or as Harrison’s parents forget right from wrong in their society. In Fahrenheit 451, their technology definitely gets out of control.
Compare and Contrast Essay There Will Come Soft Rains and Harrison Bergeron, by Kurt Vonnegut and Ray Bradbury,are both very famous stories written in the science fiction/Dystopian genre. Due to both their eerie foreshadowing for the future, both have a feeling of apprehension over the reader. Even though the both stories have different messages, there are important similarities between how they are shown, and how they relate to everything. With the authors using the settings that they did, it played a key role in setting the tone.
In the different science fiction texts, "Fahrenheit 451" and "Harrison Bergeron", it is shown by the authors, that our planet is slowly becoming a dystopian society. The limitations in the society's convey that the author is trying to say things about our community. In Fahrenheit, the world in which Montag lives in, doesn't allow books. The author's message is that too much technology will ruin our society. The theme of Harrison Bergeron is that because of a lot of argument over equality, our future may have to live by different standards.
Harrison Bergeron was a book written in 1961 that portrayed an abnormal child defying the dystopian government; in 2009 a movie was made, based off of it called 2081 that changed the character both physically and morally. The differences in how Harrison Bergeron, the main character, appears in each story changes how the audience perceives his morality. These changes are easily highlighted in Harrison’s age, dialogue, and appearance. The tone of the story is also changed, resulting in similar changes to what the audience interprets. As both stories continue these differences become more and more apparent and by the end, there is a clear split in what the audience ‘takes away’.
Books and movies have been around for many years and lately movie directors have been making more and more movies based off of books. Most people do not know that around 50% of movies are based off of books. Although, it really depends on what people mean when a movie is “based” off a book. Some directors say a movie is based off a book, but has a different plot and seems totally different. So, in order to keep true to the book, directors keep the plot relatively the same, but there are a few times they decide to change the message entirely by changing just a few key events.
“Repent Harlequin Said the Tictockman” by Harlan Ellison wrote in 1965 is about a time keeping government trying to achieve complete efficiency. The 1961 science fiction short story “Harrison Bergeron,” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., is about complete equality, disabling humanity from success. By examining elements of character analysis, tone, plot, setting, and diction, readers can see that these two dystopian stories can be compared and contrasted. “Repent Harlequin…” and “Harrison Bergeron” take place in alternate futures where the government has either taken control of everyone’s schedules or removed things that would make them unequal. Both stories are led by an antagonist and by someone who rebelled against them, but eventually, the rebellion fails and as far as we know the oppression goes on.
Collectivism is the idea that a group 's needs must be put before the needs of oneself and the society functions as “we” rather that “me”. Throughout the stories one sees how each author portrays the use of a collectivist society though uniqueness, equality, and transgression. There are many similarities between the novella Anthem by Ayn Rand and the story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. In Anthem and “Harrison Bergeron” one could see that a similar theme is that going against the grain causes consequences. According to “Harrison Bergeron” a ballerina states that “ ‘Harrison Bergeron age fourteen,’ she said in a grackle squawk, ‘has just escaped from jail, where he was held on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government.
With injustice and cruelty running rampant in the world, it is unsurprising that people become determined to make things better for tomorrow. The cliché saying that the ends justify the means is often quoted by those aware of the moral greyness of their actions. Commendable yet unreasonable, leaders whose sole purpose in life is to fix what they see as “wrong” with the world fall prey to thinking there is only ally or enemy. In the long run, they harm those they try to liberate.
In the short stories “The Dead Men’s Path” by Chinua Achebe and “Harrison Bergeron” by Vonnegut share many similar qualities yet differences between each other. A similarity between “The Dead Men’s Path” and “Harrison Begeron” is that the author’s both use conflict to develop the theme of the story. Micheal Obi, the main character from “The Dead Men’s Path”, is a young man who hopes to turn Ndume Central School into a more modern place. Filled with many ideas, Micheal along with his wife, Nancy, plan to renovate and modernize the school. One evening, as Micheal admires his garden, he soon realizes it is an almost disused path.
Government Glitches Conflicts between governments and their respective societies has been a long existing battle. Moderated censorship, limited input in the lives of citizens, and evenly distributed power are at the heart of most issues under the vast umbrella of this topic. Many people have found ways to creatively express their opinions on the matter. For instance, authors Kurt Vonnegut and W.H. Auden used their skills to create pieces that do just that. In Vonnegut’s short story “Harrison Bergeron,” a futuristic American society has achieved complete “equality.”
The short story “Harrison Bergeron”, was first published in October 1961 issue of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Some other works Kurt Vonnegut has written are, “Player Piano”, “The Sirens of Titan”, “Mother Night”, and “Cats Cradle” are just a few of the novels Vonnegut has written. Kurt Vonnegut has drawn on facts and incidents in his own life in his writings. Kurt’s short stories range from visions of future societies, that are extensions of modern societies. Many of his writings are ones that are science fiction.
Alas, Babylon, a post-apocalyptic novel written by Pat Frank, portrays the terrors of nuclear war and the consequential collapse of social order. It is a cautionary tale for the modern world, and a potential threat to civilization, as the book suggests, is the advancement of technology. When I read Alas, Babylon, I could sincerely relate to the fear of emerging technologies, for the capacity to inflict colossal damage to humankind is all too possible in our precarious times. Today, there is a constant craving for the “next big thing” in the technology industry.
