The future of humankind lies in the hands of the living. Whether that future is ridden with destruction or flourishing with creation; that is the question. The short stories “By the Waters of Babylon” by Stephen Vincent Benet, “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, and “Searching for Summer” by Joan Aiken all show fragile populations, burdened by the actions of humanity of the past. All three of the stories call out the wrongs of their respective societies and serve as a warning message through the use of young characters displaying acts of curiosity and rebellion.
Kurt Vonnegut’s story depicts a society controlled by an authoritarian government. Equality seems to be the chief priority of the society, however, the way this equality is controlled
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John’s need for knowledge pushes him to learn for himself and go to the place of the Gods. There he discovers that the gods are not gods at all but humans, that were responsible for the destruction of their wonderful city. Described as the “Great Burning”, “...fire falling out of the sky and mist that poisoned. It was the time of Great Burning and Destruction,” (Benet, 51) finish quote sentence Benet is warning that humans, one day, may bring about their own demise. Falling fire and poison mist seem eerily similar to accounts of nuclear bomb attacks. Humanity is extremely intelligent, but is painfully unaware of the thin ground it treads on. If we are able to create our own disasters we must be willing to prevent them, or at least be able to stomach the consequences. Speculative fiction is often used by authors to aid in the creation of a futuristic setting in which a warning message can conveyed. In Aikens’ post-apocalyptic “Searching for Summer” some suspended disbelief is required to accept the fact that Mrs.Hatching’s house is the only place with sunlight. This allows readers to imagine a world where sunlight is limited and the contrast between the Hatching’s warm residence and the dark world outside provoke contemplation about a dismal future. Benet’s