Harrison Bergeron And Fahrenheit 451

Imagine a regular twenty-eight year old who is watching the television set with anticipation as anti-gerasone is first introduced. A large majority people would agree that living forever would have positive and beneficial effects; however, Kurt Vonnegut and Ray Bradbury demonstrate some of the clear misconceptions of not only being immortal, but equality and what humanity is doing to themselves. Vonnegut and Bradbury are two of the authors that have formed science fiction into the genre that it is today. In each of the stories, Fahrenheit 451, “The Big Trip Up Yonder”, and “Harrison Bergeron”, humanity has created an unnecessary problem through their thoughts and actions. In fact, almost all of the science fiction genre contains elements

Modern society eliminated all intellectuals: prohibiting new ideas from being created. In a conversation between Montag and Clarisse, the reader learns that reading books is considered ludicrous: “‘Do you ever read any of the books you burn?’ He laughed ‘That’s against the law!’ ‘Oh, of course’” (Bradbury 3). The act of reading an actual book was such an absurd concept to Guy, one which he had not even thought about it. The reader can infer from Montag’s statement that the impact of modern technology made reading irrelevant, creating a lackluster, even disheartening, society. When reading is banned, people are stripped of their creativity; therefore, modern technology is prohibiting civilization from advancing. Later in the story, Montag states, “With school turning out more runners, jumpers, racers, tinkerers, grabbers, snatchers, fliers, and swimmers instead of examiners, critics, knowers, and imaginative creators, the word `intellectual,' of course, became the swear word it deserved to be. You always dread the unfamiliar” (Bradbury 27). Society had pushed people to become physically capable, limiting their mental abilities. The word ‘intellectual’ became an insult, allowing one to come to the conclusion that society has stopped advancing. Civilization is unable to advance without understanding where everything started, meaning that in the world

This often creates a false sense of security which prohibits further advancement in society. Vonnegut warns humans of overpopulation and to not be fooled by deception: “Emerald and Lou, coming in from the balcony, where they had been seeking that 2185 A.D. rarity--privacy--were obliged to take seats in the back row, behind Lou's father and mother, brother and sister-in-law, son and daughter-in-law, grandson and wife, granddaughter and husband, great-grandson and wife, nephew and wife, grandnephew and wife, great-grandniece and husband, great-grandnephew and wife--and, of course, Gramps, who was in front of everybody” (Vonnegut 1). When privacy is a rarity, one can infer that the earth has become overpopulated and natural resources are practically impossible to find. The new technology, anti-gerasone, has prohibited people from dying, causing the Earth to become overcrowded; in turn, limiting advancement due to a lack of space and the inability to work undisturbed. In contrast to the outside world, places that we consider to be substandard, appear superior. For example, the prison was discovered to be of outstanding quality “‘All right, pipe down," said the turnkey, "or I'll toss the whole kit and caboodle of you right out. And first one who lets on to anybody outside how good jail is ain't never getting back in!’” (Vonnegut 9). The turnkey threatened to throw the family