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Harrison bergeron character traits
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Harrison bergeron character traits
Exploaration of individualism
Elements of individualism
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Fahrenheit 451 Essay The society in the book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury may be different than how we are in real life, but how they act could still be related to how we act. Many traits that are in that society can be found in our world, in real life. Many people are depicted as happy and many people are depicted as unhappy. This same society relates to how we were back in 2016.
"A book is a loaded gun in the house next door" (Bradbury 56). This quote was from Fahrenheit 451, a book where technology takes over a society and diverse knowledge is banned. People who own books are deemed crazy and have everything burned down. It connects to Harrison Bergeron, a short story by Kurt Vonnegut, where everyone is equal by bringing everyone down to the lowest average. People in this dystopian society are handicapped mentally and physically and when someone decides to rebel they are met with grave consequences.
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.
Individuality against conformity is a heavy theme throughout Fahrenheit 451. Clarisse is a central character in Fahrenheit 451 who opposes censorship, questioning Montag in Part One. Clarisse's boldness in asking Montag whether or not he considers the importance of what he is burning offers Bradbury’s view that people who defy anthropocentrism in censorship are more inquisitive, in turn, this could be seen as detrimental to people who try to go against an authoritarian system. The significance of individuality and rebellion throughout Fahrenheit 451 indicates that Bradbury is criticising the shortcomings of anthropocentrism, that in a homocentric society and culture of Fahrenheit, it doesn’t affect non-conforming humans such as Clarisse. Clarisse
Harrison Bergeron is a novel where the author is expressing what he thinks society is leading to and what the problems are. Harrison Bergeron is the main character and his points of view and thinking matters are interesting to investigate. This author made everyone the same. Societies are pressuring people to become the same and making people think that if they don 't look or act some sort of way, they don 't matter or serve to our world, causing many people to go to certain limits and even causing suicide as a solution. In the story, everyone thinks the same, everyone walks the same, hears the same.
Have you ever been so involved with a book that you feel like you personally know each and every character? That when the book comes to an end you feel like a chapter of your life has just closed? What if you could never have that feeling ever again? Would it make you do things you could have never imagined, like breaking the law? Well this is an everyday problem for the people in the future in Ray Bradbury’s book Fahrenheit 451, when most books are deemed illegal, unless the government says otherwise.
In the paragraph, Beatty explains why they don’t allow people to read books. In the world Montag is living in the government doesn’t allow people to have their own thoughts or opinions. They are worried that if they read books they will have different opinions causing them to fight with one another or the government. The government is limiting their knowledge so everyone will be “happy”. However, no one is truly happy because they believe the same thing as everyone else.
Our society is doomed. Everyday we become more and more similar to the society within Fahrenheit 451 as we become less and less patient and more and more conform becoming what we think society wants us to be rather than what we ourselves want to be. Have you ever wanted something so bad and you just had to have it right now, you couldn’t wait any longer? This means you have felt instant gratification the need to have something right now no waiting. In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury the society is full of people who constantly have instant gratification.
The choice between conforming to societal standards and remaining an individual is similar to choosing between freedom and oppression. Individuality is the distinction between qualities of oneself and others, requiring independent thoughts and opinions. Conformity grasps the idea of accepting ideal behavior and notions. In two powerful dystopian novels, 1984 by George Orwell and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, the main characters struggle to rise up against the standard behavior of society. However, only one succeeds, while the other accepts to conform.
One common afternoon in the year of 2081, when everyone was equal, Hazel and George Bergeron were in their lovely living room watching television. Suddenly, a news reporter with a severe speech impediment came on. After trying many times to say, “Good morning ladies and gentlemen,” he handed it off to a ballerina who read, “Harrison Bergeron, age 14, has just escaped from jail, where he was held on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government. He is a genius and an athlete, is under-handicapped, and should be regarded as extremely dangerous.” However, in this short story “Harrison Bergeron”, Kurt Vonnegut uses irony, shift and mood, and allusion to illustrated haw society would be if everyone was under the law of equality.
Webster’s Dictionary defines individuality as “the quality that makes one person or thing different from all others”, and conformity as “behavior that is the same as the behavior of most other people in a society”. John F. Kennedy says, “Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.” Oftentimes, much like in Kennedy’s case, individualism is praised over conformity, labeling the former good or courageous and the latter bad or lazy, because individuality fuels change, whereas conformity prompts a societal stasis. However, it needs to be taken into account that humans are, in Aristotle’s words, social animals and thus, in societies as complex and intricate as ours, stasis suggests stability, which is not necessarily bad.
In the society of Fahrenheit 451, people would stick to desires of others, so that they are not left alone by society. They would look for answers in books of what was the purpose for their life. In Fahrenheit 451 people who express their individuality find themselves as social outcasts, and are at worst in real danger. There are a lot of quotes in Fahrenheit 451 that are about conformity and individuality. " Are you happy?"
Harrison Bergeron, a story written by Kurt Vonnegut Jr, shows a society where everyone is the same, no one is- or allowed to be, better than anyone else. The story takes place in a futuristic society during 2081. The main two people in this story are Hazel and George Bergeron. George, along with most people, has sacks filled with birdshot, and a handicap radio.
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.
The “perfect” society that is created, comes at the cost of individuality. In Ray Bradbury’s, Fahrenheit 451, the individuality of the citizens is threatened by the amount of government control in their lives, and can be seen through the Utopian goals, the government punishments, and the citizens’ conformity in response to this. The Utopian goals that the society holds limits the individuality of the citizens. Their attempt to create a controlled environment leads to more government control than necessary.