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Speculative Thinking In Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron

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Throughout your lifetime, have you thought about what will happen in the future? Speculative thinking is the thinking of hypothetical, theoretical ideas of what could happen. For generations through entertainment, media, education, and everyday conversations, people use speculative thinking to raise awareness many current issues of our world and the future of the Earth and human race by depicting the manu events that could happen in our world. The authors of “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, “Feed” by MT Anderson, and “There Will Come Soft Rains” by Ray Bradbury, video games like “Fallout”, and the movie “2012” directed by Roland Emmerich all influence readers, viewers, and gamers to use speculative thinking to raise awareness of the Earth …show more content…

As the plot develops about maintaining an “equal society”, the reader starts speculate the idea of equality and question, “can a society really be truly equal” and what the image of an equal society. In addition, the story “Feed” by MT Anderson jumps to the future where social media has taken over humans, which is a fear people think about as generations begins to develop the use of social media. The character of “Feed” convey the life of how social media “The Feed” took over the minds of teenagers and the loss of life of Titus and his generation. The event of the hacker, the feelings and responses of Titus towards the painting of the rudder in the hospital rooms, to the interactions of the party that happens, depict the power of social media that's developing in society. After being disconnected from the Feed, Titus looks at a painting and believes that there wasn’t “anything interesting about [the] picture at all and “nothing [was] about to happen or just had happened” (Anderson 48). This shows the reader the effects of social media and how it can take over someone’s life as if it was apart of humans. The reader speculates the role of social media in humans’ lives and how the danger of social media foreshadows the takeover of social media in the future if we continue to depend on the internet of human lives as the reader finishes “The Feed”. Lastly, the story “There Will Come Soft Rains” by Ray Bradbury, takes place in an empty technological advanced house after suffering through a nuclear disaster. The many events depicted from the automatic routine of the house to the fire of the shows the reader the power of technology and nuclear energy over humans. The end of the story, “among the ruins” of the fire, “one wall stood alone” which tells the reader that power of technology

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There are many ways an author can convey the message of any story. Elements such as the Plot, Conflict, Character/Characterization, Setting, Symbolism, Narration, and Imagery are used in these ways. For example, in the In the story "Harrison Bergeron", the author Kurt Vonnegut uses the characterization, and the conflict to communicate the message to the reader that Uniformity and strict laws lead to a loss of personal freedom and individuality. Vonnegut uses the element of characterization.

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Transported into the future, Ray Bradbury paints a picture in the reader’s head of the Happy Life Home, filled with technology to fit everyday needs. A family, mom, dad, and two kids, start to slowly fall apart because of being surrounded with technology. In The Veldt, Bradbury uses multiple examples of author’s craft such as personification and tone or mood to help prove and point out a theme included in his story. His theme contained in the story is, influencing children with so much technology early on can not only stir up violent thoughts but, can also cause breaks between friend and family relationships. The first author’s craft that can prove this theme to be true is personification.

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Is Bradbury's Fantasy Becoming Our Reality Technological growth is one of the biggest moving innovations in our everyday lives. In the novel Fahrenheit 451 written by Ray Bradbury speaking about the future society where books are outlawed and no one thinks for themselves. Bradbury speaks about the struggle that certain characters have trying to involve books back into society. In our everyday lives, we are constantly flooded with social media and always have a need to pick up our phones. Children are beginning to learn keyboarding at a much younger age, as opposed to working on their penmanship.

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"I was not predicting the future, I was trying to prevent it" (Bradbury). The world illustrated in Fahrenheit 451 isn 't that far off from our own. Technology has become a very influential part of everyone 's lives, and has control over people’s actions and thoughts. Ray Bradbury uses the themes mass media, conformity vs. individuality, and censorship in his dystopian novel, Fahrenheit 451, to capture a futuristic world in which books are illegal and technology is consuming society. Mass media is a significant theme throughout the book, Fahrenheit 451.

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In his short story “Harrison Bergeron,” Kurt Vonnegut presents a vision of a distant future in which Americans have been forced into slavery disguised as equality through the use of physical and mental handicaps. This frightening vision represents a common theme in science fiction literature as it “depicts a future government that controls its people by eliminating mental stimulation” and “warns of controlling trends in society” (69). For example The government in our short story has given all the smart people in their nation a headset to keep them from thinking deeply. “the transmitter would send out some sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains.” (3) By doing this, the government has turned everyone

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“The internet is so big, so powerful and pointless that for some people it is a complete substitute for life” (Andrew Brown). Andrew Brown is a writer that sees the advances in technology, leaving a negative impact on society. He shares this opinion with many others. His quote really relates to this book, the characters in Feed barely speak through their mouths, instead they chat each other through the feed. People in the novel become isolated and lead a separate life while on the feed.

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“Harrison Bergeron” is a short fiction written by Kurt Vonnegut, the story is set in the year 2081, and it talks about a futuristic society where all people are equal. No one is smarter, beautiful or stronger than the other, and if someone happens to be better than the others they find themselves compelled by The United States Handicapper General to wear what they call “handicaps” in order to bring down their abilities to the most basic levels as the others. Throughout the story, Vonnegut expresses a strong and vigorous political and social criticism of some historical events in the US during 1960s such as the Cold War and Communism, television and American Culture and Civil Rights Movement. “Harrison Bergeron” was published in 1961 during that time several events were happening around the world in general and in the US in specific which was engaged in a series of political and economic crisis with the communist Soviet Union know as The

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Humans have an especially intriguing propensity for envisioning what 's to come. While the vast majority have taken a couple of minutes to consider where they 'll be in a couple of months, years, or even decades, others have dedicated their opportunity to envisioning about what will look like for all of humanity. Ray Bradbury, a prolific author, is one such visionary. The society depicted in Bradbury 's Fahrenheit 451 is so dependant on technology that the reliance on devices is obscuring their perspective on the world, turning them into selfish and inhuman individuals. In fact, the entertainment is not only a illusion, but a way to control people 's behaviors, thoughts, and interactions by replacing human connection; therefore, destroying

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Equality is a great idea that we should strive for and achieve; however, being made equal physically and mentally by the government could be very unfair. People should still have characteristics that make us different. One can be diverse but still equal to his neighbor. Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s use of point of view, conflict, and imagery in his short story “Harrison Bergeron,” illustrates how difficult living in a world where everyone is the same would be.

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Most authors, when writing futuristic stories, tend to have technological advances like flying cars or robots to add that flare. However, in the story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut there is nothing of the sort. In the year 2081, the US government has tried to reach full equality by using handicaps on the gifted. The society’s rules leave more people with pain and anger rather than a sense of total equality with each other. Which leads some readers to wonder what a society where the ungifted were lifted up instead of the gifted put down would be like in comparison with Vonneguts.

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In today's society, a world where everyone is equal may seem like a perfect place to live. There would be no discrimination and no unfair advantages for anyone. Although equality is important, total equality between individuals can lead to many complications. A prime example of this is in the story “Harrison Bergeron”. This dystopia takes place in 2021, where the world in which the citizens live in, is completely run by the government.

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After reading the story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut. It is about what would the world be like if everyone is the same. Nobody is better than anyone. If anyone have the better ability, they add handicap. Everyone is average I am sure the author is intended to say is everyone should deserve the same right,even the handicap people.

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Analysis Essay on “Harrison Bergeron” The author of “Harrison Bergeron” is Kurt Vonnegut. He was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on November 11, 1922. Vonnegut is well known for his satirical literary style, as well as the science-fiction elements in much of his work. He first published “Harrison Bergeron” in October 1961.

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Technology and Its Control Over Society In many of his pieces, writings, and novels, Ray Bradbury reflects the immense reliance and close connection that humanity has with technology. He also depicts the dangerous effects that could come from having this relationship, such as a loss of independency and self-control over one’s mind and actions. If humanity were to continue to allow technology to have this disastrous power and control, society’s downfall is certain and destined to come.

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Bradbury believes that technology is a benefactor when it comes to the aid of people’s lives. However, Bradbury is also wary of the unintentional hazards technological innovation may cause, and fears technology that seems to replace human responsibility. Bradbury sums up his doubts, stating that technology should never come at the expense of human life. These ideologies are displayed throughout the following short stories: “The Veldt,” “There Will Come Soft Rains,” and “A Sound of Thunder.” Each story contains the underlying theme that technology must be wielded with great care.

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