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The Pedestrian Kurt Vonnegut Analysis

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In “The Pedestrian” by Kurt Vonnegut, the society tried to live a “perfect” utopian life, but technology started to take over. This ended up making it a dystopian society because the robot police didn’t know the normal things a person can do. This is just like how the pedestrian walking down the street that night when he got pulled over for no reason. The pedestrian was just doing what an average person would do. At first glance, things may seem perfect, but in reality they’re really living a dystopian life. There was supposedly no crime in this society, “Crime was ebbing; there was no need now for the police…” (1) This shows there was no need for police, and that everyone was safe. The attempt to make this “perfect” society was a complete
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Dystopia is defined as an imaginary place or state in which every single thing in society is based around human oppression. In both “The Pedestrian” and “Harrison Bergeron”, people are given a handicap or are disabled in society one way or another. This form of dystopia is one of the most literal forms because humans and society are actually being oppressed from a higher level of power. American society is nothing like that of a dystopian society. Yeah, people will argue about how much the government does to us, how much they’ve ruined our economy, and all sorts of other negative perspectives.

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In the passage, “The Pedestrian” by Ray Bradbury, conflict arises between Mr. Mead and the police car. When the police car stops Mr. Mead on his nightly walk it says, “'Stand still. Stay where you are! Don't move!' He halted.”

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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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Ray Bradbury's “The Pedestrian” is a short story about a man and his wife whom lose their endearing connection with their children to the grip of technology. Ray Bradbury helps readers comprehend the setting in “The Veldt” by using similes throughout the story to create a vivid image. Bradbury incorporates similes throughout the story in a detailed manner. The story begins with including the graphic simile, “It was empty as a jungle glade at hot high noon” (Bradbury 1).

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The setting, figurative language, and characterization all support the dystopian theme in Ray Bradbury's novel, The Pedestrian. The story's setting is essential to creating the dystopian feeling. In his depiction of a city in the year 2053, Bradbury shows desolate streets and people alone in their homes watching television. The sense of desolation caused by the "cool darkness" highlights the dehumanizing effect caused by a lack of community (Bradbury 2). By stressing the gloomy nature of the society, this environment adds to the dystopian setting.

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249 Words | 1 Pages

Imagine living in a world that is completely ruled by technology. “The Pedestrian” is a short story written by Ray Bradbury that shows how technology rules all of us. Ray Bradbury creates a fictional future where people’s lives are overrun by technology. This story shows that technology has taken over people’s lives through the characters and the the setting, and it has caused them to neglect traditional ways of living. To begin with, the theme of “The Pedestrian” is shown through the characters in the story.

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955 Words | 4 Pages

“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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The Pedestrian Thesis: In a short story titled “The Pedestrian”, written by Ray Bradbury, Bradbury uses the setting to display a lonely, sad mood and person vs society conflict as he battles the lonely streets. Bradbury shows the lonely mood by having the character walk alone in the empty streets. Bradbury wasted no time describing the streets as silent and misty making for a very lonely mood. Mead, the main character, walks along the streets alone with no sign of life, saying “he would see cottages and homes with their dark windows, and it was not unequal to walking through a graveyard where the faintest light is a flicker of a firefly” Bradbury’s quote shows how empty and lonely the streets are by referring to them as a

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1647 Words | 7 Pages

“It’s like being a pedestrian, only rarer. My uncle was arrested in another time– did I tell you? – for being a pedestrian.” p. 7 This is a reference to Bradbury's short story “The Pedestrian” which shows a world in which everyone stays inside as they prefer distractions to a real meaningful life.

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Ray Bradbury’s “The Pedestrian” is filled repeatedly with imagery. These descriptive phrases of imagery provide vivid details that make the story easy to imagine, so real and visual. Bradbury’s writing comes alive to the reader. This short story is about a peaceful man, walking by himself, who is picked up by the police and thrown in jail. Imagery helped readers understand the setting of “The pedestrian.”

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Conformity is something that humans have been doing for a long time. Such conformity has lead to negative outcomes. This idea is explored through “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut and “The Unknown Citizen” by W.H. Auden. In these two texts conformity eliminates individuality and causes the society to be weakened.

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876 Words | 4 Pages

The "Pedestrian" is a futuristic story about a man who is not involved with the world. Bradbury uses setting, figurative language, and symbolism to affect the overall succession of the story. First, Bradbury uses figurative language to portray the negative view of technology on people. He uses similes to show how people are affected. For example, "But now these highways, too, were like streams in a dry season all stone and bed and moon radiance.

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319 Words | 2 Pages

There were no police in the era. They had the watch which were armed citizens under control of the sheriff. The most common crimes were, theft, cut purses, begging and poaching. Theft was a very bad crime in those times, they would have great punishment if found guilty. Tortures would follow for crimes when committed.

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435 Words | 2 Pages

The science fiction works of “Harrison Bergeron”, by Kurt Vonnegut and “The Pedestrian”, by Ray Bradbury are sarcastic portrayals of futuristic societies that are controlled by authoritative governments that have completely made their communities equal. Each of these stories take a look at the prospect of promoting sameness and conformity among all people, and questions the effects of the forced elimination of citizens’ individuality in order to maintain equality. In “The Pedestrian” Mr. Leonard Mead faces extreme consequences for his nightly stroll in the city. In the year 2053, Mead’s society has become completely taken over by televisions and the media.

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596 Words | 3 Pages

In the stories, "The Lie," by Kurt Vonnegut and "Barn Burning," by William Faulkner, the main characters, Eli Remenzel & Colonel Sartoris (Sarty) Snopes, both mature from childhood into adulthood. This growth and maturity develops from having family support and a stable upbringing or perhaps their growth happened within their own self-consciousness. The main characters, in both these stories, use their inner maturity to be strong and courageous and make good decisions as they are growing up. In the story, "The Lie," Eli matures into adulthood.

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