What Are The Similarities Between Harrison Bergeron And 1984

Knowledge is power, ignorance is surrender. Both stories serve as prime examples of the power that knowledge holds and consequently how depriving its citizens can be a weapon to counter uprising, because one who is unaware of any misconduct can not combat it. While both authors use two different approaches they achieve similar goals. In 1984 Orwell demonstrates how the government, in his dystopian society, attempts to eradicate not only individuality, but also intelligent thought process through the elimination of complex words as well as synonyms and antonyms. In “Harrison Bergeron” Vonnegut achieves the same effect by different means , mental handicap devices. Orwell and Vonnegut have one fundamental similarity in their stories, the element

If a government no longer promotes furthering one’s wisdom, as in 1984 and “Harrison Bergeron”, they are essentially removing a person’s ability to advance in society and their predisposition to question authoritative figures who have compromised morals. Orwell and Vonnegut both prove that if a government possesses the power to limit the extend of a person's knowledge that government no longer has to worry about the population becoming an organized force. Furthermore the use of not only psychological manipulation, but in addition, physical torture are, by both governments, implemented as ways to control its citizens. For instance in 1984 any citizen who oppose the government are threatened with being vaporized, in other words completely being erased from history. They also face forced labor, in some cases, until vaporization. “Harrison Bergeron” also exhibits similar violent traits, such as the blatant murder of Harrison on live television. Both of these societies rarely model rebellion amongst it’s citizens, with exception of the main

Within the first three paragraphs of this short story the main theme of absolute equality, achieved by the oppression of the extraordinary, “ They were equal in every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else.” and “ George, while his intelligence was way above normal, had a little mental handicap radio in his ear. He was required by law to wear at all times…..Every twenty seconds or so, the transmitter would send out some sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains.”. Additionally these are obviously not the only two examples, throughout the short story, of government oppression of intellect, but they are two very prominent