Comparing 'Harrison Bergeron And By The Waters Of Babylon'

Technology has been around as long as people have and has been advancing ever since. It is the reason that we have access to the miraculous tools that we do today. From the forks that we eat our supper with to the cars that get us from place to place technology is everywhere. However, with technology advancing at such a rapid pace, it could pose a threat to our future society. In the short stories “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut and “By the Waters of Babylon” by Stephen Vincent Benet, the authors describe how bleak society could become if we do not take precautions when using technology.
The main concern for the characters in “Harrison Bergeron” is equality. It is the handicapper general’s job to manipulate everyone so no man is stronger

or more intelligent than the other. By giving handicaps to those who were not already born with them, everyone is made equal and nobody is able to judge because everyone has the same flaws. The government believes that by making all men equal it will lead to a more peaceful and controlled society. It is also very important to the citizens that live in this society that they do not act against the government, for if they did, they would get “Two years in prison and two thousand dollars fine for every ball I took out” (40).
The priority of the characters in “By the Waters of Babylon” is religion. The protagonist heads out on a journey to go the forbidden Place of the Gods to increase his knowledge about the gods. Upon further investigation once he arrives to the Place of the Gods the narrator discovers that “they had been men, neither gods nor demons” (321). Benet also explains in his story, through the narrator’s father, that “Truth is a hard deer to hunt. If you eat too much truth at once, you may die of the truth” (321). This took place when the narrator returned from his journey and informed his father about what he had discovered at the Place of the Gods.
In both stories they give warnings about how powerful technology is and when it is misused it can lead to a disaster.

Vonnegut explains in his story that when misused, technology will take away who people really are. The narrator explains that since George is above average in intelligence the government has forced to wear “a little mental handicap radio in his ear. He was required by law to wear it at all times. It was tuned to a government transmitter. 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.” (38). While Benet explains that when technology is used too quickly without learning about the possible outcome it could lead to utter destruction. Also it can be sublime and could lead to astounding discoveries, yet too many quick technology advancements are not always good. The narrator in “By the Waters of Babylon” describes the roads in the Place of the Gods as “most are cracked and broken” (316) and the he explains “Everywhere there are ruins of the high towers of the gods.” (316). This is Benet’s way of describing what the consequences could be if the government were to advance technology too quickly without considering the possible

risks.
If I would have to choose to live in “Harrison Bergeron” or “By the Waters of Babylon”: I would choose “By the Waters of Babylon”. In this story the characters are given more freedom, there are not handicaps holding them back from showing who they are and they are able to do what they want to do. Whereas in “Harrison Bergeron” some people are forced to hide who they truly are since they are being held back by the handicaps that they have to wear. Also in “By the Waters of Babylon” the people that live in this society are able to live their life to its full potential. Meanwhile in “Harrison Bergeron” most of the people living there will never be able to exceed in the activities that they partake in because the government forces them to be like everyone else rather than demonstrating their talents.