Comparison Of Harrison Bergeron And Anthem

The three satires, “Harrison Bergeron” by Vonnegut, “By the Water of Babylon” by Benet and Anthem by Rand all have many key similarities and differences. Technology, main characters, and society all play a role in each satire and effect the theme and plot.

“Harrison Bergeron” by Vonnegut is similar and different to “By the Waters of Babylon” and Anthem. In “Harrison Bergeron”, technology is heavily restricted due to the government forcing everyone to be equal. The government uses earpieces, masks and other devices to control the minds of the citizens. The technology portrayed in “Harrison Bergeron” is far more advanced and restricting than the technology in the other works. Although technology is more advanced, the society has had a lack

of progression due to the standstill mindset of the government. The people of this society are ruled by The Handicapper General and are made equal by 213 amendments. Finally, the main character Harrison Bergeron shares many of the same similarities as the other main characters. Furthermore, Harrison Bergeron was a breakthrough in their society and rose up against collectivism to demonstrate the meaning of individualism. The government fears the uprise of Harrison and states, “He is a genius and an athlete, is under-handicapped and should be regarded as extremely dangerous.”(Vonnegut 136) This shows that many of the main characters in our story rise up against collectivism and cut their own path. “Harrison Bergeron” by Vonnegut is similar and different to “By the Waters of Babylon” and Anthem.
“By the Water of Babylon” by Benet is similar and different to Harrison Bergeron by Vonnegut and Anthem by Rand.

In “By the Water of Babylon” the technology is very primitive due to a nuclear blast. The radiation has caused the land to be unliveable. With primitive technology, man would have to start over and build up from the burdens of there broken society. This relates back to the other works because even though the technology is not at the same level, it still shows how technology is at a current standstill. On the other hand, society in “By the Water of Babylon” is very weak and would need ages to repair from the burdens caused by the nuclear blast. The city is in great disrepair and as “A great Dead Place-- greater than any Dead Place we know. Everywhere in it, there are god-roads, though most are cracked and broken.”(Benet 487). With the knowledge of the destruction of the blast, the city will be in great disrepair and take a very long time to build back up. Along with society, there is a glowing main character who is different from the rest. In “By the Water of Babylon” the main character has fire in his eyes and wants to explore past the permitted zone. This shows a connection to the other novels in the matter that the main character shows actions of individualism. With the main character pressing east into the forbidden land shows eagerness to expand his knowledge and help his society like the other charters. “By the Waters of Babylon” is similar and different to“Harrison Bergeron” and Anthem because of the society, technology, and main

characters
Anthem by Rand is similar and different to Harrison Bergeron by Vonnegut and “By the Waters of Babylon” by Benet. The society in the book Anthem can be described as an undeveloped area with few discoveries towards humanity. Also, there is collectivism controlling the city. In comparison to the other works the society is broken down and unfair. Along with a broken society, there are also many struggles technology wise. With the only recent invention being a candle that demonstrates the slow progress of the city. However, the is a small crack in the prison walls of collectivism and the main character Equality has risen and stood for individualism. Equality was different and was told that “We were born with a curse. It has always driven us to thoughts which are forbidden”. (Rand 18) Like the other characters, Equality stands up for individualism and breaks what's considered normal to burn his own path. In there city thinking on your own was a transgression but, Equality finds out that thinking on your own was the reason there society was at a standstill. Anthem by Rand is similar and different to Harrison Bergeron by Vonnegut and “By the Waters of Babylon” by Benet because of the similarities and differences between characters, society, and technology.
“Harrison Bergeron” by Vonnegut, “By the Waters of Babylon” by Benet, and Anthem by Rand can all be described as a satire and also can be compared and contrasted on many similarities and differences due to society, main characters, and technology. In conclusion, all three satires have many common similarities but also some differences.