Many people dream of a utopia, a perfect place where everyone follows the rules, but one person’s view of a perfect place can be a dystopia to another. Dystopia is an imperfect, futuristic society where people living in that society is oppressed. Perfect representations of a dystopian society are the stories, 1984 written by George Orwell, “Harrison Bergeron” written by Kurt Vonnegut, and Planet of the Apes directed by Tim Burton. In 1984, Winston Smith deals with oppression in Oceania, where human behavior is under the watchful eyes of Big Brother, and Winston expresses his thoughts in a diary and get gets in an illegal relationship with Julia. His doings lead him to the attention of disapproval. In Harrison Bergeron, it is the year 2081 and amendments in the Constitution say that all Americans are equal, and not allowed to be smarter, better looking, or more physically capable than anyone else. …show more content…
The Handicapper Generals enforce the laws to prevent the citizens from disobeying.
In the Planet of the Apes it is the year 2029 and in the United States Air Force space station, Leo Davidson works with primates who are trained for space missions. His favorite co-worker is a chimpanzee named Pericles. A deadly electromagnetic storm is approaching the station. Pericles pilotes a small space pod that is used to probe the storm. Pericles's pod heads into the storm and disappears. Going against Leo’s commanding officer's orders, Leo takes the second pod and goes in to find Pericles. While entering the storm, Leo loses contact with Oberon and crashes on a planet called Ashlar in the year 5021. He sees that the world is ruled by apes who can speak human language and treat humans as slaves. All dystopian literature, whether novel, short story or film, focuses on similar characteristics and
themes. A dystopian society has its' freedom restricted and citizens are afraid to disobey the figurehead. The citizens conform to uniform expectations and dissent is viewed as bad. If a citizen commits a thought crime, there is consequences. The Thought Police finds them then they “disappear and no one hears from them again” (Orwell 44). Equality is forced so much to the point that individuality is viewed as hazardous. The people that live in that society views it as "being back to the dark ages" (Orwell 2). The citizens think that individuality makes everyone go against each other. All the apes are expected to hate humans, because they are viewed as evil and dirty. The expectations are easily enforced, because of the citizens are always watched and expected to follow the rules. The citizens in the society are under constant surveillance, but in different approaches. Citizens are being watched by the Thought Police through telescreens. They are able to hear "any sound above a low whisper" (Orwell 6). They are being watched to mostly to see if the people are trying to go against Big Brother. What the people are thinking is constantly being monitored by the handicapper Generals. The handicaps are “tuned to a government transmitter” (Vonnegut 1). The people are being watched, but the Handicapper Generals are mostly about stopping individual thinking. The humans have a curfew. If they are caught after hours, they are “killed upon sight” (Burton; Boulle). The humans are not superior to the apes, so they are expected to follow the rules or face the consequences. The government not only knows what the citizens are doing at all times, they also control it. Dystopian societies have oppressive controls and an illusion of perfection in the society. The citizens are controlled by using fear and restricting freedom. The figurehead is most feared. “Big Brother is watching them” (Orwell 3). The fear is constantly someone watching them, which takes away their freedom to have privacy. Hazel notices how tired George is due to his handicap bag, and she wants to take out some of the lead balls to make the bag less heavy. George does not want “two years in prison and a fine” (Vonnegut 2) for every ball taken out. The fear that is set into rebelling against the Handicapper General is society will be bad again if people start cheating in laws. The society that Leo is in, humans are treated like wild and dirty animals. Apes tell each other to “wear gloves when handling humans” (Burton; Boulle). The humans are viewed as vermin that carry diseases that the apes do not want to catch. the three societies are controlling others the same by using fear, but are different when it comes to the type of control that is used. Corporate, bureaucratic, technological, and philosophical controls are used to control others. The society in 1984 is under technological control. The telescreen “receives and transmits simultaneously” (Orwell 6).The telescreens are able to to do many things at once, also send messages to control others. This society is under technological control. The transmitter “sends out a sharp noise” (Vonnegut 1) to the handicaps. The government uses that to prevent people from taking unfair advantages of their brains. The planet of the ape’s society is under philosophical control. “Simos is the first chimpanzee,” and they view him as a god. (Burton; Boulle). The ape’s religion controls their views about who is more evolved than the other. There are many people that follow the rules of the dystopian society, but there is always someone that goes against the society's rules and regulations. The dystopian protagonist rebels against the society and the protagonist is usually smart or strong. In the society they always question the current social and political systems. Winston realizes that the government is giving false information to the people about the history….The act of the Big Brother Party is to "use conscious deception" (Orwell 215). Harrison is the protagonist. He is the perfect candidate because he is a “genius and an athlete” (Vonnegut 3). Him having those two characteristics say he is too smart to be fooled by the political system. Ari is against abusing humans. She thinks it is “disgusting the way they treat humans” (Burton; Boulle). Ari realizes that the humans are creatures that deserve respect. The protagonists sees they that cannot change everyone’s perspective, which makes them want to be elsewhere. The dystopian protagonist feels trapped and is having a difficult time trying to escape. Winston wonders about the privilege that the people get in the Inner Party. Winston being in O'Brien's home and he has the option to have "nobody watching him" (Orwell 100). Due to Harrison having rapid growth, he has specialized handicaps. “Nobody has heavier handicaps” (Vonnegut 3) than him. The government tries to limit Harrison’s capabilities to the point that they give him so many handicaps to make him almost immobile. Ari is curious about Leo, since he is not from the planet of the apes. She wants to “see his world” (Burton; Boulle). Ari wants to be around others that accepts her views about humans. In dystopian societies, there is the attempt to escape that is successful, or the attempt to change that fails and they accept the society. In conclusion, dystopian novels either have a member of the society itself or someone who enters and is adopted by the society.
One similarity between “Harrison Bergeron” 2081 is that George had a mental handicap. This is important to the story because since the transmitter sent a sharp noise “to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains”, neither he or Hazel could think about Harrison for very long or even remember that he had been killed seconds after it happened. This was also important to the film because it showed us pieces of what happened the night Harrison was taken away and gives the audience an idea what the handicaps feel like for the characters.
Science Fiction is a genre that has the ability to reveal the truth of the society and the dystopian elements that capture today's world. The real problems are shown as well as what important pieces are missing. Fahrenheit 451 forms the idea that our world today focuses on the unimportant and ignorant things in life causing people from this book lack some basic human rights. Additionally, in Harrison Bergeron, the public is forced to wear handicaps that hides their gifts they were born with. This world is forced to be equal and anyone who speaks out against it will be executed. Through the pages of Fahrenheit 451 and the Harrison Bergeron, the real flaws in today's society leading many people to have their freedoms diminished, or taken away are shown.
One similarity between the text and the movie was that everyone was equal in every way. It was important that the filmmakers keep this in the movie because it’s the most important detail in the story. In the short story, “Harrison Bergeron”, it says, “They were equal in every which way. Nobody was smarter than everyone else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than everybody else” (1). If the filmmakers had never kept the equality part in 2081, the storyline would not make any sense. In the movie, everyone that needed handicaps had them including George, Harrison, and the ballerinas.
You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty (Gandhi). The power society has over citizens is explored in the two texts Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut. The story Fahrenheit 451 depicts firemen who start fires instead of stop them. In this society censorship is valued and books are a main reason firemen burn. Books give you knowledge and knowledge is power which is what this society tries to prevent. In the short story “Harrison Bergeron” the topic similarly is about censorship in a more extreme way. People must wear masks and handicaps to prevent them from being different or unique. Intelligent people get a sharp noise in their ear every twenty seconds to prevent people from taking unfair advantage of their brains.
Harrison Bergeron is a short story that creates many images and feelings while using symbols and themes to critique aspects of our lives. In the story, the future US government implements a mandatory handicap for any citizens who is over their standards of normal. The goal of the program is to make everyone equal in physical capabilities, mental aptitude and even outward appearance. The story is focused around a husband and wife whose son, Harrison, was taken by the government because he is very strong and smart, and therefore too above normal not to be locked up. But, Harrison’s will is too great. He ends up breaking out of prison, and into a TV studio where he appears on TV. There, he removes the government’s equipment off of himself, and a dancer, before beginning to dance beautifully until they are both killed by the authorities. The author uses this story to satire
1984, a dystopian novel, was written by George Orwell. Winston Smith, the protagonist, lives in a society where people have restrictions both mentally and physically. The story takes place in Oceania in the year 1984. Citizens of Oceania do not lead personal lives because the people are constantly being observed by telescreens. Thinking individually or thinking against the Party, which is the government of Oceania, is considered thoughtcrime. People are vaporized for doing such things.
The pages of history have longed been stained with the works of man written in blood. Wars and conflicts and bloodshed were all too common. But why? What could drive a man to kill another? Many would say it is man’s evil nature, his greed, envy, and wrath. And certainly, they all have a roll in it. But in reality, it is something far less malevolent, at least at first. The sole reason why conflicts grow and spread comes from the individuality that every human cherishes so dearly. This can easily be shown in the story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, in which a society has been created where everyone of talent has been handicapped so they are not better than anyone else, all for the sake of equality. This text will show that Individuality
Kurt Vonnegut’s science fiction, short story, “Harrison Bergeron” satirizes the defective side of an ideal, utopian American society in 2081, where “everyone was finally equal” (Vonnegut 1). When you first begin to read “Harrison Bergeron”, through an objective, nonchalant voice of the narrator, nothing really overly suggests negativity, yet the conclusion and the narrator's subtle description of the events show how comically tragic it really is. Vonnegut’s use of morbid satire elicits a strong response from the readers as it makes you quickly realize that this scenario does not resemble a utopian society at all, but an oppressive, government and technology-controlled society. “A dystopian society is a
Ever since the beginning of time, Americans have been struggling to obtain equality. The main goal is to have a country where everyone can be considered equal, and no one is judged or discriminated against because of things out of their control. Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. Plays with this idea of total equality in his futuristic short story, Harrison Bergeron. The setting is in 2081, where everyone is equal. No one is allowed to be better than anybody else. The government makes anyone who would be considered above average wear a transmitting device to limit their thoughts to twenty seconds at a time, which is considered average in this day. They also must wear bags of buckshot shackled to their necks to ensure no one can be stronger than anybody
The handicaps are to people as the cage is to the bird. This simile describes how Caged Bird and Harrison Bergeron are alike. Harrison Bergeron and Caged Bird are very alike in many reasons. They both reference limitations on freedom. In Caged Bird the limitation is that the bird is in the cage and cannot fly or go wherever it pleases. In Harrison Bergeron the limitations are all the handicaps. In Harrison Bergeron there are limitations to the citizens. These are called handicaps. When you are more capable at something then other people are then you receive handicaps that limit your abilities so that everyone is equal. Some handicaps are earpieces that stop you from thinking with a ringing sound, masks for those that have superior beauty, and
The future entails breakthrough technology and unknown leadership. The harsh rules of the government in, Harrison Bergeron, causes the protagonist, Harrison Bergeron, to come up with the dangerous idea to overthrow the government which leads to the violent behavior of the antagonist Diana Moon Glampers. The author, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., uses character development to show the theme of the harsh government through the eyes of the protagonist, antagonist, and the foil characters Hazel and George Bergeron in this futuristic society.
Although the comparisons are well hidden, both today’s society and the story ‘Harrison Bergeron’ share similar qualities. They both deal with equality, which leads to problems and consequences. A second similarity is the struggle of competition and trying to prevent it from occurring, which also leads to problems. Lastly, both struggle with normality, and the fact that it’s hard to accept that different is okay now.
“Harrison Bergeron” a short story by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., takes place in a totalitarian society where everyone is equal. A man who tries to play the savior, but ultimately fails in his endeavors to change the world. Vonnegut short story showed political views on communism, which is that total equality is not good (and that equity might be better).
Dystopian novels are written to reflect the fears a population has about its government, and they are successful because they capture that fright and display what can happen if it is ignored. George Orwell wrote 1984 with this fear of government in mind and used it to portray his opinion of the current government discretely. Along with fear, dystopian novels have many other elements that make them characteristic of their genre. The dystopian society in Orwell’s novel became an achievement because he utilized a large devastated city, a shattered family system, life in fear, a theme of oppression, and a lone hero. Orwell’s novel begins with a horrid description of the living conditions of his main character, Winston.
The idea of the future has been explored for as long as writers have been writing. The interesting concept about the future is that it will always remain a mystery. The future is always changing and never ending. In George Orwell’s 1984, Orwell ruminates on his thoughts and ideas of what the future will be like. Orwell wrote the book around 1950 during the writing era of postmodernism. Postmodernist books often expressed thoughts of the future, as well as other themes. 1984 describes the future as a place where the Party has taken over and controls everything and everyone. The residents of Oceania have no control over their bodies, their relationships, or even their thoughts. Oceania is a place of war and control. The protagonist in 1984 is a middle-aged man named Winston. Winston is one of the only living people who realize that the party is changing the facts, and he wants to do something about it (Orwell). Winston deals with the struggles of hiding from the law and who to trust. In 1984, George Orwell uses the themes of physical and mental control, forbidden love, and a “big brother” figure to exhibit characteristics of postmodernism.