Fahrenheit 451 Harrison Bergeron Individuality example essay topic

For hundreds of years equality has been fought for and to some extent achieved. The majority of people hope that throughout the next several decades the equality of society will continually increase until one day Thomas Jefferson's belief that all men are equal will prove itself true. However, more often then not humans have a tendency to choose exactly the thing that's worst for them, and in reality attaining an equal society could have disastrous consequences. This is demonstrated by two science fiction stories titled Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut. Both of these stories have a futuristic setting in which egalitarianism has been achieved but at the price of individuality, time for thought, and value of life. In both stories the governments do their best to rid society of individuality and make everyone equal.

As Beatty says We must all be alike everyone made equal. (58) Both stories destroy individuality by instituting laws to make everyone equal. In Fahrenheit 451 they ban books, which are the foundation of different opinions and thoughts, hence the end of individuality. In Harrison Bergeron individuality is abolished by equality laws such as the 211th, 212th and 213th amendments to the constitution. (7) People who differed from the norm of society were killed in both stories. In Fahrenheit 451 people who differed from others by reading books were burned, and in Harrison Bergeron people who defied the equality laws were killed by the Handicapper General.

Contributing to the loss of individuality in both stories is the loss of the ability to think. In Fahrenheit, people were unable to think because they were only taught to memorize facts instead of being taught to question and think for themselves. The people in Harrison Bergeron couldn t think much either, because anyone with above average intelligence had to wear a mental handicap radio that played sounds every 20 second to ensure that all thoughts fled in panic, like bandits from a burglar alarm (7). Though the governments in both stories used different methods, they were both successful in eliminating virtually all intelligent thought. The value placed on life has been drastically decreased in the futuristic settings of both stories. People were killed left and right by government employees without any questions asked.

When Harrison Bergeron disobeyed the law, he was shot down by the handicapper general. If people in Fahrenheit 451 refused to give up their books, they were burnt with them. People of all ages killed others without a second thought. As Clarisse perceptively notes, I m afraid of children my own age. They kill each other (30). After people die in both stories, little to no time is spent grieving for them.

In Harrison Bergeron Harrison's parent's don t mourn his death at all and simply forget sad things (13). And as Beatty says, Let's not quibble over individuals with memoriums. Forget them (60). Though both stories have the same basic theme that equality can be gained only at the price of individuality, time to think and value of life, they also have many differences. In Fahrenheit 451, the transformation of society into a mindless, uniform violent civilization was a gradual occurrence. No major laws were issued to force the people to be equal, the change simply occurred over time with the aid of new technology and beliefs.

In Harrison Bergeron amendments to the Constitution ordering the use of handicaps ensured that people were equal in every which way (7). Unlike the characters in Harrison Bergeron, the characters in Fahrenheit 451 were not physically equal, and though some people stood out in intellect, they were the ones selected for beatings and tortures after hours (60). Depite these differences in plot, these stories share the same theme and have shared it with others throughout the years. As T.S. Elliot once said, complete equality means universal irresponsibility (Library of Practical Information, 97). If everyone was equal, nothing could be done to further improve conditions of life, and it would be irresponsible to allow that to happen. While people should be treated as equal under the law, we should each treasure our own individuality, question teachings to form our own opinions, and cherish every second of our lives.

11/20/00 S.A.E. V-7 If All Men Were Equal For hundreds of years equality has been fought for and to some extent achieved. The people in Harrison Bergeron couldn t think much either, because anyone with above average intelligence had to wear a mental handicap radio that played sounds every 20 seconds to ensure that all thoughts fled in panic, like bandits from a burglar alarm (7). Forget them (60). Forget them (60). 324.