Government Control Governments need to have rules, laws and regulations so they have control over the people, but too much control can be oppressive to society. Government control should be equal to the rights of the people; having too much control conflicts with the rights of the people and their life, liberty and happiness. There are arguments to both sides of governing power and it’s effect on society, but one thing is certain, and facts show that an overpowering government can lead to adverse effects on the people. In “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, it is evident that an overpowering government can lead to a lack of freedom and place little to no value on one’s life.
In “Harrison Bergeron”, the overpowering government led to a lack of freedom by making everyone equal. Not letting people live their own lives and letting the government overrule them meant they didn’t get liberty from the government. Their free thinking, individuality and freedom were all taken away. The over oppressive government showed they didn’t let people be free by using handicaps such as, lead filled bags weighing down necks, masks to cover beauty and ear pieces with loud noises causing adverse reaction like this, “It was such a doozy that
…show more content…
An over oppressive government equals lack of freedom and value to the lives of those in society. People are deserving of their own life, liberty and happiness equal to that of themselves. They are entitled to be unique to oneself and different from the rest with their own attributes, faults and achievements. No one is denying that the government does need some control, but to take away the liberties that make one different from the next is detrimental to the people and their life. Let’s let the people think for themselves and make mistakes, achieve goals and be proud of who they are in their own minds and
The main conflict of the story is between Harrison Bergeron and the government. Harrison disagrees with the government’s way of controlling and handicapping society, especially since he has been given several handicaps. Harrison does not believe one should be limited, however, he is
Harrison is the perfect example of this kind of rebellion. Although he is only fourteen, “he is a genius and an athlete, is under-handicapped, and should be regarded as extremely dangerous” (141). Due to his abilities, he is in prison because he is a threat to society. Harrison is aware that a new society must emerge, and he breaks out of prison, removes his handicaps, and for just a moment, shows his individuality. In the government’s eyes, Harrison is a rebel, and rebels are people that have no place in society, and must die. Diana Moon Glampers, who is the Handicapper General and represents conformity, kills Harrison and his selected mate with whom he wanted to rule a more humane America. She then threatens everyone else with force in the television station with a shotgun by “aiming it at the musicians and told them they have ten seconds to get their handicaps back on” (143). Although Harrison’s actions take place, conformity and equality still rule. In an article in Contemporary American writers, it describes Harrison’s parents after the murder, “They resume their passive, acquiescent lives; having forgotten the entire scene almost as soon as they witnessed it” (2396). This dehumanization is the result of government oppression, as well as the physical punishment that awaits if anyone tries to be rebellious like Harrison Bergeron.
In the book Brave New World, the government has complete control over the citizens. From conditioning to drugs, the government finds ways to use its power over the people. In many ways, this relates to our world and our government, and in this novel, Huxley warns us about letting the government take control over
Juan Ramon Jimenez once said, “If they give you ruled paper, write the other way”. This quote shows the challenge of authority, like Montag and his society. Just like challenging the normal, or doing the opposite of what seems to be right by “writing the other way” on a lined piece of paper, Montag chooses to challenge authority by reading, remembering, and comprehending books, instead of burning them. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury takes place in a dystopian society in the twenty-fourth century and the main character is Guy Montag. He is a fireman whose job is to burn books and start fires instead of putting them out. Moreover, he lives in a society which just listens to government propaganda and follows whatever they are told; the citizens do not think deeply about aspects in life but rather focus on mind-numbing activities, that does not take any deep thought process. Books are banned but Montag takes the risk to start to read books, hoping they will bring him happiness in the dark world he lives in. In his journey he has three mentors who help him, Clarisse, Faber, and Granger. The protagonist, Guy Montag, changes as a result of the conflict within his dystopian society and this change connects to the novel’s theme of government censorship over its citizens.
Finally, the government in Fahrenheit 451 obtains and maintains power over the populous because knowledge is power, and the desire for power can either construct or destruct a
If citizens allow the government to have more control, then society should fear the government will have too much power. Citizens should be able to have privacy and freedoms, in order to not let the government control their lives. If no one stands up for their freedoms, soon the freedoms will be easily taken
Knowledge is power. A power that gives the people their right to have influence in society. Imagine a world where this power was taken away. In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, a fireman named Guy Montag lives in a society some time in the future where a fireman’s job is to burn all books in order to prevent people from trying to revolt against the government with knowledge, and the books are replaced by mindless technology. Montag is originally one of the majority of people who is brainwashed and conforms to this society. After meeting an unusual teenager named Clarisse who introduces him to books, Montag starts to wonder what books are really like. As he begins reading literature, Montag breaks away from the others and becomes one of these non-conformists himself, speaking out against the corrupt society. Many key aspects of the society set up by Bradbury show how technology has destroyed this fictional society and causes readers to notice similarities in today’s real society.
George Orwell's dystopian novel 1984 cautions against government having too much/excessive amount of power. Winston Smith lives in a society where a totalitarian government tracks their citizen's every move through telescreens and thought police. The government is divided among the four ministries; the Ministry of Love, Peace, Plenty, and Truth. The excessive censorship in the society leads the citizens to be less individualistic and more alike to one another. Being in an environment where Newspeak is enforced, citizens are unable to express their originality. Orwell's 1984 is a very effective cautionary tale through its characterization of Winston who lacks heroic characteristics, its conflict of man vs society, and its use of dialect.
Short of just 70 years ago, the United States was detached; segregated into communities of race and color. In the eyes of our modern society, this practice was cruel and inhumane, an example of just how much a culture’s perspective can change in time. Fahrenheit 451, a novel written and published by Ray Bradbury in 1953, focused on the consequences of change in a society through the eyes of Guy Montag. In the fictitious story, Guy serves as one of many firemen in the community; rather than removing the fires, they set them upon books, which had prohibited and illegalized. After a series of events that transpired in the novel, Montag would begin to recognize the intellectual censorship caused by the absence of books; beginning his crusade
People need the government to guide and control them; for they can have freedom. The people need the government to direct and advised them, which will allow them to furish in a free society. Additionally,
In life, people go on a journey of self-discovery to find who they are which leads the creation of mistakes and struggle to find a place in society. The strive to find a distinctive role leads them to take specific actions to obtain their goal. A major obstacle in their journey is the authoritarian and powerful society who represses the people to conform to their rules. In the novel Fahrenheit 451, the government censors controversial issues from the people to ensure that no uprising or rebellion will arise relating their boundaries and laws. Their primary goal of the dictatorial government is to cease the curiosity and creativity of society and force the people to observe their beliefs. To enforce their authority, the government closely observes the people and holds everyone liable to danger; life would pass by too quickly giving them little time to ponder about the world. Similarly to the oppression in Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the protagonist, Hester Prynne, defies the rules of the strict Puritan community and is cast aside by the townspeople. Refusing to conform to the ideals of society, Hester was unable to regain her position and lives in isolation on the outskirts of Boston. These two characters, however, have some differences concerning their hero’s journey. In Fahrenheit, Montag uncovers his distinctiveness and uniqueness of others in the society while fighting against the government who tries to control independent thought. Hester, on the other hand,
Totalitarianism is the most radical denial of freedom. It describes a society with no rights and no control over one’s own thoughts or actions. According to the Online Oxford Dictionaries, totalitarianism is, “a system of government that is centralized and dictatorial and requires complete subservience to the state” (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com). In other words, totalitarianism is a society controlled by a government, composed of a limited amount of people, with complete control over the population. Throughout Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury entails of a society controlled by a totalitarian government, providing insight on how its mechanics function. Bradbury, a renowned writer especially for his visions of the future expressed
Any government with total control is worth being feared and having a group of individuals who go against their government. With complete control, a government is capable of committing acts against their citizens, which can be perceived as “something good” from the government’s point of view. In 1984 by George Orwell, and “Harrison Bergeron”, by Kurt Vonnegut, the main characters, Winston and Harrison, feel oppressed by the government's acts and events, try to overthrow their government, and go through a realization of hopelessness and defeat.
I don’t have to assume anything because I completely agree that every literary work has some political level whether that level is in small details, a warning, or if spans the entire work or even if it merely touches upon an issue or subject. The past Sophomore year, I found many of our books to be especially political. One of them, Fahrenheit 451, demonstrates just how successful, and political, a book can be. Let’s start off with the main character: a man with the surname of Montag who a fireman who burns books because having them are against the law but doesn’t necessarily know whether or not the practice of burning books is right. This is a man who is unsure and on the edge of whether to believe society or his own thoughts and those he
For all of history there has existed the struggle between the strong and the weak. The establishment of government gives the power to a particular group to decide the amount of freedom the majority is allowed, however, though not ideal it provides necessary order. The benefits of security that limitations on freedom provides must be balanced with the individual's pursuit of happiness for citizens to be content. To prevent the governed majority from destabilizing the rulers and seeking power, the government will oppress political and personal freedom of thought. In result, the majority will live under the illusion of contentment and not wish to revolt; those enlightened to the idea that the government should be ruled by the governed, would associate happiness only with ignorance and consequently seek freedom.