Which did you like better: Forster’s or Ellison’s story? Why?
“Is it better for a man to have chosen evil than to have good imposed on him?”
-Anthony Burgess, A Clockwork Orange
I start my essay by quoting Anthony Burgess. His single quote to summarizes the main plot device used in both Ellison’s as well as Forster’s stories to carry their own message across: the struggle between man and societal ‘oppressions’ – a squared framework in which everyone must conform to.
Comparing both stories, we identify a character who defies the structures of their society in pursuit of their own ideals despite how society seemed to work against them and towards the ‘goodness’ of mankind. Despite the similarities in the usage of man versus society, the main …show more content…
They lived in relative peace and believed in the power of the Machine, almost to a cultish extent, relying on it to carry out their daily activities. While it is clear that the underlying meaning points towards an over-dependency on technology, the notion of utter reverence of technology seems almost laughable and disbelieving. Having come so far with technology, one would see traces of over dependency although not that of …show more content…
The defining point in Ellison’s story was how the morality of the story takes on a convoluted stand when propagating the idea that one should preserve their sense of identity and individuality by following their own beliefs instead of just going along with the flow of things. This is made obvious by the juxtaposition of Everett and Alice’s character. While Everett clearly had no desire to conform, Alice had every desire to be part of the masses. In the end, both acted on their own individualistic ideals – Everett being one to create disorder and Alice turning Everett in. On analysis, one could not fault either Everett or Alice for acting on beliefs that they both felt fervently about. The duality of this fiction makes it more impactful compared to
“Is it better for a man to have chosen evil than to have good imposed on him?”
-Anthony Burgess, A Clockwork Orange
I start my essay by quoting Anthony Burgess. His single quote to summarizes the main plot device used in both Ellison’s as well as Forster’s stories to carry their own message across: the struggle between man and societal ‘oppressions’ – a squared framework in which everyone must conform to.
Comparing both stories, we identify a character who defies the structures of their society in pursuit of their own ideals despite how society seemed to work against them and towards the ‘goodness’ of mankind. Despite the similarities in the usage of man versus society, the main …show more content…
They lived in relative peace and believed in the power of the Machine, almost to a cultish extent, relying on it to carry out their daily activities. While it is clear that the underlying meaning points towards an over-dependency on technology, the notion of utter reverence of technology seems almost laughable and disbelieving. Having come so far with technology, one would see traces of over dependency although not that of …show more content…
The defining point in Ellison’s story was how the morality of the story takes on a convoluted stand when propagating the idea that one should preserve their sense of identity and individuality by following their own beliefs instead of just going along with the flow of things. This is made obvious by the juxtaposition of Everett and Alice’s character. While Everett clearly had no desire to conform, Alice had every desire to be part of the masses. In the end, both acted on their own individualistic ideals – Everett being one to create disorder and Alice turning Everett in. On analysis, one could not fault either Everett or Alice for acting on beliefs that they both felt fervently about. The duality of this fiction makes it more impactful compared to