The difference between the novel Oryx and Crake and Kurt Vonnegut’s Harrison Bergeron is that in the novel, society conformed to the idea that the better you looked, the better you fit in with society, whereas in Harrison Bergeron, people have conformed to the idea that being better is a disability and a threat to society. People with a taller stature were given heavy weights to carry that made them sink down, beautiful people were given hideous masks to hide their beauty, and the intellectually inclined were given an earpiece that did not allow them to take an “unfair advantage of their brains” (Vonnegut 1). The government tortured and dehumanized those with special talents or natural gifts and the citizens went along with it. They conformed
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“What if magazines showed pictures of real people? We would all of a sudden live in a world where girls would not have to starve themselves to see a certain number on the scale. We would live in a world where women wouldn't have to change themselves to meet society's expectations” (Khatri,“The Perception of Perfection”). People are so concentrated on being accepted by society, they do not realize the harm it is causing them. There is nothing wrong with wanting to look good, but wanting to look like everyone else takes away that person’s individuality. When others conform to what society wants, people will look the same or follow the same trends just because everyone else is. Why would anyone want to just fit into the crowd or be just like someone else? It is ok to stand out, make mistakes, and have flaws. Being accepted into society should not be the number one priority. If the image of perfection was taken out of the media, then people would no longer feel the need to conform to society’s high standards and “Society would finally come to realize that there is no such thing as perfection” (Khatri, “The Perception of Perfection”). If no one cared what they looked like in Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake, then there would be no need for experimental genetic engineering, drugs that changed your appearance, and the human race would still exist. Their use of genetic modification was due to society's desire to be in control over everything. Their need to appeal to society caused the downfall of
“What if magazines showed pictures of real people? We would all of a sudden live in a world where girls would not have to starve themselves to see a certain number on the scale. We would live in a world where women wouldn't have to change themselves to meet society's expectations” (Khatri,“The Perception of Perfection”). People are so concentrated on being accepted by society, they do not realize the harm it is causing them. There is nothing wrong with wanting to look good, but wanting to look like everyone else takes away that person’s individuality. When others conform to what society wants, people will look the same or follow the same trends just because everyone else is. Why would anyone want to just fit into the crowd or be just like someone else? It is ok to stand out, make mistakes, and have flaws. Being accepted into society should not be the number one priority. If the image of perfection was taken out of the media, then people would no longer feel the need to conform to society’s high standards and “Society would finally come to realize that there is no such thing as perfection” (Khatri, “The Perception of Perfection”). If no one cared what they looked like in Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake, then there would be no need for experimental genetic engineering, drugs that changed your appearance, and the human race would still exist. Their use of genetic modification was due to society's desire to be in control over everything. Their need to appeal to society caused the downfall of