What is it like to live with constant restraint and no higher knowledge? Those in Anthem and “Harrison Bergeron” could tell the experience. In both pieces, everyone in the society is considered “equal” ;however, the governments in both dystopias only make it seem that way when, in reality, equality is not achieved in the way they hoped. The novella Anthem, by Ayn Rand, is similar to “Harrison Bergeron”, by Kurt Vonnegut, because both stories evince complacency to laws, evince opposition to rules against knowledge, and evince suppression to knowledge so no one is smarter than their peers or authority. “Harrison Bergeron” shows a similarity to Anthem through being complacent and smug towards laws that their societies are forced to follow. Bergeron
…show more content…
George, a character from “Harrison Bergeron,“ had a little mental handicap radio in his ear. He was required by law to wear it at all times. It was tuned to a government transmitter. Every twenty seconds or so, the transmitter would send out some sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains” (Vonnegut 1). Even though George’s brain should only belong to him, the authority in the community wants to keep him and others at the average level of thinking so that they do not start to question things, and so that they don’t think about anything they want. Rand follows a similar thought with “ the lips of the oldest did not move as they said ‘ Street Sweeper’... we would accept our life mandate” (Rand 26). In spite of the discoveries Equality 7-2521 makes about his world, his community felt it would be more fitting for him to be a street sweeper, rather than a scholar, so they detain his knowedge for the “greater good” of the society. Within each society, greater knowledge is almost a threat to the authority’s stability, and for this reason they control others ability to think
George, a character from “Harrison Bergeron,“ had a little mental handicap radio in his ear. He was required by law to wear it at all times. It was tuned to a government transmitter. Every twenty seconds or so, the transmitter would send out some sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains” (Vonnegut 1). Even though George’s brain should only belong to him, the authority in the community wants to keep him and others at the average level of thinking so that they do not start to question things, and so that they don’t think about anything they want. Rand follows a similar thought with “ the lips of the oldest did not move as they said ‘ Street Sweeper’... we would accept our life mandate” (Rand 26). In spite of the discoveries Equality 7-2521 makes about his world, his community felt it would be more fitting for him to be a street sweeper, rather than a scholar, so they detain his knowedge for the “greater good” of the society. Within each society, greater knowledge is almost a threat to the authority’s stability, and for this reason they control others ability to think